Moeen Ali hat-trick breaks records and seals England win

Moeen Ali became the first man to win a Test match with a hat-trick since 1902 when England beat South Africa by 239 runs at The Oval today.

In an extraordinary climax to the match, last man Morne Morkel was trapped LBW when South Africa's resistance crumbled in dramatic fashion after lunch.

Earlier in the innings, both Ben Stokes and debutant Toby Roland-Jones had the chance to take three wickets in three balls but were thwarted. After dismissing centurion Dean Elgar and then Kagiso Rabada with successive deliveries, Moeen made the third hat-trick ball of the innings count.

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It also set a new record for the number of golden ducks in an innings as Morkel followed captain Faf du Plessis, Vernon Philander and Rabada in being dismissed first ball.

South Africa's chances of saving the game were slim at best at the start of the day's play. Three wickets in the morning session left the tourists on 205-7 at lunch, chasing an impossible target of 492 to win.

Opener Dean Elgar was the only pillar of resistance. South Africa's fate was sealed when he became Moeen's second victim of the day, edging to Ben Stokes at slip after a dogged 136.

Next up was Rabada, who also edged to Stokes the very next ball.

That was the end of Moeen's over but Keshav Maharaj played out a maiden from Stokes at the other end, allowing the spinner to bowl at last man Morkel.

With the field in close Morkel was struck on the pad. Although umpire Joel Wilson turned down the LBW appeal, the England fielders immediately called for a review. When replays showed the ball would have hit the stumps Moeen was mobbed by his ecstatic teammates.

Moeen becomes only the third person to win a Test match with three wickets in three balls, and the first since Australian Hugh Trumble did it in 1902.

It was England's first hat-trick against South Africa since 1958. Moeen is the first bowler to take a Test hat-trick at The Oval and also the first to dismiss three left handers in three balls.

His exploits were not enough, however, to win the man of the match award which was handed to Ben Stokes after his first innings century that set up the victory. The all-rounder also took three wickets and held four catches in the match.

Debutant Toby Roland-Jones will also remember the match after he took five for 57 in the first innings and claimed three more victims in the second to end with match figures of eight for 129.