Allrounder becomes first Englishman since Andrew 'Freddie' Flintoff to achieve rare double during ongoing Test series against Proteas
History-making Moeen matches Fred
Moeen Ali has become the first Englishman since Andrew Flintoff in 2005 to take 20 wickets and score 200 runs in a Test series.
Moeen made a swashbuckling 67 not out from just 59 balls in a crucial innings that put England in a strong position in the fourth Test at Old Trafford overnight, the hosts leading South Africa by 360 runs with two days still to play.
Quick Single: Day three report, highlights
The left-hander has now made 244 runs and claimed 20 wickets across the four-Test series, to sit alongside Flintoff as the only Englishman to have achieved the double this century.
Flintoff, in fact, did it twice: in a five-Test series against South Africa in 2004-05 (23 wickets, 227 runs); and in his legendary '05 Ashes series, when he shocked Australia by taking 24 wickets and scoring 402 runs to lead England to a memorable 2-1 triumph.
Moeen was outstanding in the first Test in Lord's, making 87 in the first innings and taking 10 wickets for the match in man-of-the-match display that helped the home side to an early series lead.
He failed to pass 30 in his next five innings but continued taking wickets at the back-end of matches, claiming four in the second innings of the second and third Tests, including the first-ever hat-trick at The Oval to wrap up victory and a 2-1 series lead for England last week.
Outside of Moeen and Flintoff, only five other players have managed the 20 wicket / 200 runs double since 2000.
Last year, India's spin twins Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin shone across five Tests against England: Jadeja took 26 wickets and scored 224 runs, while Ashwin bettered him in both disciplines, claiming 28 wickets and scoring 306 runs.
Australian legend Shane Warne went head-to-head in the 2005 Ashes with Flintoff, making an important 249 runs, and taking a remarkable 40 wickets as the duo was named joint Players of the Series.
Quick Single: England short on time to solve Ashes issues
In the Caribbean in March-April 2001, it was the turn of two South African legends to dominate across five Tests against West Indies.
Jacques Kallis scored 267 runs and claimed 20 wickets, while Shaun Pollock scored 302 runs and also took 20 wickets in a 2-1 series win for the Proteas.
Sir Ian Botham was the last man to achieve the feat in the 20th century, scoring 250 runs and claiming 31 wickets in the 1985 Ashes.