England vs South Africa: Zak Crawley hits unbeaten fifty as hosts move to brink of Test series win | Cricket News

England are closing in on a series victory over South Africa after a classy half-century from Zak Crawley left them needing only 33 more runs to win the third Test.

Set 130 to clinch a 2-1 series triumph at the Kia Oval, under-pressure openers Crawley (57no) and Alex Lees (32no) shared an unbroken stand as England reached 97-0 at stumps.

After having their first-innings lead limited to 40, an outstanding England bowling effort saw South Africa bowled out for 169 with Stuart Broad (3-45) moving past Glenn McGrath on the list of Test cricket’s leading wicket-takers and Ollie Robinson (2-40) claiming his 50th in the longest format.

Captain Ben Stokes (3-39) and James Anderson (2-27) also played key roles with the ball before Crawley and Lees set about knocking off the runs.

In a mere 17 overs, they surged to within touching distance of their target before bad light brought the play to a close to the frustration of fans and players alike.

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Watch the standout moments from Zak Crawley’s half-century

That decision denied Stokes’ side the grandstand finish to their home summer, but the winning moment will undoubtedly come on Monday morning.

South Africa openers made solid start

England started the today hoping to turn a 36-run lead into something more substantial but 13 minutes, three wickets and just four runs later, the innings was over.

Kagiso Rabada (4-81) accounted for Robinson (3) and Jack Leach (0) before Marco Jansen (5-35) had Ben Foakes (14) caught in the slips to finish off the innings on 158 and complete a maiden Test five-for.

South Africa captain Dean Elgar top-scored with 36 in the tourists’ second innings

After slipping to 36-6 on day three, South Africa made a much better start second time around as Samel Erwee and Dean Elgar each survived a review and helped the tourists wipe out the 40-run first-innings deficit inside nine overs.

The partnership had grown to 58 before England found the breakthrough. Stokes brought himself into the attack and needed just three balls to find Erwee’s edge with Joe Root taking a good catch at first slip.

Elgar and Keegan Petersen saw the Proteas through to lunch, South Africa had given themselves a solid platform from which to build, but in the hour after the interval a familiar pairing swung the game back in England’s favour.

Broad and Anderson turn game for England

And swing, the ball did. Broad got things going with the wicket of Elgar (36) as the third vociferous lbw appeal of the 22nd over was met in the affirmative by umpire Nitin Menon.

Elgar himself seemed convinced, too, walking off even before the finger was raised. A decision made all the stranger by the fact ball-tracking showed it would have missed leg stump.

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Stuart Broad dismissed Dean Elgar to go past Glenn McGrath and onto 564 Test wickets, taking him up to fifth on the all-time list

England were up, though, Broad had 564 Test wickets to move ahead of the great McGrath and into fifth on the all-time wicket-takers list.

No 565 came soon afterwards when Ryan Rickelton (8) was trapped plumb lbw, hit on the back shin, and in between those two wickets, Anderson had done for Petersen (23) – Ollie Pope taking a smart catch at fourth slip.

Sensing the game was getting away from them, Khaya Zondo and Wiann Mulder opted to dig in, setting out their stall to defend and try to blunt England’s hugely-skilled and vastly-experienced seam duo.

The result was more than an hour without a boundary and even singles were scarce.

Proteas set England 130 to win the series

Robinson eventually broke the stalemate, a 50th wicket coming in just his 11th Test as Mulder (14) dragged the ball onto his stumps via his back leg, before pinning Zondo (16) in front with a big nip-backer in his next over to leave the visitors six down.

Meanwhile, Stokes was battling through knee pain in a fine spell from the other end and looked to have earned his reward when Jansen nicked an out-swinger to Pope. His smile turned to a grimace, though, as the umpire stuck out his arm to signal that he had overstepped.

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England’s Ollie Robinson took his 50th Test wicket on day four at The Oval

The England skipper belatedly got his man in the last over before tea. A hooping in-swinger beat Jansen (4) on the inside edge and flattened leg stump.

Stokes had two balls to complete his over after the break and the second of them saw Rabada prod tamely to Harry Brook at third slip.

Kyle Verreynne and Keshav Maharaj added a few useful runs in the next few overs but then fell in the space of six balls – the latter bowled by a beauty from Broad and the former caught and bowled by Anderson.

England chase gets off to eventful start

Once again, England’s openers – despite their recent shortage of runs – came out with the idea of imposing themselves on the South African bowlers.

The risk of that strategy was shown first ball as Lees tried to punch through the covers and sent an outside edge to Jansen, who was unable to cling on at fourth slip.

Lees was then nearly run out, a direct hit from point making it very tight but the third umpire adjudged that the England left-hander got his bat down in the nick of time.

His eventful start to the innings was completed with an unsuccessful South Africa review for a catch after the ball ballooned into the cordon. A boundary muscled down the ground next ball was just the response the crowd wanted to see.

Crawley, meanwhile, delighted the crowd with back-to-back boundaries off Rabada – the first powered through point before the next was driven elegantly through mid-on.

Lees tried one more big shot, a top-edged pull off Jansen that just evaded Maharaj at mid-off, before the batters settled down for a time.

Crawley goes to fifty before bad light stops play

The 50 partnership brought a huge ovation from the south London crowd and despite a period of restraint, Crawley was soon approaching a half-century of his own.

Rabada was drilled through the covers and then pulled disdainfully through mid-wicket to take Crawley to a sixth Test 50 after a run of 16 innings without one, in which time he made 10 single-figure scores.

England openers Alex Lees and Crawley shared an unbroken stand of 97

Any luck that he may feel deserted him in that time came back to him shortly after the standing ovation that greeted his milestone had ended.

A fierce pull shot was put down by Rickelton at mid-wicket and later in the over, an outside edge flew between wicketkeeper and first slip. South Africa captain Dean Elgar managed a wry smile, bowler Anrich Nortje wore a rather different expression.

Lees ended the next over by thumping Jansen through the covers for four and it looked as though the victory would come quickly.

Instead, with the light fading, the umpires decided they needed to take the players off and, although an unpopular decision, it will have little impact on the result.

After just two days of play, England are on the verge of another victory under Stokes and Brendon McCullum.

Anderson: Bazball has changed how the world sees Test cricket

England bowler Jimmy Anderson: “Great day for us, I thought we bowled really well, and we didn’t get the rewards in the first session. They grafted well to get through a tricky period. We’ve got ourselves in a great position.”

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James Anderson says it’s disappointing England were unable to finish the game off, but understands the decision to bring the day’s play to a close

Anderson on Broad: “It means a lot to him [moving past Glenn McGrath] because of how high he held Glenn.

“It just shows the amount of work he has put in and the dedication to the job. It’s a pleasure to bowl with him at the other end.”

Anderson on England’s turnaround: “It’s been amazing. Baz has been a breath of fresh air; he’s come in and it just feels positive.

“The sort of messages that he sends about going out there to entertain, everyone has bought into it. When it comes off it is spectacular.

“It’s changed not just the way the players think of Test cricket but the entire world thinks of Test cricket.”

Watch day five of the third Test between England and South Africa from 10.15am, Sunday on Sky Sports Cricket. Play begins at 11am.