England v South Africa series review: 3 takeaways

England eased to victory over South Africa in the third Test at The Oval on Monday to complete a remarkable 2-1 series win in just over two days of action.

Here, AFP Sport looks at three talking points from a series which capped a fine first season for England under captain Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum:

England reap rewards

The nine-wicket victory at The Oval meant England had won six out of seven Tests since the new leadership team of Stokes and McCullum took charge at the start of the season.

The pair repeatedly emphasised their commitment to play attacking and aggressive cricket and it yielded dividends against New Zealand, India and South Africa.

Whether the "Bazball" style is a completely new approach is open to debate but there is no denying the changed mood in the England camp.

When Joe Root was still skipper last year, the team showed no interest in chasing a relatively modest target of 273 off 75 overs after a bold declaration by New Zealand captain Kane Williamson at Lord's.

But this season there has been no such caution, with the home batsmen pulling off a string of impressive run chases.

At The Oval, faced with a small victory target of 130, struggling openers Alex Lees and Zak Crawley shared a century stand in 17.2 overs - England's fastest hundred partnership for the first wicket in Test history.

The pair had already broken the record once before this season with a century stand in 19.5 overs as England chased down an imposing target of 378 in a seven-wicket win over India at Edgbaston in July.

Robinson pace boosts England

Ollie Robinson's recall for the last two Tests of the South Africa series was a huge boost for England.

The 28-year-old Sussex seamer was criticised in January for a lack of fitness by