Proteas resist but England win by an innings

Port Elizabeth, January 20

England won the third Test here today, but made heavy weather of wrapping up South Africa’s tail on the last day at St George’s Park to go 2-1 up in the series after a dominant innings and 53-run victory.

England needed four wickets to win in their 500th overseas Test, but had to overcome late resistance and a feisty 71 from Keshav Maharaj and 39 from debutant Dane Paterson before completing the task 10 minutes before lunch.

They bowled South Africa out for 237 in their second innings for a commanding victory after forcing the follow-on, after the home side were 209 all out in their first innings in reply to a mammoth 499/9 declared.

Maharaj and Paterson put on a ground Test record partnership of 99 for the last wicket as they frustrated the England bowlers. But it was only a matter of time before England completed their first away victory by an innings since their success in Sydney in 2011. It took just three balls on Day 5 for England to claim their first victim as Stuart Broad forced Vernon Philander (14) to inside-edge on to his pad, and the ball popped up for Ollie Pope to take his sixth catch of the match.

Mark Wood’s first ball after replacing Broad saw him force Kagiso Rabada into a leading edge which flew up to mid-on, where Broad took an easy catch. Rabada scored 16 off 24 balls.

Dom Bess’ first over saw him skid a ball on to bowl out Anrich Nortje (5), leaving Paterson to join Maharaj for a late cameo that proved the home side’s best partnership of a poor Test performance. Maharaj was eventually run out, but not before smashing his way to a second Test 50. — Reuters

Brief Scores: England: 499/9 (Pope 135*, Stokes 120; Maharaj 5/180); South Africa: 209 and 237 (Maharaj 71; Root 4/87)

10 Root bowled 10 successive overs as he went in search for a first Test five-wicket haul, having taken four overnight, but without success

28 Joe Root equalled an unwanted record on the final day, conceding 28 runs in a single over as Keshav Maharaj made a mockery of his decision to bowl himself with the new ball. Maharaj hit Root for three successive fours and then two sixes and four byes in an over before the England skipper took himself off