Eng take series 3-1

"It took a lot to pick ourselves up after losing the first Test and that’s been extremely pleasing. It’s taken a big effort from every one and it’s a very exciting time for English cricket."

JOE ROOT

ENGLAND CAPTAIN

England bowled South Africa out for 274 runs on Monday to win the fourth Test at The Wanderers by 191 runs and ensure an emphatic 3-1 series victory.

Mark Wood took four wickets as the home team crumbled in the evening session after threatening to offer stoic resistance earlier in the day.

England completed the task with a day to spare with South Africa falling well short of their 466 run target in what would have been the highest fourth innings test chase.

The success is a massive boost for a young English team who overcame several obstacles on a tough tour and calms questions over Joe Root’s captaincy.

“It took a lot to pick ourselves up after losing the first Test and that’s been extremely pleasing. It’s taken a big effort from every one and it’s a very exciting time for English cricket,” said Root as he took the series trophy.

For South Africa it marked a 108-year low as they lost for the eighth time in their last nine Tests for their worst run since 10 defeats in 11 tests between 1910 and 1912.

Wood took 4-54 -- finishing with nine wickets in the game -- and Stuart Broad and Ben Stokes added two more for England as they took the last six South African wickets for 39 runs.

The home team were facing a near impossible target of 466 and provided a flicker of resistance but lost wickets at crucial intervals.

SCORES IN BRIEF

ENGLAND: First innings 400 and second innings 248.

SOUTH AFRICA: First innings 183 and second innings 274 (Van der Dussen 98, Du Plessis 35, De Kock 39; Wood 4-54, Broad 2-26, Stokes 2-47)

Result: England won by 191 runs and clinched 4-match series 3-1.

Player-of-the-match: Mark Wood

Player-of-the-series: Ben Stokes