4th Test Match Manchester

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Final Test Match at Old Trafford with England leading 2-1.

Root won the toss and elected to bat, team unchanged.

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12.1 overs and Jennings gone for 17 caught De Kock bowled Olivier, England 35 for 1, Westley walking out to the crease.

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The wicket is doing a bit this morning and the South Africans are bowling well up to now.
This has been a strange series with neither side performing consistently so this should be another interesting match.

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England resume after lunch 67 for 1, Cook 31, Westley 19, Cook just getting a boundary to his score.

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Cook gone for 46 bowled Maharaj caught De Kock, England 92 for 2

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Bowled Rabada caught De Kock Westley gone for 29, England starting to stutter on 92 for 3

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SA bowling well, Root and Malan are still yet to score having faced 24 balls between them.

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A delay at Old Trafford as there is peculiar activity in one of the stands, players respecting it and downing weapons, perhaps BT has driven down their and he's got his wallet out :P

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On field decision not out for Root lbw, review just clipping stumps so umpire decision stands.

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Malan gone for 18 bowled Morkel caught in the slips, England 144 for 4, Stokes comes in.

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England 147 for 4 at Tea, Root 34 off 67 balls and Stokes 1 off 3 holding fort.

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England gaining ground now on 180 for 4, Root 48 (82) and Stokes 20 (18)

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Joe Root bowled by Olivier for 52, England 187 for 5, Bairstow enters the fire.

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Ben Stokes not able to carry his bat till the end of the day yorked by Rabada for 58, England 252 for 6

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The day play ends with England on 260 for 6, Sky pundits saying a SA day, I think it even stevens at the moment.

[oldcolner]

Thanks Alto
Lots of movement in the air and off the pitch, so I thinks it's possibly a good total on what seems a slow outfield. Hope Bairstow can carry his bat.

[Supersub6]

I agree alto, it is definitely even stevens as far as I am concerned and a very intriguing test match

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First wicket of the day to go down Roland-Jones for 4, England 271 for 7, Moeen takes guard.

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Moeen gone for 14, Bairstow sitting on 51, England 306 for 8

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Morkel takes the scalp of Broad for 7, England 312 for 9, Local lad Anderson walks out.

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England finish on 362 with Bairstow unlucky being called lbw on 99 after alternating brilliantly and guarding Anderson from the strike.

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Weird that Jimmy Anderson is bowling from the Jimmy Anderson end.

[Supersub6]

Cracking innings by Bairstow and he was unlucky to be given out, however, he has given us a real chance with that last wicket stand which was a masterclass in farming the bowling.
Mind you, he has fumbled the first two deliveries from Jimmy so he needs to forget it, however, Jimmy takes matters into his own hands ----Elgar gone!!

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Anderson traps Elgar lbw with his 3rd ball, SA 3 for 1 :)

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Lunch SA 12 for 1.

[oldcolner]

Thanks Alto
Lots of movement in the air and off the pitch, so I thinks it's possibly a good total on what seems a slow outfield. Hope Bairstow can carry his bat.

My wish almost granted. Well done Jonny and Jimmy.

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Amla gone for 30 bowled Roland-Jones caught Bairstow, SA 54 for 2.

The ball has lost a lot of it's movement since Lunch.

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Kuhn gone for 23, SA 84 for 3

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At Tea SA 93 for 3.

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SA move onto 131 for 3 with Bavuma 46 and Du Plessis 27 being very difficult to dismiss.


Just as I write Anderson clips the offside of Bavuma's stumps, 131 for 4.

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The Burnley Express gets another one :) Du Plessis for 27

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Anderson strikes again, this time De Bruyn for 11, SA 146 for 6

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Maharaj gone for 13 lbw by Moeen, SA 167 for 7

[oldcolner]

Close 220-9 Good day for England.
Jimmy still not got a 5 fer at Old Trafford so hope he gets the last one!

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A lovely day here in South London and it looks the same in Manchester for hopefully England to pile on the pressure against South Africa.

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Anderson takes the last SA wicket and SA finish on 226, 136 behind.

[The Bedlington Terrier]

I :heart: Jimmy Anderson!

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Cook gone, England 20 for 1 plus 136

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Morkel takes the scalp of Westley (9), England making hard work of this are 30 for 2

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Alto --I think that the last wicket was taken by Broad.
Still a very interesting test with us currently 187 ahead with 8 wickets remaining.
I notice that the odd ball is keeping low now so that could be a big factor.

[Altobelli]

Alto --I think that the last wicket was taken by Broad.

I was wrong and yes you are correct Sub, it was Broad, that's what you get when I'm trying to watch it on TV, type on here, feed the birds and chase the squirrels off, make breakfast, all the while getting a constant irritating moaning mumbling sound in my ear coming from the wife, or it could be that I'm just getting old and senile.. .. . . . . . Myself I'd go for the latter :(

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Jennings gives his wicket away with a practice catch to the slips from Rabada (18)

England 55 for 3 with Root on 14.

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Malan gone for 6, England 72 for 4

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Are we going to throw this game away ?

[Supersub6]

I was wrong and yes you are correct Sub, it was Broad, that's what you get when I'm trying to watch it on TV, type on here, feed the birds and chase the squirrels off, make breakfast, all the while getting a constant irritating moaning mumbling sound in my ear coming from the wife, or it could be that I'm just getting old and senile.. .. . . . . . Myself I'd go for the latter :(

Come on alto --don't let the side down we have to keep multi-tasking otherwise the ladies think that they have won. Old and senile doesn't start until you are past 75!

[Altobelli]

Yes I should have had a word with alf first Sub XD

[Supersub6]

Yes I should have had a word with alf first Sub XD

No doubt he will be popping up somewhere soon --the bag must need emptying by now ;D

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Joe Root gone for 49, England 130 for 5, Stokes on 19, Bairstow yet to score.

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4 Maidens in a row :(

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Stokes gone 6 minutes before Tea, England 134 for 6

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Bairstows turn to walk, we are certainly not batting SA out of this, 159 for 7

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Roland-Jones goes for 11, but Moeen swinging the bat at nearly everything for his half century keep England ticking along on 211 for 8

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Moeen hitting a 6 which was caught on the balcony by Bairstow :)

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Rain stops play with England on 224 for 8 (leading by 360) Broad still 0 and Moeen on 67 from 59 balls faced.

[Supersub6]

Shame that the rain came but we are now in a good position to go on and win this game. It would be good if Jimmy could manage a 5 for in the second innings.

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England resuming and carrying on from yesterday atm 237 for 8, looking at the weather it may have to be finished today if England want a win as rain forecast tomorrow.

Broad just gone so Jimmy coming in for our last batsman.

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Jimmy gone with England finishing on 243, SA looking at 380 to win, get at em lads.

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Rain holding play up and maybe helping South Africa.

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Lunch and South Africa struggling on 40 for 3 with Kuhn 11, Elgar 5 and Bavuma 12 being dismissed off the bowling of Anderson, Broad and Roland-Jones, hopefully England will be relentless and not let SA off the hook.

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South Africa making a fist of it on 143 for 3, Du Plessis 33 (58) Amla 76 (153).

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Pressure getting to SA now losing 3 wickets in quick time.

SA 173 for 6 :) Maharaj just stepping in joins Du Plessis 54 (76)

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Moeen came with a good spell just before tea and Jimmy is bowling really well in this spell just after tea. He now has 2 for 15 of 13 overs and the batsmen are having to play almost every ball. This is proving to be a good performance from England and the day's cricket has just got better with Lancashire fighting back well against Hampshire and Yorkshire losing in 2 days to Es***. ;D

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Another one for Jimmy with Rabada caught at cover by Westley. 195 for 8 and Jimmy has 3 for --- will he manage his first 5 at OT -- hope so!!

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Ah well -- Moeen ruins Jimmy's chances of 5 but he is in with a chance himself now after having Morkel caught trying to drive.
202 for 9 with Olivier and Maharaj at the crease.
He's just picked up his fifth with his next ball with Stokes catching Olivier at slip and England win by 177 runs.
Moeen has 25 wickets in this series and has scored a few runs too.