Ben Stokes defies knee discomfort to help England take lead against South Africa

26.08.2022 - 15:49 bt.com

Ben Stokes defied some discomfort in his left knee to help England into a lead against South Africa after Anrich Nortje’s double breakthrough at Emirates Old Trafford.

Nortje exploited hints of movement to go with his extreme pace to account for overnight batters Jonny Bairstow (49) and Zak Crawley (38) as England slipped to 147 for five, replying to South Africa’s 151.

Stokes and Ben Foakes helped the hosts to 212 without any further alarms at lunch on day two of the second LV= Insurance Test although there was brief concern when the England captain fell to the ground.

After dashing to complete a quick single, Stokes innocuously transferred his weight on to his left leg, appearing to jar his knee as he grimaced and went over before receiving treatment.

Ben Stokes England Zak Crawley Jonny Bairstow South Africa county Stokes

England started the day at 97-0 needing another 33 to win and picked them up in 27 minutes for the loss of Alex Lees for 39. Crawley finished on 69 not out, with Pope unbeaten on 11. The victory made it six wins from seven Tests this summer, following a 3-0 beating of New Zealand and a win over India, all following an awful run that brought one win from the previous 17 Tests and led to the arrival of Ben Stokes as captain in place of Joe Root.

England's Zak Crawley scores 69 not out as Kent opener steers team to victory in third Test against South Africa at The Oval

Zak Crawley helped steer England to victory against South Africa in the third Test at The Oval on Monday morning.

Crawley leads England home to complete South African series win

LONDON :Zak Crawley and Ollie Pope steered England to an impressive nine-wicket victory over South Africa at The Oval on Monday to complete a 2-1 series victory and put the seal on an astonishing turnaround in fortunes for the home team this year.

Zak Crawley, Alex Lees propel England towards victory in third Test against South Africa

Both batsmen came into the Test under scrutiny following a poor series, but Crawley raced to 57 from 44 balls with some dominant strokes, and Lees is unbeaten on 32. The latter was dropped off the first ball of the innings by Marco Jansen at fourth slip, a regulation chance from the bowling of Kagiso Rabada, and England used that good fortune to propel themselves towards a series victory.

England vs South Africa, 3rd Test Day 4: Zak Crawley Takes England To Verge Of South Africa Series Win

Zak Crawley's dynamic unbeaten fifty took England to the brink of a series-clinching win over South Africa in the third Test at the Oval on Sunday. England were 97-0 at stumps, needing just 33 more runs to reach a modest target of 130 on Monday's final day to take the three-match contest 2-1. The often struggling duo of Alex Lees (32 not out) and Crawley (57 not out) were both unbeaten at stumps. Victory would give England a sixth win in seven Tests since their new leadership duo of captain Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum took charge at the start of this season.