Ollie Robinson on Saturday returned his best England figures before South Africa hit back in the third and deciding Test at the Oval as 17 wickets fell after cricket paid its respects to Queen Elizabeth II.
Sussex seamer Robinson took 5-49 in 14 overs, his third five-wicket innings haul in 11 career Tests, as South Africa were dismissed for just 118. Veteran quick Stuart Broad enjoyed a return of 4-41.
Yet an extraordinary third day — but the first active one in the game — finished with England 154-7, a lead of just 36 runs.
Photo: Reuters
Left-arm quick Marco Jansen, who had top-scored for the Proteas with 30 after he was unluckily left out of the second Test, took the first four England wickets en route to 4-34 in 11 overs.
Fast bowler Kagiso Rabada then captured the key wicket of Ollie Pope, out for 67 on his Surrey home ground.
Pope fenced at a good-length ball outside off stump and was caught behind — to his evident disgust — as a sparkling 77-ball innings featuring 52 runs in boundaries ended tamely.
Surrey and England wicketkeeper Ben Foakes, fresh from his unbeaten hundred in the second Test at Old Trafford, was 11 not out when bad light ended play half an hour before the scheduled close even though the floodlights were on.
“With the weather around, the wicket [pitch] being under the covers for three days, it did feel like one of the bowlers was going to get a bagful,” Robinson told reporters. “Fortunately it was me and it’s put the team in a great position.”
Broad’s haul meant he equaled retired Australia great Glenn McGrath’s career total of 563 Test wickets, with only England teammate James Anderson (665) having taken more Test wickets by a fast bowler.
“He [McGrath] is a hero of mine,” Broad told Sky Sports after stumps. “He obviously played a lot less games [124 Tests to Broad’s 159]. He was one of the greatest bowlers of all time, in my opinion.”
With Thursday’s opening washed out, and Friday’s play abandoned to pay respects to the queen, what should have been a five-day match was reduced to a three-day game.
“It was incredible actually, it was amazing to be a part of” the ceremony for Elizabeth, Broad said. “Every single player commented on how special it was — you could hear a pin drop. The respect shown by everyone in the stadium was incredible.”
“To be able to sing the national anthem, with a full house, just about to represent your country was brilliant,” the veteran seamer added. “It felt like almost a celebration of the queen’s life today. It felt good to be out there representing the badge.”
As spectators took their seats at the Oval, they would have noticed a few changes, with the usual advertising on the perimeter replaced by black and white messages marking the death of the queen.
Then, 10 minutes before the scheduled start of play at 11am, the players and match officials — all wearing black armbands as a sign of respect — walked onto the outfield through a military guard of honor.
Honoring the Queen at the Oval, which staged the first Test in England in 1880, seemed all the more appropriate given the ground is owned by the Duchy of Cornwall private estate.
The duchy, created in 1337 by King Edward III for his son and heir, was until Thursday controlled by the Duke of Cornwall, who is now the king.
In one of his first acts as monarch, King Charles III passed the title to his elder son and heir Prince William.
“I think it was absolutely the right thing to do,” spectator Mark Henderson said of the decision to restart play on Saturday.
“I think the queen more than anybody had a spirit of ‘keep on, keeping on,’ of keep doing things in difficult circumstances,” he said.
He said the decision was “completely vindicated” by the crowd’s reaction.
“It was astonishing — I don’t think I’ve heard a silence more silent,” he said.
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