Moeen Ali’s breezy innings blows South Africa’s hopes away

Bairstow caught an Ali six on the England players’ balcony

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Whether England have the right personnel in the top five is a matter for debate but the balance of the side is hard to argue against now, given the depth of batting Ben Stokes, Jonny Bairstow and Moeen Ali provide at Nos 6, 7 and 8, with little diminution to the bowling. In the first innings it was Stokes and Bairstow who provided the ballast; in the second it was Ali, who played majestically for 67 not out — the only half-century of the innings — to take the game away from South Africa in the final hour before the rain came.

Batting against an old ball and a tiring attack is an easier prospect, of course, but Ali’s strokeplay was still eye-catching, especially given the struggles of the top order.

His half-century came in a breezy 49 balls and included three mighty sixes off Keshav Maharaj who, until that point, had strangled England’s batsmen and posed a threat to the left-handers in particular.

The second of the sixes, a towering straight drive on the advance, took him to fifty and it landed on the England players’ balcony, where it was expertly snapped up by Bairstow.

Bairstow held the ball up, grinning in mock salute, and the irony was not lost on South African supporters who looked on aghast at the catch put down by Dean Elgar off Maharaj, when Ali had scored 15.

Elgar had already put one down at slip earlier in the day, when he gave Keaton Jennings a life on which the opener could not capitalise, but the drop off Ali was more damaging.

Had he caught it, England would have been eight wickets down and the lead a just about manageable 295. Instead, Ali used the opportunity to attack Maharaj and add 58 in ten overs with Toby Roland-Jones. England surely have enough now.

Until Ali’s counterpunch, England had struggled to break free despite the advantage of a huge first-innings lead. It was overcast for much of the day, dark enough for the lights to be switched on in the afternoon, and the pitch continued to offer something for every type of bowler.

Morkel celebrates Westley’s scalp as England’s top order struggle

JASON CAIRNDUFF/REUTERS

The dents created by the dampness on the first day encouraged movement off the seam and the occasional unevenness of bounce and the plentiful follow-through marks at the James Anderson End, made life tricky for England’s left-handers against the accurate Maharaj.

All the Test matches in this series have hinged on the outcome of the first innings, with significant leads gained at Lord’s (97 runs), Trent Bridge (130), the Kia Oval (178) and now 136 runs at Emirates Old Trafford, although the final South African wicket fell to Stuart Broad and not to Anderson as the crowd would have fervently wished.

Anderson’s four-wicket haul was his best in Tests on his home ground but the honours boards’ engraver will have to wait a little longer.

Generally, a big first-innings lead makes life easier for the side batting third, as the fielding captain is more reluctant to post attacking positions for his bowlers, and batsmen, as a result, are allowed to play with more freedom. Credit, then, to South Africa for making life as tricky as possible: they have been in England for more than three months now but at no stage did they look like a side with their minds on home. They bowled aggressively with the new ball and in disciplined fashion with the old. Only their catching left a little to be desired.

Morné Morkel led the way with an incisive eight-over, new-ball spell, as he has done throughout the series, and he fully deserved the wickets of Alastair Cook and Westley which both came from full-length balls — instructive, this, given the number of times he has passed the outside edge in the series. Morkel’s height and pace make it difficult for batsmen to play him off the front foot: Cook was late into the drive while Westley’s bat was slightly crooked.

Jennings having already been reprieved at this stage, by Elgar, off the 14th ball he faced, continued to look vulnerable, as indeed does his place in the team.

He survived 49 more balls, before edging an attempted cut to Hashim Amla at first slip in the second over after lunch, but it felt like survival was the limit of his ambitions.

Root was one short of another half-century when dragging a ball on to his stumps

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There are only two reasons why he may survive: England like his character and the lack of obvious alternatives, the first being a better reason than the second.

Malan has just not got going at all. Like Jennings, he was given a life before being eventually dismissed, although in this case nobody other than Temba Bavuma would have had the pace over the ground to reach the skier offered when Malan miss-pulled a short ball to fly slip.

Malan tried to negate the rough outside off stump by sweeping Maharaj but, when that avenue was shut down by Faf du Plessis, he looked to use his feet instead. Advancing to his 15th ball, he inside-edged to short leg and must fear for his place if the captain remains sweet on Gary Ballance.

On a ground that seems to bring out the best in him, Root was one short of another half-century when dragging a ball on to his stumps.

He was one of three victims for Duanne Olivier, who, taking his cue from Morkel, bowled a disciplined eight-over spell either side of tea, which also accounted for Stokes, caught at slip, and Bairstow, caught hooking, to keep England in check. At this stage, South Africa still had ambitions for the main battle but an unhappy skirmish with Ali put paid to that.