Moeen Ali hat-trick sees England thrash South Africa

LONDON:  Moeen Ali became the first bowler in The Oval´s 100 Test-history to take a hat-trick as England wrapped up a crushing 239-run win in the third Test against South Africa on Monday.

Victory put England 2-1 up in this four-match series, with just the fourth Test at Old Trafford starting on Friday to come.

After having Dean Elgar (136) and Kagiso Rabada (nought) caught at first slip by Ben Stokes with the last two balls of his 16th over, off-spinner Ali ended The Oval´s landmark match when he had Morne Morkel lbw with the first ball of his next over -- although England had to first review umpire Joel Wilson´s not out decision.

Ali´s treble saw him become the 13th England bowler to take a hat-trick at this level, with South Africa´s second innings the first in the 140-year history of Test cricket to include four first-ball ducks.

South Africa, set a mammoth 492 for victory, were all out for 252 after lunch, with Worcestershire all-rounder Ali taking four for 45.

England captain Joe Root said that England´s first-innings batting, with man-of-the-match Stokes making 112 and former captain Alastair Cook 88 in a total of 353, had laid the platform for an emphatic success.

The way this series has see-sawed -- England won the first Test at Lord´s by 211 runs and South Africa took the second at Trent Bridge by 340 runs -- will give the Proteas hope of bouncing back in Manchester.

South Africa were hampered by key seamer Vernon Philander, the man-of-the-match at Trent Bridge, being off the field for much of this Test with a viral infection.

South Africa resumed on Monday on 117 for four, with left-handed opener Elgar (72 not out) and Temba Bavuma (16 not out) having already helped the Proteas recover from 52 for four on Sunday.

Victory was all but beyond South Africa, with no side having made more to win in the fourth innings of a Test than the West Indies´ 418 for seven against Australia at St John´s in 2003.