England take full control at Kingsmead

Moeen Ali and Joe Root lead the way for tourists

This Test is England’s to lose.

Two-hundred and sixty-one runs to the good in Durban with seven second innings wickets still in the bag, the hosts’ premier bowler injured and two full days of play remaining, Alastair Cook’s side are in complete control and even the most one-eyed of South African supporters would have to concede that their side are well and truly behind the eight ball.

There is still work to do of course; the lead needs to developed from dominating to commanding and then the attack need to repeat their fine work of the first innings, but there is little to suggest either of the aforementioned cannot be accomplished.

The man of the moment on day three was Moeen Ali who took three wickets to finish with 4 for 69 and he was well supported by Joe Root, who ended the day unbeaten on 60, and Nick Compton, whose return to the Test arena has gone swimmingly, with 49 to complement his first effort of 85.

Ali, whose performances as the number one spinner tend to switch between frustratingly underwhelming and highly promising, was in the latter camp this time out as he got rid of JP Duminy, a woeful player of spin for a Test batsman, Kyle Abbott and Dale Steyn, caught at slip, short-leg and mid-off respectively.

Stuart Broad chipped in with the wicket of Temba Bavuma and Steven Finn then ended the innings in the space of four deliveries as the new ball saw off Dane Piedt and Morne Morkel to give his side a well-earned 89-run advantage.

Although his colleagues were not at the races, the same charge cannot be levelled at Dean Elgar. The opener, resuming the day on 67, batted throughout the innings for 118 to become the sixth South African to carry his bat in a Test and the first since Gary Kirsten in 1997.

It was an excellent effort and much like Compton on the first day, showed what could be accomplished with equal measures of determination and concentration on a surface that hasn’t encouraged free-flowing strokeplay.

He blotted his copybook slightly later in the day when he shelled a regulation chance at second slip to reprieve Compton and he was joined by AB de Villiers who put down chances offered by both Compton and Root.

The bowler on all three occasions was Morkel who was forced to carry a heavier burden in the absence of Dale Steyn who was forced from the action with a shoulder problem that could well rule him out of the second Test in Cape Town early in the new year.

Morkel eventually dismissed Compton, caught down the leg-side, after Piedt had earlier removed Cook and Alex Hales but Root carried on as he usually does, making batting look as easy as anyone and in conjunction with Taylor, who has joined Compton in the ‘why didn’t you pick us earlier camp’, the pair survived to the close with the power to add tomorrow morning.

There should, really, be only winner from here.