England spinner Moeen Ali resigned South Africa to heavy defeat, inside four days, in the first Test at Lord’s in London on Sunday.
Ali scored a fine half-century in the first innings – and completed telling match figures of 10 for 112. He has since climbed to positions 21 and 19 in the International Cricket Council’s rankings for Test batsmen and bowlers, respectively.
The all-rounder played club cricket in Cape Town, South Africa, several seasons prior to February 2014’s international debut against the West Indies.
Fruitful stints for St Augustine Cricket Club were epitomised by – among others – a particularly impressive performance against Cape Town Cricket Club during the 2010-11 season.
The talented Ali took four wickets in the first innings and five in the second, as St Augustine Cricket Club secured a key victory in the crucial Western Province Cricket Association first division B (now first division A) fixture. He also scored a solid century and complementary half-ton in that match.
St Augustine Cricket Club have returned to the first division A in the wake of a poor 2016-17 premier league campaign, which brought a ninth-place finish in the 10 team standings, after eight losses and a draw.
Images: © Graeme Foulds, CTCC.