England vs South Africa Tests 2022: England Win 2-1 — Stokes 103 (First Century as Full-Time Test Captain), Foakes 113*, Anderson First to Play 100 Tests at Home, Rabada 14 Series Wickets, Day 2 Oval Test Cancelled for Queen Elizabeth II

England won the South Africa Test series in August-September 2022 by 2-1 — the second home Test series under Ben Stokes as captain and Brendon McCullum as head coach (Bazball). Ben Stokes and Kagiso Rabada were joint Players of the Series, each taking 14 wickets across the 3 Tests. Stuart Broad also took 14 series wickets for England. South Africa's seam attack — led by Rabada and Anrich Nortje — was highly competitive; England's batting instability in the 1st Test gave South Africa the series lead before England's 2nd and 3rd Test recoveries completed the 2-1 result. 1st Test Lord's (August 17-19, 2022): South Africa won by an innings and 12 runs in 3 days — ENG 165 (Ollie Pope 73) & 149; SA 326 (Sarel Erwee 73, Marco Jansen 48, Dean Elgar 47, Keshav Maharaj 41). Kagiso Rabada took 5/52 in England's 1st innings and 2/27 in England's 2nd innings — match figures 7/79 — and was Player of the Match. Broad 3/71 and Stokes 3/71 in South Africa's innings were England's best bowling returns. 2nd Test Old Trafford (August 25-27, 2022): England won by an innings and 85 runs in 3 days — SA 151 & 179; ENG 415/9d. Ben Stokes scored 103 off 163 balls — his 12th Test century and his first century as England's full-time Test captain (appointed April 28, 2022). Ben Foakes scored 113 not out — his highest Test score. The pair added 173 runs for the 6th wicket, the platform for England's 264-run first-innings lead. James Anderson, playing his 107th home Test, became the first cricketer in history to appear in 100 Tests on home soil. Anderson took 3/32 in South Africa's 1st innings; Broad 3/37. Stokes was Player of the Match. 3rd Test The Oval (September 8-12, 2022): Day 2 was cancelled as a mark of respect following the death of Queen Elizabeth II on the evening of September 8 — the first time a full scheduled day of play had been abandoned in England for a sovereign's death. Play resumed on Day 3 with a minute's silence and the first performance of 'God Save the King' at a sporting event in 70 years. England won by 9 wickets — SA 118 (Robinson 5/49; Broad 4/41) & 169 (Stokes 3/39; Robinson 2/40); ENG 158 (Jansen 5/35 — his maiden Test five-wicket haul) & 130/1 (Crawley 69*; England needed only 33 to win in the final innings). Ollie Robinson was Player of the Match. Harry Brook made his Test debut in this match.

Stokes 103 and Anderson's 100th Home Test: The Milestones at Old Trafford

The 2nd Test at Old Trafford produced two landmark individual milestones. Ben Stokes's 103 — scored off 163 balls in England's 1st innings — was the first century by an England batter serving as full-time Test captain since Andrew Strauss's 141 against Australia at Lord's in 2009. It was Stokes's 12th Test century. The 173-run 6th-wicket stand between Stokes and Ben Foakes — who made 113 not out, his career-best Test score — gave England a 264-run 1st-innings lead over South Africa's 151. South Africa were then bowled out for 179, giving England an innings-and-85 victory in 3 days. James Anderson, meanwhile, reached 100 Tests on home soil during the same match — the first cricketer ever to achieve this. Before Anderson, Sachin Tendulkar held the record with 94 home Tests; Ricky Ponting third with 92; Stuart Broad fourth with 91. Anderson's longevity as an England seam bowler across 20 years of Test cricket meant his milestone at Old Trafford — his home ground — was widely celebrated as one of the records unique to the longest format.

The Oval: Queen Elizabeth II, Day 2 Cancelled, and a Royal Farewell to Test Cricket

The 3rd Test at The Oval was transformed by events off the field. Day 1 of the match (September 8, 2022) was played normally; that same evening, Buckingham Palace announced the death of Queen Elizabeth II at Balmoral at the age of 96. Day 2 (September 9) was abandoned as a mark of respect. Play resumed on Day 3 (September 10) following a minute's silence and the first public playing of 'God Save the King' at a sporting event in 70 years — marking the transition to King Charles III's reign. The cricket itself saw England bowled out for 158 in their 1st innings (Marco Jansen 5/35, his maiden Test five-wicket haul) despite South Africa having been dismissed for 118 (Robinson 5/49, Broad 4/41). South Africa were then bowled out for 169 (Robinson 2/40, Stokes 3/39), leaving England 33 to win — completed for the loss of 1 wicket (Crawley 69*). Harry Brook, who made his Test debut in this match, was one of several England players participating in their first Test under a King rather than a Queen.