Moeen Ali's dashing fifty all but put the fourth Test beyond South Africa's reach as England moved towards a series win at Old Trafford on Sunday. When rain ended the third's play at 1615 GMT, England were 224 for eight in their second innings - a lead of 360 runs - with Ali 67 not out.
South Africa already needed to set a new ground record if they were to end this four-match series all square at 2-2, with England's 294 for four against New Zealand in 2008 the most any side have yet made to win in the fourth innings of a Test at Old Trafford. Off-spinner Ali has been a thorn in South Africa's side with both bat and ball this season.
This innings meant he'd now scored 200 runs and taken 20 wickets in the series, with Ali the first England player to perform that 'double' since Andrew Flintoff in the 2005 Ashes. Ali made South Africa pay for Dean Elgar dropping him on 15 when a low slip chance off left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj did not stick.
He may come in at No 8 for England but Ali has spent most of his career with Worcestershire as a top-order batsman. Ali, who bats left-handed, was especially severe on Maharaj, hitting him for three resounding sixes. The second of those, a straight drive that saw Ali complete a 49-ball fifty - was 'caught' on the England dressing-room balcony by wicket-keeper Jonny Bairstow to the delight of the crowd.
"We needed a bit of momentum and it came off for me," Ali told Sky Sports. "Sometimes you have to take the odd risk." England are bidding for a first home Test series win over South Africa since 1998, with Root seeking a victory in his first Test series as England captain.
South Africa resumed on 220 for nine and were soon all out for 226 when Stuart Broad dismissed last man Duanne Olivier. That gave England a healthy first-innings lead of 136. Olivier's exit meant James Anderson, England's all-time leading wicket-taker - was denied a maiden five-wicket Test innings haul on his Lancashire home ground.
But figures of four for 38 in 17 overs gave Anderson, who'd struck four times from the newly-named James Anderson End on Saturday, his best innings return in seven Tests at Old Trafford. South Africa fast bowler Morne Morkel then removed both Alastair Cook (10) and Tom Westley (nine) with the aid of gully catches. Keaton Jennings, dropped on nought, fell for just 18 when he edged a cut off Kagiso Rabada to first slip Hashim Amla.
SCOREBOARD England 1st Innings 362 (J Bairstow 99, B Stokes 58, J Root 52; K Rabada 4-91)
===========================================
South Africa 1st Innings (overnight: 220-9)
===========================================
D. Elgar lbw b Anderson 0
H. Kuhn c Stokes b Ali 24
H. Amla c Bairstow b Roland-Jones 30
T. Bavuma b Anderson 46
F. du Plessis b Anderson 27
Q. de Kock c Bairstow b Broad 24
T. de Bruyn c Root b Anderson 11
K. Maharaj lbw b Ali 13
K. Rabada c Stokes b Broad 23
M. Morkel not out 20
D. Olivier c Bairstow b Broad 4
-------------------------------------------
Extras: (b3, nb1) 4
Total: (all out, 72.1 overs, 303 mins) 226
===========================================
Fall of wickets: 1-2 (Elgar), 2-47 (Amla), 3-84 (Kuhn), 4-131 (Bavuma), 5-132 (Du Plessis), 6-146 (De Bruyn), 7-167 (Maharaj), 8-189 (De Kock), 9-220 (Rabada), 10-226 (Olivier)
Bowling: Anderson 17-5-38-4; Broad 16.1-4-46-3; Roland-Jones 11-3-41-1; Ali 21-5-57-2; Stokes 6-0-34-0 (1nb); Malan 1-0-7-0
============================================
England 2nd Innings
============================================
A. Cook c de Bruyn b Morkel 10
K. Jennings c Amla b Rabada 18
T. Westley c sub (Markram) b Morkel 9
J. Root b Olivier 49
D. Malan c de Bruyn b Maharaj 6
B. Stokes c du Plessis b Olivier 23
J. Bairstow not out 0
M. Ali not out 4
--------------------------------------------
Extras: (b9, lb9, n1) 19
Total: (6 wkts, 50 overs, 220 mins) 138
============================================