Kagiso Rabada’s record 13-wicket haul demolishes England

South Africa took just 67 minutes on the final day to capture the seven remaining England wickets they required to wrap up the fourth and final Test in Centurion on Tuesday.

South Africa’s whopping 280-run win over England in the final Test in Centurion was not enough to prevent their slide from the top of the standings to the third spot. Australia are in the second spot.

England is No. 5, even after its first series win over South Africa in over a decade.

Anderson has been present during some of England’s most memorable rearguards of recent years, memorably shutting out Australia alongside Monty Panesar at Cardiff in 2009 as well as featuring in backs-to-the-wall efforts twice on England’s last tour of South Africa and again in Auckland three years ago.

At that stage South Africa were 49-3, a lead of 182.

He cited the removal of England skipper Alastair Cook – to a fine caught and bowled by Morne Morkel – as a key moment.

Moeen Ali (61) played an excellent rear-guard hand to frustrate the hosts before he became the last wicket to fall, caught at extra cover off Morkel Rabada was just the second player in history to take six wickets or more in an innings in both tests and One-Day Internationals before the age of 21, joining Pakistan great Waqar Younis.

Rabada has certainly cemented his spot in the Proteas outfit for now, but fine displays from Kyle Abbott, Christopher Morris and recent debutant, Hardus Viljoen, have all uplifted prospects for competition for all bowlers.

But Amla held firm on 50 not out to nudge England’s eventual fourth-innings chase ever upwards.

Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow briefly entertained, but there was to be no repeat of the fireworks that produced a mammoth 399-run stand in Cape Town. Amla, who stepped down as captain after scoring a double hundred in the second Test, fell agonisingly short of a 26th Test century, wafting wildly outside off stump to give Bairstow his fourth catch of the innings.

The left-handed Proteas batsman went on a wild drive to a wideish delivery moving away and was caught behind by Bairstow to leave South Africa 106/4.

“Every time I asked him to come out and perform for us, he did”, De Villiers said of Rabada. The strike also took Rabada’s match wicket-tally to 9 after claiming career best figures of 7/122 in the England first innings.

South Africa should have celebrated the wicket of Root as well, but wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock failed to take the ball after spinner Dane Piedt had drawn the batsman from his crease and beaten the edge.

Nick Compton dropped anchor for six, but having already nearly run out Cook, made a rash decision to swing at a wide ball from Rabada and edged behind, with a review confirming his bat had struck the ball rather than the ground.