England defeated South Africa in the First Investec Test Match at Lords thanks to a masterclass from Moeen Ali, who hailed it as “the best performance of my career.”
The hosts were in a dominant position at the start of the day with a healthy 216 run lead, but a calamitous batting collapse left South Africa chasing an attainable 331 to win.
Ali, who scored 87 runs in the first innings, was in inspired form with the ball, taking 6-53 in his 15 overs. Added to his first innings haul, this left Ali with 10 wickets for the match in what was a sensational performance from the Worcestershire all-rounder.
During the match he joined the list of players that have scored 2000 runs and taken 100 wickets for England in the longer-form game. Ali achieved this feat in 38 tests; only Tony Greig has done it faster.
"It was the best all-round performance of my career,” he said after the game,
"It was a great wicket and I was trying to attack the batters as much as possible and it worked out well.
"I learned a lot in India it helped my mindset a lot and it worked out well.”
Ali was also quick to pay tribute to Joe Root, who was skippering England for the first time.
"It is almost like a fresh start for me with a new captain," he added.
