The final morning of England’s victory in the third Test over South Africa at Port Elizabeth was something of a curate’s egg.
England looked to be surging towards victory when Stuart Broad struck in the first over. Vernon Philander gave Ollie Pope his sixth catch of the Test, making him only the second Englishman and sixth overall to complete the double of a century and half a dozen grabs in a single game. The list is an impressive one – Steve Smith, Shane Warne, Matthew Hayden, Garry Sobers, and Frank Worrell are the five Pope has joined.
Dom Bess, another youngster who impressed, claimed his sixth wicket of the Test match to bring his Test bowling average under 30. He has now taken his wickets at 29.72 runs apiece, slightly below the figure of one of England’s great offspinners, Graeme Swann.
With victory England claimed a come-from-behind 2-1 series lead, and with one Test to play, have retained their hold on the Basil D’Oliveira Trophy. It marks the first time since 1957 that England have won consecutive Tests in a series in South Africa.
