Any fears that England will saunter into the Champions Trophy in overconfident fashion have at least been allayed following a limp display on a grey bank holiday Monday in which their batsmen produced a collapse of old to gift South Africa a consolation seven-wicket win.
Eoin Morgan’s side have produced some startling feats during their post-World Cup revival but after losing their first six wickets for 20 runs in five overs – the fastest top-order collapse in one-day history – and being bowled out for 153 in 31.1 overs, they have received a significant size 10 up the backside on the eve of the tournament, albeit in a dead rubber.
South Africa, whose fielding was vastly improved from the defeats in Leeds and Southampton, then avoided a 3-0 whitewash by easing to the target with 21.1 overs to spare, for the loss of three wickets and with their innings interrupted by the interval. Hashim Amla top scored with 55, becoming the fastest man to 7,000 one-day runs in the process in his 150th innings, and after a rusty start to their tour the world’s No1 side are up and running.
Along with two years of batting belligerence, familiarity with conditions is one reason why England are Champions Trophy favourites with the bookmakers. And yet under overcast skies and on a Lord’s pitch tinged with green they were cut to ribbons first thing as Kagiso Rabada (four for 39) and Wayne Parnell (three for 43) shone with the two new balls in hand.
Jonny Bairstow’s 51 and his two handy partnerships alongside David Willey (26) and Toby Roland-Jones, an unbeaten 37 on his debut, ensured a packed house were not home in time for lunch but the manner of the top order’s subsidence must give them food for thought. Going hard may be their default but, given the fact that day games in the next month will start at the earlier time of 10.30am, there may be times when some extra nous is required.
England made four changes from the thrilling last-over win in Southampton on Saturday, with Ben Stokes and Moeen Ali stood down amid injury niggles and Mark Wood and Liam Plunkett rested. A weakened side this may have been but it must also be noted thatHowever, the first six men to fall after Morgan lost the toss will all play in Thursday’s opener against Bangladesh at the Oval.
A last-minute change of plan to bring the form-rich Bairstow into the side is unlikely from the current setup, despite tradition almost demanding it. Nevertheless, Jason Roy will be hoping the return to his home ground can jolt his game back into life and secure his spot for the duration of the tournament, having endured a troubling start to the international summer in which four of his five innings have ended in single figures.
Here it was off the fifth ball of a muggy overcast morning in St John’s Wood, having flicked Rabada for four through leg only to then nick the follow-up that seamed down the slope to Quinton de Kock behind the stumps. Joe Root was then trapped in front for two by an inswinger from Parnell in the following over before the left-armer teased an edge from the man-of-the-series Morgan in the fourth.
If these first three dismissals can go down to the prowess of the two bowlers then the follow-ups from Alex Hales, Jos Buttler and Adil Rashid were all hard‑handed drives to an adhesive slip-cordon. The last two of which had Rabada on a hat-trick, thanks to flying grabs by Faf du Plessis, and Lord’s, stunned to silence in the main, made its collective feelings known by meeting the stout defence that followed from Bairstow with ironic cheers.
Having racked up 10 scores in excess of 300 in their last 11 innings batting first – the exception was 296 for six in Antigua in February – England have set the bar high and will at least be happy this failure came in the mock exams rather than the real tests to come.
In Bairstow they have a reserve batsman ready to pounce, too, with the Yorkshireman guiding the team that cannot find a place for him well past an all-time low of 86 all out against Australia in 2001 with trademark muscular drives and cuts before eventually being stumped off spinner Keshav Maharaj attempting a ninth boundary.
Roland-Jones, who was drafted in on Sunday evening alongside Steven Finn but is similarly not part of the Champions Trophy squad, showed his long-handled prowess from No9 after Willey gave the returning Parnell his third, overcoming an early blow to the head from Chris Morris to stroke five fours and heave one mighty six during his run-a-ball cameo.
The Middlesex man, who was left high and dry at the end as Maharaj snuffed out Jake Ball and Finn with minimal fuss, will look more fondly on his maiden international wicket as Amla chopped on to his stumps after the post-interval resumption.
Ball offered the only other bright spark on a gloomy day, with his unbroken spell of 10 overs, two for 43 from the Nursery End accounting for De Kock, bowled for 34 missing one that angled in from around, and Du Plessis, flashing hard to Buttler behind the stumps. With Willey’s first three overs a repeat of his profligacy against Ireland, the Nottinghamshire right-armer has, like Bairstow, cemented his place as first reserve.
