ENG vs SA: James Anderson calls for common sense to prevail following umpires' controversial decision
Zak Crawley and Alex Lees
James Anderson, along with the English team is left disappointed after the umpires called off Day 4's play, with England just needing 33 runs to win the series against South Africa.
The packed crowd at the Oval failed to witness England securing their third successive red-ball series victory, due to bad light, as the reason cited by the umpires.
Earlier, Day 1 was completely abandoned due to rain, followed by suspension on Day 2 due to Queen Elizabeth II's death.
In a remarkable turnaround of events, the fixture was all set to be concluded on Day 4, after English bowlers run rampant to dismiss South Africa for 169 in the second innings.
Chasing a modest total of 130, the openers, Alex Lees and Zak Crawley were imperious with their strokeplay to muster 97 runs in 17 overs.
After the scheduled close of play at 6:30 PM, umpires Richard Kettleborough and Nitin Menon thought the lights are not bright enough and called off Day's play. Moreover, 17 overs were still remaining for the Day.
The decision witnessed immediate reactions from Ben Stokes on the balcony, and the crowd roared loudly to express their displeasure as well.
In this regard, Anderson thinks both batters were having clear sight to the ball, and would have completed the match in a few overs of time. The 40-year-old also highlighted the fact of Day 5 getting affected due to rain, which could affect their winning prospects.
Here is what Anderson said:
"It's obviously frustrating from our point of view," Anderson told Sky Sports. "The rate that we were scoring, it might only have needed another five or six overs.
The guys were obviously seeing the ball pretty well, and with a good crowd in here tonight, it would have been nice to finish it.
"And I think their message is, if it rains all day tomorrow, it would be unfair on South Africa if they just tried to get the game done tonight. But I'd like to think that common sense could prevail every now and then."
 "Tejas Rathi")
