Elgar ton in vain as Moeen seals victory with hattrick

Dean Elgar’s eighth century failed to save South Africa from defeat in the third test against England at The Oval on Monday.

Instead‚ off-spinner Moeen Ali sealed England’s 239-run win with a hattrick.

Elgar batted for five-and-a-half hours and faced 228 balls for his 136‚ but England were not to be denied and will take an unassailable 2-1 lead to the last match of the series‚ which starts in Manchester on Friday.

The visitors resumed on 117/4 in search of an academic target of 492‚ and Elgar and Temba Bavuma held the home side at bay for the first 12 overs of the day’s play.

But the first ball of the 13th over‚ an inswinger from debutant Toby Roland-Jones‚ trapped Bavuma in front for 32 — a patient innings in which he faced 97 deliveries.

Elgar and Bavuma shared 108 for the fifth wicket in a partnership that endured for more than two hours.

Vernon Philander replaced Bavuma and left his first ball‚ another Roland-Jones inswinger — and was also leg-before.

Six balls later Elgar drove Ali over mid-off for four to reach his century.

With what became the last ball before lunch‚ Chris Morris edged Moeen to slip to go for 24.

Moeen induced a drive from Elgar and the edge flew to slip‚ where Ben Stokes took the catch‚ in the 10th over after lunch.

Kagiso Rabada played a similar stroke to the next ball‚ and was also caught at slip by Stokes.

That was the last delivery of the over‚ and with the first ball of his next Moeen ended the match — and took the first ever hattrick at The Oval in the 100th test played there — by trapping Morne Morkel in front with a delivery that would have hit the left-hander’s leg stump.

Moeen took 4/45 and Roland-Jones‚ who claimed 5/57 in the first innings‚ finished with a match haul of 8/129.