Test series: At the Kia Oval, England defeated South Africa by nine wickets in the third Test to win the series 2-1 in just 25 minutes on day five.
Beginning the day with a score of 97-0, just 33 runs short of their goal, Alex Lees and Zak Crawley added on to their century partnership from the day’s second ball.
After Lees (39), who had just edged Kagiso Rabada behind, was dropped, the South African fast bowler eventually lbw-dismissed him in the following over.
With this victory, England’s historic Test cricket comeback continues, led by captain Ben Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum.
Prior to their appointments, England had a run of just one victory in 17 Test matches. This summer, they have won six of seven, including a 3-0 rout of the World Test champions New Zealand, a record-breaking run to defeat India, and a come-from-behind victory over a Proteas team that started the series atop the ICC World Test Championship standings.
Even though the game proceeded into day five, only 151.3 overs were bowled, or less than two days’ worth of cricket, because days one and two were postponed out of respect for the late Queen Elizabeth II.
The Queen was honoured at The Oval with a military guard of honour before the game resumed on day three. There was also a moment of silence.
The Test team’s first trip to Pakistan since 2005 is coming up next. On December 1, the first of three Tests will commence. Before the T20 World Cup in Australia, which begins in October, the white-ball team will play seven T20 internationals in Pakistan at the end of September.
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