They did it once and they did it again. For all parties, it was merely a matter of time. But it was only a matter of time for England. This third and final Test at The Oval was the shortest since 1912 when they had to score 33 runs in 64 balls to defeat South Africa and win the series 2-1.
They actually needed 5.3 overs, or 28 minutes, to reach the unusual milestone in an extraordinary match that was only ever going to last three days in total. The victory might have even been secured on Sunday if poor lighting hadn’t forced a premature end 23 minutes before the scheduled 7 p.m. close, drawing some jeers from the audience. After Day 1 of the third test was rained out and Day 2 was postponed out of respect for Queen Elizabeth II, who passed away on Thursday, that would have essentially made it a two-day test.
Following up on his previous performance, Zak Crawley steadily made his way to an unbeaten 69 to lead England to a nine-wicket victory.
After South Africa’s second innings imploded, going from 83-1 to 169 all out, with three wickets each for Stuart Broad and Ben Stokes, Alex Lees was dropped by Marco Jansen off the first ball of England’s pursuit.
To win the Test series, England needed 33 runs. While Crawley was out of form and required just 36 balls to reach his fifty, Lees improved his consistency and finished the day on 32 not out. Dean Elgar, the captain of South Africa, unintentionally assisted England’s seamers early in the game by failing to review an lbw ruling against him even though replays showed Broad’s ball would have whistled beyond leg-stump.
The final day’s match and series were won by England in just 5.3 overs and 28 minutes. They had three days to force a conclusion, but it turned out that they only required two days and a half. 151.3 total overs were thrown in the Test.
Ollie Robinson and Stuart Broad’s combined nine-wicket haul on the first day, when South Africa was dismissed for 118, helped the team win. Ollie Pope’s elegant fifty on home soil gave England a strong response start. However, a lower-order collapse reduced their lead to just 40.
The bowlers then, as they have been doing all summer, put on another strong performance, helping to dismiss South Africa for 169 with contributions from James Anderson, Broad, Robinson, and Ben Stokes.
The 130-run pursuit was then approached by Crawley and Lees with some purpose. Particularly Crawley was ready to grab onto anything even slightly loose. Lees was lost by England in the morning, but Crawley and Pope put the final touches on the victory. Crawley scores 69 points after 57 balls.
Despite earning six points from the game, England is still ranked seventh in the Test Championship, and South Africa (72) is still second, just below Australia (84).
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