Moeen Ali hands Joe Root the perfect start as Test captain after England defeat South Africa with a day to spare

Root won | England win first Test under new captain
Rex Features
Tom Collomosse9 July 2017

Joe Root made a memorable start to his reign as captain as Moeen Ali bowled England to victory over South Africa with a day to spare.

Not much went wrong for Root in his first game in the job. He hit 190 in the first innings – the highest score by a player in their opening match as England skipper – and then marshalled his bowlers impressively as the home side completed a 211-run win.

Root owes a huge debt to Moeen, who exploited a turning pitch at Lord’s to take six for 53 in the second innings and finishing with match figures of 10 for 112 – both Test bests. It is the first time since 1951 that an England off-spinner has claimed 10 wickets in a Test at Lord’s. Don’t forget that Moeen also scored 87 in the first innings.

Nineteen wickets fell on Sunday, with the surface offering variable bounce as well as plenty of turn. Resuming 119 for one, England were bowled out for 233 – though their final two wickets added 51 to set South Africa a victory target of 331.

It always looked a ferociously difficult task on this wicket – and when South Africa were quickly 12 for two, the script was written.

They eventually subsided to 119 all out when Morne Morkel lofted Liam Dawson to deep midwicket, where Keaton Jennings held the catch. England lead the four-match Investec Series 1-0 and for the Second Test, which starts at Trent Bridge on Friday, South Africa will be without their strike bowler Kagiso Rabada, who serves a one-match suspension after his foul-mouthed ‘send-off’ directed at Ben Stokes on day one. Captain Faf Du Plessis, who missed this match to attend the birth of his first child, should return.

It was a glorious end for Root and his players, but the day had started very differently. Morkel bowled impressively from the Pavilion End and had Alastair Cook well caught by Temba Bavuma at extra-cover, the former England captain departing for 69.

Gary Ballance then edged Morkel behind for 34 and Root was bowled by Keshav Maharaj via the inside edge for five. Rabada got Stokes again, this time lbw for one, and produced a more subtle celebration this time.

Maharaj should have had Jonny Bairstow for seven, but Vernon Philander put down a straightforward chance at long-off. The left-arm spinner fought back by bowling Moeen, who made seven, through the gate and having Stuart Broad caught at short leg for a first-ball duck.

In between times, Dawson bagged a pair when he was surprised by Rabada’s full toss and lost his middle stump. But Mark Wood, with 28, put on 45 with Bairstow for the ninth wicket before he was bowled by Rabada. When Bairstow was stumped for 51 off Maharaj, South Africa’s prospects of winning had all but faded.

Jimmy Anderson despatched opener Heino Kuhn, well caught by Bairstow down the leg side for nine, and stand-in captain Dean Elgar was soon gone for two to a fine return catch by Moeen. JP Duminy gifted England their third wicket from the last ball before tea when he clubbed a long hop to midwicket.

Then Hashim Amla, the team’s best batsman, was lbw to Dawson for 11. Bavuma and Quinton De Kock briefly calmed things down but De Kock was unlucky to see a pull shot off Moeen bounced back off his ankle and on to the stumps.

He was gone for 18 and Bavuma made only three more. He tried to heave Moeen through the leg side but was bowled. It was no surprise to see the rest fall rapidly. It was Root’s day, Moeen’s day, and the perfect start to the Test summer for England.

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