Highlights from day three of the first LV= Insurance Test between England and South Africa at The Oval

Highlights from day three of the first LV= Insurance Test between England and South Africa at The Oval Ollie Robinson took career-best figures of 5-49 as England took the lead in the third Test against South Africa after a day in which 17 wickets fell in just 70 overs. A remarkable morning at the Kia Oval began with a moving tribute to the passing of Queen Elizabeth II. Once play got underway, England’s bowlers quickly found their rhythm as six wickets fell in the first 12 overs and, despite little resistance from the lower order, the Proteas were all out by the middle of the afternoon session. Stuart Broad took 4-41 and James Anderson (1-16) claimed the other wicket. Despite losing their first over early, England raced to 84-2 at tea and looked poised for a sizeable lead in the early games before slumping to 154-7, a lead of 36, at the end as South Africa fought back thanks to 4 by Marco Jansen. -34.

The Oval pays tribute to the Queen as cricket returns

With plans to honor the Queen before kick-off, the vast majority of the capacity crowd were in their seats early and a hush fell over the ground as a military guard of honor was formed. England pay tribute to the Queen ahead of the third Test at the Oval
The referees and both teams left in near silence and lined up in front of the Micky Stewart stand for the official minute’s silence, which ended with a ringing of the bell by Senior NCO Robert Brockelsby Miller of the Irish Guards. The national anthems followed, sung by Laura Wright, culminating in a rendition of God Save the King. Use Chrome browser for more accessible video player The Oval honors Queen Elizabeth II with a minute’s silence before Test match against South Africa
The Oval honors Queen Elizabeth II with a minute’s silence before Test match against South Africa

England trouble South Africa with early flurry of wickets

After a first-day washout and Friday’s game being called off as a mark of respect, only three days remained to force a result and find the series winner. England’s best chance was to beat South Africa cheaply and build a lead that would ensure they would only have to bat once in the match – and the bowlers wasted little time in doing their part. Robinson uprooted the off stump of Dean Elgar (1) in the second over and six balls later, Anderson had Sarel Erwee (0) caught behind.

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Keegan Petersen (12) was next, who misjudged Robinson’s departure and let the ball hit his outside off. The wickets kept coming with Ryan Rickelton (11) winging Broad back. Robinson trapped Kyle Verreynne with a beauty three balls later and when Wiann Mulder was left behind with a superbly loose drive, South Africa were 36-6. Khaya Zondo, playing his first Test innings, and Jansen stayed together for nearly an hour to see their side through to lunch, but the former departed soon after.

Robinson and Broad complete the Proteas innings

Having survived the second of two reviews for England – one on the leg, the other on the fat – earlier in the over, Zondo (23) bowled to Alex Lees after Broad’s delivery had been overturned to take the shoulder of the bat. Ben Stokes saw his side bowl South Africa in 36.2 overs
Broad was in the middle of a wonderful spell but his luck briefly deserted him as several balls flew past the outside edge and, twice in the same over, Jansen fell off his bowling. First Ben Foakes and then Ollie Pope bomb the chances they would expect to get. Jansen (30) couldn’t make it count, though, and sent a thick edge to Joe Root at first slip to give Robinson his third five in Tests. It was left to Broad to finish the innings with the wickets of Keshav Maharaj (18) and Anrich Nortje (7). For the second match in a row, South Africa posted their lowest score in England since re-entry. Knowing that time was of the essence, England came out with clear positive intent and Lees quickly reached 13 from five balls. However, the sixth – bowled by Jansen – sneaked past his defenses and hit the top of middle stump. Zak Crawley (5) had driven Kagiso Rabada for four in the first over of the innings, but he got stuck afterwards and was eventually dismissed by Jansen, taking a criticism with him after he was trapped plumb lbw. Use Chrome browser for more accessible video player There was disappointment for Zak Crawley as he was dismissed for just five
There was disappointment for Zak Crawley as he was dismissed for just five Root walked out to join Ollie Pope, who was batting with all the confidence of a man who averaged 88.54 at home, and for a while the pair looked to be being tested as the home crowd roared their approval.

Root wicket starts South Africa

The momentum shifted in the first after tea. Root (23) went hard on a ball long on, a thick outside edge went quickly and Pietersen took a sharp catch at third slip. Harry Brook, on his debut, got a warm welcome from the crowd and got off the mark in Test cricket with a great rendition. However, after a brief rain delay, the Yorkshireman misfired and was caught at fine leg to give Jansen his fourth wicket. Ollie Pope top scored for England with 67 at home
Ben Stokes came and went quickly with the hyper-aggressive approach we are used to not delivering on this occasion. Having fallen a few balls earlier, Stokes (6) played to a ball outside off Norge and took first slip. Meanwhile, Pope (67) had brought up his ninth Test half-century with the 10th boundary of an impressive innings but was following Stokes back to the dressing room in the next over. A thin wicket gave the unusually expensive Rabada his first wicket of the day and when Broad (6) tickled back on the hook, the South African paceman had two. Three balls later and with blue skies and floodlights on, the umpires dismissed the players for bad light. Much to the fans’ disappointment, that proved to be it for day three and Foakes (11no) and Robinson (3no) will continue on Sunday morning as England look to build a more substantial lead.

Broad: Tributes to The Queen ‘incredible to be a part of’

England bowler Stuart Broad: “It was really incredible. It was amazing to be a part of it. “To walk down those stairs, every player commented on how special it was going down: You could hear a pin drop. The respect shown by everyone on the field was unbelievable. “To be able to sing the national anthem, with a full house, when I was about to represent your country was great. “I feel very happy with whoever decided to play this game; it almost felt like a celebration of the Queen’s life today. “It felt good to be out there representing the brand like we did today.” Watch day four of the third Test between England and South Africa from 10.15am Sunday on Sky Sports Cricket. The game starts at 11am.