Eng 219-8published at 66 overs

66 overs

Lead by 355

Oh, Moeen! A little shimmy down the wicket, he frees his arms and the ball goes crashing into the stands for another big six. He is magnificent to watch. Maharaj, a bit miffed at being hit for three sixes, spears in a flatter delivery and Moeen sweeps it, a little dangerously, for a single. Broad, giant arm guard in place, misses a sweep but sees out the over.

Image source, PA

Bill Bows: For all the praise rightly heaped on Stokes, Moeen is now a fearsome all-rounder & may just give England the edge this winter.

Scott Lennon: Heading down for day 4 from Glasgow tomorrow. Looking like it's going to be set up brilliantly!

Width from Rabada, and Moeen obliges with an elegant crack of a drive that brings about a single. That brings new man Stuart Broad on strike, and he gets a bouncer up at his neck to say hello.

Phil Tufnell
Ex-England spinner on BBC Test Match Special

Maharaj has had to run back and he's has taken a fine catch over his shoulder. I think this is the best ploy by England, to come out and just give it a go. Have a bit of a swing and then get bowling.

I like Moeen in this position. I think he has the licence to play these gorgeous shots, and when England opened with him last time, I thought he went into his shell a little, and those shots that are so powerful now ended up getting him out. Let me know if you agree or disagree, but I think these runs are so valuable down the order for England, that it'd be a shame to change it up. Rabada goes too wide, and is signaled as such, before a square drive adds another single to the total.

Gareth Thompson: Surely Moeen should open alongside Cook? Would create room for Woakes when he is fit.

Moeen takes a single and lets Toby Roland-Jones block out the rest of the over. Lovely stuff from the all-rounder.

Image source, Reuters

50 for Moeenpublished at 63.3 overs

63.3 overs

Eng 206-7

That's HUGE! Oh, what a way to bring up your half-century! Moeen comes dancing down the pitch and thrashes Maharaj straight back down the ground for a gloriously languid six. In fact, that's gone towards the Engladn dressing room, where Jonny Bairstow takes a cracking catch on the balcony! Moeen grins and then raises his bat in acknowledgement of his half-century.

Jim: Moeen stat (200 runs & 20 wickets) even more impressive given it's only a four-Test series.

That drop brings Moeen on strike, and he digs out a yorker, before hoicking a short ball away to the boundary. That brings up 200 for England.

Roland-Jones dropped on 11published at 62.1 overs

62.1 overs

Eng 195-7

That's an unbelievable effort from Faf du Plessis! Roland-Jones got tucked up by a Rabada short ball, Du Plessis was running back from slip, dived, somehow manged to get a hand to the ball, but then came crashing to the ground and the ball popped out of his hand. That was a stunning, stunning effort, Du Plessis leaping like a salmon and shoving his hand out behind him. He's done himself a bit of a mischief on that shoulder but after a consult with the physio, he returns to the slips, and the Old Trafford crowd applaud accordingly.

Geoffrey Boycott
Ex-England batsman on BBC Test Match Special

Moeen just throws the bat it. That's how they should play. The openers should get you in a position so the middle order can do the damage, like this.

Eng 194-7published at 62 overs

62 overs

Lead by 330

I'm off to suggest that to my boss, Jay. Moeen plants a foot down the wicket and gets down low to hoick yet another boundary, this time over cover. And there he goes! A shimmy down the wicket, a hearty swing of the arms, and Moeen swings Maharaj high over cow corner and into the stands! Six! He backed himself completely there, with so much power behind the shot. Moeen promptly blocks out the rest of the over, and he gets a round of applause from the Old Trafford crowd for his troubles.

Jay: Amy, I hope you get cult hero status (and a solid bonus) for that anti-rain dance. It seems to have done the trick

That's that song firmly stuck in my head. The man in question, Kagiso Rabada, will continue, and Roland-Jones goes for an uppish drive that trickles out to De Bruyn at point. Roland-Jones ducks under a wild bouncer from Rabada, the ball going diagonally across the batsman, and he digs out a yorker to end the over.

James Menzies: I can't stop singing: 'If you like Kagiso Rabada, and getting caught in the slips...'

Vettori is my all-time favourite, but I'd back Moeen to go past that record. Moeen's a more natural batsman than the former Black Caps skipper, in my eyes. Shot! That's glorious from Moeen again, reverse-sweeping, and the ball bursts through Dean Elgar's hands at slips and away for four! That's, er, not quite so good from Moeen. Maharaj bowls a shorter delivery and Moeen, going for the sweep again, whips the ball up into his arms, then onto his gloves. The ball comes perilously close to crashing into the stumps and Quinton De Kock, scrambling behind the stumps, can't get a paw to it.

How about Daniel Vettori, Adnaan? He scored 2,227 runs at number eight at an average of 39.76. That includes four hundreds.

Image source, Getty Images

What a stat that is. This has been a real defining series for Moeen, I think. On the subject of Moeen, this stunning piece, external by Donald McRae on the man is well worth a read. Kagiso Rabada is back and has a half-shout against Toby Roland-Jones, before the Middlesex man misses a shot and gets cut in half by a straight delivery from Rabada. In fact, that was really close to the stumps, just missing the bails by a whisker. Maiden.

Image source, Reuters