England win the 1st Test match as Offspinner Moeen Ali took 6-53 in skittling out South Africa for 119 as the Britishers won by 211 runs at Lord's on Sunday with more than a day to spare. On a day when 19 wickets fell at the home of cricket, Ali completed his first 10-wicket test — earning him a place on the famous Lord's honors board — to complement his important knock of 87 in England's first innings.
Set an improbable 331 to win after England collapsed to 233 all out just after lunch, South Africa was dismissed in 36.4 overs and was undone by England spinners on a dry and dying pitch. Left-arm spinner Liam Dawson took 2-34, with him and Ali combining for 14 wickets overall.
It was a perfect start as England's new captain for Joe Root, who scored 190 in the first innings and impressed with his decisions in the field. He also played a part in the bold and unusual decision to play two spinners at Lord's.
"Everything I asked of the lads, they did," Root said. "It was nice to get the runs, a monkey off the back."
It was England's first win over South Africa at Lord's since 1960.
The second test starts on Friday at Trent Bridge, when the Proteas will have regular captain Faf du Plessis back but will be without suspended fast bowler Kagiso Rabada.
England started Day 4 on 119-1 and with a 216-run lead, but slumped from 139-1 to 182-8 by lunch to give South Africa an outside chance of victory. The hosts added 51 valuable runs after lunch, with Jonny Bairstow — dropped on 7 — hitting 51, to leave their opponents with a daunting target.
It would have been the second highest successful run chase ever at Lord's, after West Indies' 344-1 in 1984.
Ali, who took 4-59 in the first innings, started his spree by getting Dean Elgar caught and bowled to leave the South Africans 12-2. They fell to 28-4, Ali taking a sharp catch to dismiss JP Duminy, before the spinner took a wicket in five straight overs.
The end came when Morne Morkel skied a delivery from Dawson and Keaton Jennings took a catch in the deep.
