England v South Africa third Test: Live over-by-over commentary

Third Test scoreboard

England win by 239 runs

South Africa 2nd inns: 252 (77.1 overs. Elgar 136, Bavuma 32, Maharaj 24*, Morris 24; Moeen Ali 4-45, Roland-Jones 3-72, Stokes 2-51, Broad 1-47)

England 2nd inns: 313-8d (79.5 overs. Bairstow 63, Westley 59, Root 50, Jennings 48, Stokes 31; Maharaj 3-50, Morris 2-66, Morkel 1-44, Rabada 1-56)

South Africa 1st inns: 175 (58.4 overs. Bavuma 52, Rabada 30; Roland-Jones 5-57, Anderson 3-25) 

England 1st inns: 353 (103.2 overs. Stokes 112, Cook 88, Bairstow 36, Root 29; Morkel 3-70, Rabada 3-95, Philander 2-32) 

Third Test headlines

Moeen clinches victory with hat-trick
Elgar makes defiant century
Two wickets in two balls for TRJ
Sky Bet odds

England v South Africa day five commentary

RESULT: England win by 239 runs and lead the series 2-1
That's a very, very good performance from England and a sensational way to finish. Plenty of contributions, with Cook laying a platform that Stokes built on magnificently, while the game was broken open by Roland-Jones four-wicket burst at the top of South Africa's first innings. From then, an England victory always looked on the cards. They set it up perfectly in the third innings and then, despite Dean Elgar's heroics, never really liked like failing to get the 10 wickets they needed.

WICKET! Morkel lbw b Moeen Ali 0

Hat-trick for Moeen Ali! Joel Wilson inexplicably turns down the plumbest of lbw shouts against Morkel, but the review does the trick. Morkel propped half-forward and hit in front of absolutely everything. The image of all 11 England players making the review symbol will be one of the great pictures in the 100th Test at this ground.

Over 77: South Africa 252-9 (Maharaj 24, Morkel 0)
Maharaj survives. Morne Morkel to face the hat-trick ball from Moeen. It's another left-hander...

Over 76: South Africa 252-9 (Maharaj 24)
Moeen Ali will deliver the third hat-trick ball of the innings, if South Africa can negotiate the next over from Stokes.

WICKET! Rabada c Stokes b Moeen Ali 0

For the third time in the innings, two wickets fall in two balls as Rabada edges to slip first ball. Ironically, Rabada should've left it.

WICKET! Elgar c Stokes b Moeen Ali 136

A brilliant innings from Elgar comes to an end. Moeen finally tempts him into a drive out of the rough, the edge is duly found and Stokes is never dropping the easiest of chances at slip. Stunning innings. The gutsiness and doggedness is what people will remember, but it's been peppered with genuinely top-quality strokeplay as well. Just didn't have the support he needed.

Over 75: South Africa 252-7 (Elgar 136, Maharaj 24)
Sky commentators calling for a little bit of Dawid Malan leg-spin before the new ball. Part-time leg-spin is never the wrong choice. I wholeheartedly endorse this scheme. Meanwhile, it's Stokes with a tidy comeback over.

Over 74: South Africa 251-7 (Elgar 135, Maharaj 24)
Maharaj enjoying himself enormously here, slapping a cut shot through point for four as Moeen drops short and then driving for a single as the bowler overcorrects. That's the 250 up for the Proteas. Good double act from Moeen to finish the over, first the big-spinning off-break that gets Maharaj in a tangle and then the quicker, straighter one that goes past the outside edge.

Over 73: South Africa 245-7 (Elgar 134, Maharaj 19)
More runs for Elgar clipped through midwicket. Three, this time. Maharaj adds yet another boundary, but it's a streaky one edged between Jenning and Stokes at third slip and fourth. Digs out a yorker for a single, and Elgar adds two more for a steer behind gully. Elgar drives down the ground for two more, and this flurry of runs off Roland-Jones has lifted his average to over 16. Great finish, though, jagging one past Elgar's outside edge.

Over 72: South Africa 233-7 (Elgar 127, Maharaj 14)
Elgar works to leg for a single. Maharaj then wants to get after Moeen in this spinner-v-spinner contest. Hits one drive hard but straight at cover, then misses another as the ball bounces out of the footmarks and thuds into Bairstow's shoulder.

Over 71: South Africa 232-7 (Elgar 126, Maharaj 14)
Two lovely shots from Maharaj, driven through the offside for four. Not sure he's going to get too many more in his half now. Square-leg goes back, and he's immediately tickled in the ribs by a short ball. Drive that. Yeah, you can't. What he can do is uppercut to the third-man boundary. We've finally found a batsman who can handle Roland-Jones, and he's batting at number nine.

Over 70: South Africa 220-7 (Elgar 126, Maharaj 2)
Moeen does tempt Elgar into the drive, but the ball is plenty full enough and a careful push brings two runs. Good ball from Moeen to end the over, spinning past Elgar's outside edge.

Over 69: South Africa 218-7 (Elgar 124, Maharaj 2)
Couple of singles and then a couple of boundaries from Elgar, who continues to bat beautifully. Nothing wrong with the first boundary, clipped to fine-leg, but the second is a beauty. Elgar drives through mid-on and then holds the pose. Lovely stuff. Again, manages to get a single from the last ball to keep the strike.

Over 68: South Africa 208-7 (Elgar 115, Maharaj 1)
Moeen Ali trying to tempt Elgar outside the off stump. Elgar able to resist. Good, probing maiden over from the England spinner.

Over 67: South Africa 208-7 (Elgar 115, Maharaj 1)
Roland-Jones starts after lunch. Elgar carries on where he left off this morning, working the ball to leg for a single. Quick single gets Maharaj off the mark straight away. Elgar defends solidly to cover to jog a single and keep the strike.

🍽 LUNCH: South Africa, 205-7, require 287 more runs to win
A decent session for England already thanks to that Roland-Jones double-strike turns into an excellent win with that last-gasp dismissal of the dangerous Morris. Elgar has been magnificent, barely putting a foot wrong since edging to third slip yesterday evening when on nine, but he's running out of partners. Was always going to be difficult for England to just run through South Africa under blue, cloudless skies, but they've chipped away and got half of the day's work done. It's now 1/100 that England will take a 2-1 lead to Old Trafford, and 1/12 that victory is secured before tea. South Africa are 5/4 to reach 250, which is perhaps a touch generous. Runs coming reasonably quickly against attacking fields. Elgar still there, Keshav Maharaj and Kagiso Rabada can both bat. Morkel might swipe a few if need be.

Over 66: South Africa 205-7 (Elgar 113)
Root has had a good morning. Got that Bavuma review spot on - helped by Roland-Jones it must be said - and then threw the ball to Moeen for the last over before lunch.

WICKET! Morris c Stokes b Moeen Ali 24

A wicket from the final ball before lunch. What a massive bonus that is for England. Decent delivery from the spinner as well, the drift finding the outside edge of Morris' bat and Stokes moving to his left to pouch a smart catch.

Over 65: South Africa 205-6 (Elgar 113, Morris 24)
Rare blemish with the gloves from Bairstow in this series takes South Africa past 200. Not easy, to be fair, as the ball skids through low and reaches him on the half-volley. He can't gather cleanly, and the ball runs away for four byes. Elgar works to leg once again to collect another couple of runs. He has to dig out a yorker to end the over, and the jarring vibrations cause Elgar to snatch his hand off the handle in pain. Not for the first time.

Over 64: South Africa 199-6 (Elgar 111, Morris 24)
Morris looking good here. A second straight drive in the last couple of overs is better timed and this time brings four, before a Root-esque back-foot punch brings two more. Elgar, meanwhile, has the right idea: he's standing right next to Anderson in that close mid-off position.

Over 63: South Africa 193-6 (Elgar 111, Morris 18)
Neatly done by Elgar as he clips Anderson through midwicket for four. He's benefited from England's understandably attacking fields, but he's scored pretty speedily in what has been a rearguard effort. Strike-rate is up over 60, and has been for most of the innings. Anderson responds to the boundary by going round the wicket, and Elgar gets another painful jarring of the hand as the ball thuds into the splice of his bat.

Over 62: South Africa 189-6 (Elgar 107, Morris 18)
Nice shot from Morris for two, punching a drive back past the returning Broad. Looking nice and solid here is Morris as Elgar finds another willing ally. It's probably going to be in vain, but at least there has been some genuine fourth-innings resistance for the first time in this series after first South Africa at Lord's and then England at Trent Bridge just pretty much gave in.

Over 61: South Africa 187-6 (Elgar 107, Morris 16)
Maiden over from Anderson, but not the best. Too many opportunities for Elgar to leave the ball alone, and the left-hander only too happy to accept them.

Over 60: South Africa 187-6 (Elgar 107, Morris 16)
Elgar works to leg for an easy single before Morris gets lucky as an inside edge races down to the fine-leg boundary. Would've been palpably leg-before had he missed it. With that boundary, Roland-Jones' Test bowling average creeps back above 11.

Over 59: South Africa 182-6 (Elgar 106, Morris 12)
Beautiful delivery from Anderson to end the over, swinging in and seaming away to beat Morris' outside edge. Half an appeal for caught behind, but nobody was that interested.

Over 58: South Africa 182-6 (Elgar 106, Morris 12)
Change of ends for Roland-Jones. Odd one here. England have a man in close on the drive at mid-off, so non-striker Morris is running on the same side of the pitch as the bowler. Not sure I've seen that before. He'd surely be better off 'accidentally' getting himself in the fielder's way, surely.

Over 57: South Africa 182-6 (Elgar 106, Morris 12)
Anderson into the attack for the first time today. Five-over spell before lunch maybe, then return with the new ball midway through the afternoon. Roland-Jones' spell, meanwhile, brought him 2-10 from five overs. Anderson going full and straight here, targeting Morris' pads, but can't breach the defences. Change up for the final ball, swinging away outside off, and Morris is tempted into playing at one he need not have. Makes no contact, though, and lives to fight another day.

Over 56: South Africa 181-6 (Elgar 106, Morris 12)
Morris isn't going to muck about. Drives Moeen through the covers for four and then steers one past slip for two more. Runs down the pitch and hits Moeen crisply over the top for a one-bounce four. Nothing wrong with that. Got to play your game in this situation, and those were proper, high-percentage cricket shots to the right deliveries.

Over 55: South Africa 171-6 (Elgar 106, Morris 2)
No let-up from Elgar since reaching his century. Solidly, carefully, meticulously plays out a maiden from Roland-Jones.

Over 54: South Africa 171-6 (Elgar 106, Morris 2)
Morris off the mark with a drive past cover for two. Moeen drags the length back to where it wants to be for the rest of the over, but Morris' defences are sound enough.

Over 53: South Africa 169-6 (Elgar 106, Morris 0)
Roland-Jones fails to adjust his line for the left-hander, and is picked off through square-leg for four. It was in the air from Elgar, but perfectly safe. Recalibrates after that error, and the rest of the over is right on target.

Over 52: South Africa 165-6 (Elgar 102, Morris 0)
What a century that is. Superb innings from Elgar, who goes to three-figures by driving Moeen over mid-off for four. Wasn't perfectly timed, but had plenty enough on it to clear the man and reach the ropes. His eighth Test hundred, and it has to rate among his best. Guts, determination, technique and ticker. With 102 not out out of 165-6 with a bust finger, it's been a single-handed effort in more ways than one. A single brings Morris on strike, and it's fair to say England care for the big all-rounder. Plenty of verbals, with the umpires intervening before the over is out in a bid to nip it in the bud.

 💯 D Elgar 100: 149 balls 16x4

Over 51: South Africa 160-6 (Elgar 97, Morris 0)
Almost a hat-trick! Roland-Jones finds Chris Morris' outside edge, but the ball bounces just short of a diving Stokes at third slip. It is, though, a double-wicket maiden that has broken the game open for England just as Bavuma and Elgar were hinting at the slightest possibility of doing something really special here.

WICKET! Philander lbw b Roland-Jones 0

Philander follows his captain's example! Horrific misjudgement first ball, leaving a ball that would've cannoned into off stump. It was even in line when it hit him. A worse leave than du Plessis'. For the second time in the innings, England have two in two balls.

WICKET! Bavuma lbw b Roland-Jones 32

What a review from Root. Bavuma plays forward and squeezes the ball between bat and pad. Marginal for being outside the line as well. Aleem Dar understandably says not out. But UltraEdge and side-on view confirms it's pad first, Hawk-Eye confirms it's in line and hitting middle stump just under the bails. Good, gutsy knock from Bavuma, but he's gone. TRJ was very confident. And rightly so.

Over 50: South Africa 160-4 (Elgar 97, Bavuma 32)
Elgar misses out here. Sat on 96, a nice full-toss is just what you want to see. But he can't pierce the infield and gets only a single. Tap and run from Bavuma gets the left-hander back on strike, but he'll have to wait for the century.

Over 49: South Africa 158-4 (Elgar 96, Bavuma 31)
Top shot from Elgar. What an innings this is. Compact check-drive straight back past Roland-Jones for four. Wonderful shot that takes him to 95, but if I'm honest I'm still more impressed that he was able to change his bat grip in under a minute in full view of thousands of people. Just great technique. Moves to 96 with a push down the ground.

Over 48: South Africa 153-4 (Elgar 91, Bavuma 31)
Spin for the first time today. Bavuma drives carefully out to deep point for a single that brings up the hundred partnership. A leg-bye follows as Elgar misses out on one down the legside. Bavuma tries a reverse-sweep, which is an unexpected development if I'm honest.

Over 47: South Africa 151-4 (Elgar 91, Bavuma 30)
Toby Roland-Jones into the attack looking to continue his storybook Test debut. Almost does the trick, finding Bavuma's inside edge, but it's a thick edge that takes the ball well away from the stumps and down to long-leg for a single. Between overs, Elgar changes his bat grip. Twelfthers runs out with one of those cone things, and Elgar does the job himself. That's got to be hard with a damaged hand. Those cones are tricky, unreliable contraptions at the best of times. Elgar nails it, as he has most things during this innings.

Over 46: South Africa 150-4 (Elgar 91, Bavuma 29)
Bavuma scores a lot of threes. Might go and look at the stats later (I won't). Gets another one of them here with a placed drive. Elgar picks up two off his pads to move into the 90s. No real dramas for South Africa this morning as the partnership approaches 100.

Over 45: South Africa 145-4 (Elgar 89, Bavuma 26)
England have decided to have a go at Elgar with the short ball. Two men out now if he wants to repeat those cracking pull shots from Stokes' last over, and now just one wide slip in place. Pretty poor from Stokes, really, who having set this field bowls a gentle wide long-hop that Elgar is able to steer into the wide open spaces behind point on the offside for four. It's a no-ball as well, so very little went right there for Big Ben, who hoofs the turf in frustration.

Over 44: South Africa 140-4 (Elgar 85, Bavuma 26)
Feel like we had enough sweater chat yesterday, so don't want to get bogged down in it again, but Bavuma has a pulled thread on the trim of his jumper. It's just annoying, is all.

Over 43: South Africa 140-4 (Elgar 85, Bavuma 26)
Another whack on the bottom hand for Elgar, who grimaces again. Gutsy innings, this. Every chance that finger is broken. Stokes goes again with the short ball, but Elgar goes after it and nails a pull shot well in front of square with a full extension of the arms to collect four. Then repeats the trick to show it was no fluke. 

Over 42: South Africa 132-4 (Elgar 77, Bavuma 26)
Oohs and aahs as Bavuma lets one pass close to his off stump. Safe enough, really. Kidding him on that it was close. Last ball of the over is on the pads and tucked away unfussily by Bavuma for the first boundary of the morning.

Over 41: South Africa 127-4 (Elgar 76, Bavuma 22)
Bavuma collects his second three of the morning, driven on the up through cover, before Elgar plays that familiar legside nurdle for another single. Some more signs of uneven bounce as Bavuma plays defensively on the back foot and gets a tickle on the bottom glove.

Over 40: South Africa 123-4 (Elgar 75, Bavuma 19)
Half an appeal for caught-behind as Elgar flicks at one down the legside. Stuart Broad thinks it's out, but that is useless information. Jonny Bairstow isn't sure. Joe Root shakes his head. There's a noise, and a flicker on UltraEdge as the ball passes the bat. But there also appears to be daylight between bat and ball. Think Root has spared the third umpire a tricky decision there, but you'd feel pretty sore if you were sent packing on that evidence.

Over 39: South Africa 121-4 (Elgar 73, Bavuma 19)
First runs of the morning for Bavuma, who picks up three after chipping Ben Stokes through a vacant midwicket. Decent fifth-day crowd in, but still plenty of space available for any parents who can wangle it. Twenty quid for adults, a quid for under-16s. Can't say fairer than that. Elgar gets across his stumps to work a single into the legside. One down, 97 to go for the Proteas.

1040. Welcome. Today's targets, then, are simple. For England, six wickets. For South Africa 98 overs. 

England should do this comfortably enough - they're 1/16 for good reason - but the Proteas have form; they were four down heading into the final day at Adelaide in 2012 and survived, seeing out 148 overs in all. They had Faf du Plessis that day, though, and he's already been and gone here having faced 375 balls fewer than he did in that historic rearguard. 

Instead their hopes rest on Dean Elgar's continued heroic one-handed defiance of pain, opposition and probability, aided by the unflappable calmness of Temba Bavuma and the more flappable but still considerable talents of Chris Morris and Vernon Philander. 

One of those great days in prospect that could last two hours or seven, and it's genuinely hard to know which is the more likely. Sky Bet reckon we'll finish sometime this afternoon; it's 8/13 that South Africa are polished off between lunch and tea, 15/8 that they don't even get to lunch.

And it's kids for a quid at The Oval. And the sun's shining. Let's do this.  

Third Test, day four recap
Third Test, day three recap
Third Test, day two recap
Third Test, day one recap