Show only key events Please enable JavaScript to use this feature Presentation of trophies. Very average, no champagne or anything like that, in keeping with the test atmosphere that has been around since the Queen died. Stokes holds the Basil D’Olivieria Trophy, which she has competed for since 2004-05. And that’s down on the field with the players making their way back up the steps of the Bedser Stand. England’s Ben Stokes and his teammates celebrate winning the match and the series with the trophies. Photo: Andrew Boyers/Action Images/Reuters Updated at 12.12 BST England’s player of the series is Ben Stokes. It was decided by the South African coach, Mark Boucher. For 149 runs from 37 and ten wickets – no doubt about it. “It’s been a great series for us as a team. We haven’t really had individual performances but different people have put their hands up at crucial times. In a team sport that’s what you want.” About throws are vital. “As Dean also said, when you win the toss you have to execute your plans and if you’re on the losing end, you have the resistance. When it comes to Test cricket, he’s the one who executes their plans best.” On his own performances, especially with the ball and not letting it go when it’s given to him. “When you’ve got the bowlers we’ve got and the skills they’ve got, you’ve got to manage them when the ball is at its best… then you bring in the right time when the big children have passed their spells.” Butch acknowledges that he has criticized Stokes’ ultra-aggressive approach at times, in relation to his own batting, and offers a rather unnecessary Alpha Dog slap in response about the team winning and giving up – as seen in the documentary , doesn’t matter to the media, so it shouldn’t be surprising. Butch goes again and Stokes offers a little more for the lead. Later in the interview, he was asked about the story of returning to Pakistan. “It will be completely different conditions and different challenges with more twists and turns. We’ll go with the same positive mindset, but we’ll look at the conditions we’re facing.” Dean Elgar speaks. “It’s not the best Test match,” he says in that understated way of his. When asked what went wrong after Lord’s, he went back to the runs they did there. “Early runs are so critical in the UK and we fell way short.” In the selection, he believes they made tough calls that they thought were right, but it didn’t work out. “But I have to give our bowlers a lot of credit for running and doing what was asked of them, but that boils down to our batting, which just wasn’t good enough.” He was asked how difficult it is for him as a Test captain not to have any cricket outside of Tests? “I’m an advocate of Test cricket, I’d like to see a lot more around the world and not just for us. So hopefully the calendar can loosen up and we can have more games. It’s disappointing that we’re not as exposed and it’s going to be a bit less now… it’s difficult but that’s not what players should do.” South Africa captain Dean Elgar and Khaya Zondo (left) react to their defeat. Photo: John Walton/PA Updated at 12.10 BST Player of the series from South Africa. Kagiso Rabada gets the gong, which Brendon McCullum decided. “It seemed like every game was decided by the toss. We won at Lord’s and things went our way, but in hindsight, we’ll learn a lot from that. Young team, we have a lot to gain. And moving forward we must look to become better.” He is happy that his ankle came up for that first Test, where he was excellent at Lord’s. “Overall as a team there are a lot of talented individuals, but it’s about coming together as a team now.” Butch probes him about the lack of match preparation they had for this latest test (remember, they chose golf in a two-day game after Manchester). Doesn’t really answer the question. Player of the match is Ollie Robinson. Match figures 7/89 and one of the best spells I have ever seen in England to start the Test on Saturday morning. “The experience of the last few weeks has been really enjoyable and it’s great to be with the guys again,” he tells Butch, who then asks him about his fitness, among other things. “It’s nice to get to where I am right now, but I don’t think I’m the finished article. We’ve got a tough winter ahead of us, so I’ll keep going.” In the dressing room, he says it’s “a great environment to thrive in”, adding that “everyone is having a great time”. He enjoyed the frankness of the discussions Stokes had with him when he took over, which gave him the impetus to do whatever it took to get to this point. Test player of the summer is Jonny Bairstow. He is not here to get the trophy. England’s best run of results – six wins – since 2004. They’ll enjoy an entertaining day in South London. There is no better time to end a test really, from this narrow perspective! The players return for the presentation. Player of the match has to be Ollie Robinson. The series, definitely Ben Stokes. Very good point from Will. Many low-wage casual workers were hit hard by the suspension of football. The big advantage of the game ending today, he says, is that they get paid and few people still see. It’s fine with me. A few thousand in for the last ember of this test. The paces that prevented the match from finishing last night are obviously stupid, but a few different people get to watch some cricket today and a few hundred workers get jobs that would have been cancelled. And the sun is shining. — Will Macpherson (@willis_macp) September 12, 2022 “Hello Adam.” Jimmy Evans, good morning. “What an amazing summer! One of the most remarkable I can remember in my 30 years of following England. It seems to me that at first there was a bit of an odor about the new regime. A sense that they were coached by ‘vibes’ and they were going to learn eventually. It might still fall into a heap of course (because This Is England), but I’m amazed at the difference mindset can make. We would never have been able to pull off some of these chases in the past, because we simply wouldn’t have attempted them. And I’ve rarely seen a happier group of players. It’s an incredible transformation.” I don’t think Jimmy would mind me quoting a brief conversation I had with him at some point where he said something along the lines of wanting to play for as long as Brendon McCullum runs the show. Of course, that’s unlikely (if he’s been doing it for four years), but it gives you a sense of how this man, quite frankly, changed the way these people think. Considering most of them are battle-hardened and heard it all on the way to the pyramid, that’s what some want to do. Timing is everything, I guess. I’ll keep the blog open for a while here, through presentations etc. It gives us a chance to hear from Brian Withington – one of the nicest men on the entire world wide web. “Another summer of English Test cricket draws to a close with you at the helm of the OBO – it shouldn’t be any other way. I was watching Michael Atherton interview some performance analysis guys in England before the game started, which was fascinating. My quick take away from the “age depth chart” was that, in batting terms, it really is time to find another nickname for YJB, who is now very much the elder statesman. Prince-style, maybe it could just sport a logo and be referred to as “the batter formerly known as YJB”? Best wishes for the rest of the year and of course for the birth of Winnie’s partner in crime.” Thanks dude. I’m sure every member of the OBO community is endlessly frustrated by others trying to turn it into Yorkshire’s Johnny Bairstow. Of course, it will always be Young and always was Young and was probably invented by Smyth. That’s all I have to say on the matter. Let’s keep up the good fight to set the record straight whenever we see someone on twitter claiming otherwise. Agreement? Crawley 69 off 57 balls with 12 boundaries. Luckily he seemed nice to me. Struggling to think of a cricketer who has a wider gap between best and worst? I suspect we will be confused and it will force us for the next decade or so. In the short term, it will win a national contract on October 1 and open in Pakistan. Beyond that, who could possibly predict.
ENGLAND WON BY NINE RUNS!
22.3 overs: England 130-1 (Crawley 69, Pope 11) Target 130. A missed reverse sweep (!) hits Pope at cover. What a way to end the test summer would that be? the perfect introduction for any writer of color. He has given away a single and gets a single. With a no-ball there as well, he leaves Crawley the chance to finish the job with a boundary and so he does, another punch to the spot, brilliantly. 11:26 am England’s Zak Crawley and Ollie Pope walk off the field after winning the match and the series. Photo: Andrew Boyers/Action Images/Reuters Updated at 11.34 BST 22nd over: England 124-1 (Crawley 65, Pope 10) Target 130. Crawley gives the stroke to Pope early in Rabada’s over, who in turn gives it back when he pulls a three towards the Peter May Stand . Crawley turns again to end the over and unfurls a beautiful square drive. DID YOU KNOW THE SQUARE IS ALL OPPOSITE THE OVAL? It wouldn’t have mattered here, timed so sweetly, it was four on any terrain. Rabada is over as well but Crowley leaves the spare delivery. Six to win and Pope is back on strike – obliged to (try and) finish it off with a big one. “Good morning Adam.” Colm Fordham, I’m glad you’re here. “If ever there was a bowler who deserved a wicket, it was Rabada. He could reasonably have hoped for a five-over if his teammates had stuck to their catches. And that would be the end of it…
