The England players look pretty damn crestfallen coming off, and well they might. They let that one slip, and will again rue dropped catches. There’s a proper disco going on on the grass banks of the Wanderers though, the home fans celebrating an extraordinary win that ties the series at 2-2. Morris won that for them in the end, providing the change of pace and astonishingly assertive temperament that yanked the match from England’s grasp, but South Africa’s overall performance in the field was superior to England’s, and they’ll go into Sunday’s decider in a better frame of mind than the tourists.
That’s me done for the day anyway – stay on the site for reports and reaction, and thanks for your company and emails about Opta tweets. Emotional.
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South Africa win by one wicket!
47.2 overs: South Africa 266-9 (Abbot 3, Tahir 4), target 263
Tahir cuts Rashid square on the offside for four and wins the match. What a remarkable finish.
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Wicket! Morris b Rashid 62, South Africa 262-9
Rashid is brought back into the attack, and it works. Straight away. Morris hacks at a wrong’un, and is bowled. Sensational.
47th overs: South Africa 262-8 (Morris 62, Abbot 3), target 263
Everyone’s in on the one, obviously, for Stokes’s final ball, which Abbott digs out. Having survived, you would think that’s that. This is how a No8 wins you a game of modern one-day cricket
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46.5 overs: South Africa 262-8 (Morris 62, Abbot 3), target 263
Morris drives, is well cut off by mid-on diving across – they take one. Scores are level.
46.4 overs: South Africa 261-8 (Morris 61, Abbot 3), target 263
Morris inside-edges onto his pads. Dot ball.
46.3 overs: South Africa 261-8 (Morris 61, Abbot 3), target 263
SIX. Morris swivels, pulls and sends it straight into the crowd. He’s nearly done it. They need to replace the ball.
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46.2 overs: South Africa 255-8 (Morris 55, Abbot 3), target 263
Morris goes to pull, then pulls out, having spotted it’s a trickier slower ball. Another dot.
46.1 overs: South Africa 255-8 (Morris 55, Abbot 3), target 263
Stokes to bowl his final over, and begins with a brilliant inswinging yorker that Morris toe-ends out. Dot ball.
46th over: South Africa 255-8 (Morris 55, Abbot 3), target 263
Abbott keeps out the final two deliveries. Morris looks to have won this. Unless England can conjure something
45.4 overs: South Africa 255-8 (Morris 55, Abbott 3), target 263
A drive down the ground for one.
45.3 overs: South Africa 254-8 (Morris 54, Abbott 3), target 263
Copy and paste. The same shot, the same outcome, the same delivery.
45.2 overs: South Africa 250-8 (Morris 50, Abbott 3), target 263
Four more! Morris hammers it through the covers to bring up his 50.
45.1 overs: South Africa 246-8 (Morris 46, Abbott 3), target 263
Broad comes back into the attack, and Morris disdainfully clobbers his first ball into the crowd for six.
45th over: South Africa 240-8 (Morris 40, Abbott 3), target 263
Another turning point? Morris runs riot. Woakes is restored to the attack, given a chance to crown a highly productive day’s work for him. He squanders it horribly. He yields four straight away, a heads-down wild Morris drive that is edged down to third man, where Rashid can only fumble it into the ropes. Morris gets hold of the next ball, a decent length-ball that is clubbed over long-on for SIX. It necessitates some thinking, and precautionary field adjustments from Morgan, but to no avail as Morris cracks it square on the offside for two, well retrieved by Moeen on the boundary. It gets worse for Woakes – a wild, wild wide follows outside off stump. Morris adds a single leaving Abbott, again, to face the final ball. He sees it out. The Wanderers is absolutely bouncing.
“Never mind the stats for winning with no-one scoring a 50,” writes John Starbuck “what about winning with the maximum number of dropped catches? England could set their own records here.”
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44th over: South Africa 226-8 (Morris 27, Abbott 3), target 263
It’s not quite over yet. Abbott ekes out a single from the excellent Topley to bring Morris back on strike, and he continues his attempts to throw the bat, Topley thwarting him with a fine return stop. He can’t do anything about the following delivery though, just back of a length and hammered over midwicket for SIX. A single follows, leaving Abbott to keep out the final ball of the over. Which he does, confidently, hammering a full toss straight into the stumps at the non-striker’s end.
43rd over: South Africa 218-8 (Morris 20, Abbott 2), target 263
I do like this pitch, excellent today as it was for the Test match here. Stokes finds swing and zest to hurry up Abbott. An incredibly risky run follows, but Morgan fumbles the run-out attempt at the non-striker’s end. Morris then grubs an edged two down to third man. The atmosphere is cracking now, and there are boos when Stokes’s speared delivery down the legside, that brushes Morris’s pad, is not called wide. There are more approving noises when Morris smacks a straight drive over Stokes’s head for two.
42nd over: South Africa 213-8 (Morris 16, Abbott 1), target 263
Morris may well ramp up his attacking approach now, slogging at Topley and adding two more. A single follows, bringing on strike Rabada, who falls first ball – a drive, an edge, a sharp take from the judiciously placed second slip, Root. Abbott gets off the mark straight away to get Morris back down the other end. Morris takes an even bigger risk – and is dropped! His horribly mistimed lofted drive is spilled in even more horrible fashion by Rashid. That would have been game over. England’s catching has left something to be desired this evening.
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Wicket! Rabada c Root b Topley 0, South Africa 210-8
Rabada falls first ball, edging Topley to slip. England are now firmly back on top.
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Summary
41st over: South Africa 207-7 (Morris 11), target 263
Root prevents a boundary with a fine diving stop at short mid-on from Morris’s swivel-pull, which smarts a little for the Yorkshireman, but he’s fine to continue. The batsmen trade the strike swiftly with singles, though Morris in particular seems eager to go for more, which might be why Morgan has five men in the circle inviting aggression, and catching opportunities. Which duly follow. But it’s Wiese who falls into the trap, cracking it to Morgan.
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Wicket! Wiese c Morgan b Stokes 21, South Africa 207-7
Wiese chases a wide, slower ball and slashes it to Morgan at point. Another swing of the pendulum.
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40th over: South Africa 204-6 (Wiese 20, Morris 9), target 263
Morris brings up the 200 with a cleanly struck square drive for one, but Topley’s pace is asking questions, and beats Morris all ends up as the batsman attempts a claustrophic square cut. Morris is going for his shots regardless, taking two with a mistimed pull in front of square. The final powerplay arrives, with South Africa slight favourites I reckon.
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39th over: South Africa 199-6 (Wiese 20, Morris 5), target 263
Morris drives Stokes confidently through the covers for two, and adds a hastily-run single. Wiese adds another with a crack down to Rashid at wide third man. What’s the highest successful ODI run-chase in which no batsman has made 50, out of idling interest? South Africa are up with the rate in Duckworth-Lewis terms too.
38th over: South Africa 194-6 (Wiese 19, Morris 1), target 263
Topley returns to the attack, and makes an instant impact, ending the partnership by reaching low to take a fierce drive from Behardien with his left hand. Tail up, he almost has another, appealing passionately for a leg-before against Wiese but the batsman had got an inside edge onto his pad. But only three runs and a wicket – you can’t ask for too much more from an over at this stage.
Wicket! Behardien c & b Topley 38, South Africa 191-6
A brilliant instinctive low return catch from the returning Topley ends a naggingly useful partnership.
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37th over: South Africa 191-5 (Behardien 38, Wiese 17), target 263
A change of pace: Stokes replaces Rashid, and he hurries Behardien up a little but the batsman is equal to it with a push off his hips for two. A single follows. There’s swing and zip there, but there’s also swing and zip in the outfield and when Stokes strays down the legside, flicking Wiese’s pad, the ball flies past Buttler and towards the ropes for four leg-byes. Stokes is doing his best pantomime-grimacing and glaring, the crowd responding with pantomime jeering.
36th over: South Africa 184-5 (Behardien 35, Wiese 17), target 263
Moeen continues – bowling his ninth over, no less – and the pattern continues. Singles aplenty – real old-school middle-over meandering stuff. It’s not that he’s bowling badly, more that he’s not necessarily what England need at the moment. A misfield at gully from Broad at the end of the over, surrendering another run-out chance amid indecision from the batsmen between the wickets, sums things up somewhat.
35th over: South Africa 179-5 (Behardien 31, Wiese 16), target 263
Rashid’s lot in life so often seems to be punishment for every loose delivery, hard-luck stories for the good ones, and so it continues as Wiese cuts a short and wide delivery through the gully region for four. These two are running very eagerly between the wickets, though it almost costs them when Wiese goes for a risky run to mid-off but the throw misses, and a quietly vital partnership continues.
34th over: South Africa 172-5 (Behardien 29, Wiese 11), target 263
Moeen again bamboozles Behardien with a quicker, pacier delivery that he misses, but these two are taking runs where they need and want, two more following a flick round the corner, before a single to long-on completes the over. Ninety-one needed from 16.
33rd over: South Africa 168-5 (Behardien 26, Wiese 10), target 263
Behardien takes a too-easy single to start Rashid’s over, Wiese pushes down the ground for another, before Behardien punishes the first poor ball Rashid has sent down for a while, short and sitting up and just begging to be walloped over mid-on for four. Which it is. Another couple of singles are stolen and this partnership has stretched to 25 from 24.
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32nd over: South Africa 160-5 (Behardien 20, Wiese 8), target 263
Moeen continues, and it’s all twos and ones, and murmurs rather than roars in the crowd. Might be time for England to change up, though Wiese is hurried up a tad by one quicker delivery that he chops onto his boot but still gets two amid a fielding fumble.
31st over: South Africa 153-5 (Behardien 16, Wiese 5), target 263
Rashid is finding some quite extravagant turn at times here, and induces a rash slashed edge from Wiese that eludes second slip and brings a couple of runs. Buttler also has a half-chance at a stumping after Behardien feels at one and misses it, but the wicketkeeper can’t quite take cleanly. And that’s drinks, at a fascinating point in the match.
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30th over: South Africa 148-5 (Behardien 14, Wiese 2), target 263
Moeen isn’t as threatening but he keeps it tight, yielding only singles.
29th over: South Africa 143-5 (Behardien 11), target 263
Rashid adjusts, and finds some decent length, variety and turn this time. Duminy manages two with a deft paddle down to fine leg, but this is as excellent an over of spin bowling as the previous one was rank. And it’s rewarded when Rashid traps Duminy in front with its final ball, one the left-hander doesn’t even bother reviewing. He was bang to rights.
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Wicket! Duminy lbw b Rashid 31, South Africa 143-5
You know what was being said about this pair not looking like taking a wicket? Scrub that. Rashid crowns a fine over with a beauty that turns back into Duminy’s pads.
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28th over: South Africa 139-4 (Duminy 28, Behardien 10), target 263
Spin at both ends isn’t bothering this pair, Duminy cutting Moeen backward of square for four. It’s not a bad over, truth be told, but doesn’t look much like delivering a wicket.
27th over: South Africa 133-4 (Duminy 23, Behardien 9), target 263
Adil Rashid gets his first bowl, and it doesn’t particularly add to the pressure on South Africa it must be said. Behardien belts him through the covers for four. There are also singles, and a horrible wide outside off-stump, albeit one Duminy could and should have hit, incurring the wrath of Michael Holding who thinks such hittable deliveries should not be called wide.
“If only Jordan was in the team: he would’ve held those catches. Fickle,” Optas Julien Lesage.
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26th over: South Africa 123-4 (Duminy 22, Behardien 1), target 263
The pressure’s on Duminy now – he’s batted decently so far but he’ll cop the blame for De Villiers’ dismissal. He clips a single off Moeen before Behardien gets off the mark with a push down to long-on for one. A much-needed tight over to complement the much-needed breakthrough one that preceded it.
25th over: South Africa 121-4 (Duminy 21), target 263
De Villiers punishes a slightly over-pitched Woakes delivery with a crunching thwack over mid-off for four. Few can demoralise bowlers like De Villiers, who treats good and bad ball alike when in the mood – he promptly wallops a decent accurate ball past mid-on for four more. A single ensues, and an attempt to get another one off the last ball of the over is foiled by a run-out. De Villiers can’t make his ground as Woakes gathers and throws down the stumps. Suddenly, all is changed. Or is it?
Wicket! De Villiers run out 36, South Africa 121-4
A game-changer? Duminy sets off for an ill-advised single, Woakes gathers off his own bowling and throws at the stumps. The direct-hit spells the end of De Villiers.
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24th over: South Africa 112-3 (De Villiers 27, Duminy 21), target 263
The batsmen rotate the strike off Moeen with three singles, the last of which, against De Villiers prompts an excited lbw appeal from behind the stumps. England have no reviews now though, and the award of a run off the bat shows what the umpires think. A nudged two from De Villiers completes the scoring from the over.
23rd over: South Africa 107-3 (De Villiers 24, Duminy 20), target 263
The brief Broad experiment is curtailed, and the thus-far impressive Woakes returns. He finds more movement and lift, discomfiting Duminy with a bouncer intimidating enough that you could imagine it saying “Those shoes are too casual, you’ve had too much to drink, sling your hook” at a nightclub door. Duminy gets on top of the next short ball though, and pulls it in front of square for a single. A good over is spoiled by the final delivery, loose and short-ish outside off stump and Duminy cuts it mercilessly beyond backward point for four.
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22nd over: South Africa 100-3 (De Villiers 23, Duminy 14), target 263
Moeen maintains a decently tight line, yielding a single to Duminy before hemming in De Villiers for three dot balls before the captain takes a pushed single on the legside.
21st over: South Africa 98-3 (De Villiers 22, Duminy 13), target 263
Duminy essays a mighty legside pull at Broad, but miscues it and it goes straight past the bowler for two rather than to square leg for four. His next attempt at the shot is rather more successful, a crack beyond mid-on to the boundary. Broad changes angle and stems the flow before conceding a single off the final ball of the over. England were 97-4 at this stage, but this is already looking a menacing South African partnership. How costly are those drops going to be?
20th over: South Africa 91-3 (De Villiers 22, Duminy 6), target 263
Our first taste of English spin, Moeen Ali replacing Stokes. Both batsmen settle for working him away for singles, four of which ensue.
The Partridge-esque Opta tweets,” reckons Simon McMahon, “and in particular the one about Amla and Broad, may be a case of life imitating art, or vice versa. As we all know Alan presented a military based quiz show called Skirmish on digital tv channel UK Conquest. It regularly got an audience of 8,000 people. As the great man himself said, let me put that into perspective for you, that’s 11 times the population of Hemsby.” Accidental.
19th over: South Africa 87-3 (De Villiers 20, Duminy 4), target 263
Broad returns to the attack and we have incident aplenty. De Villiers cracks his first ball straight at Roy at backward point, but he can’t hang onto it, dropping it as he hits the turf. The response from the reprieved batsman is brutal – a thumping four on the offside followed by a clean, mighty straight six over long-on. A single completes a possibly momentum-swinging over.
18th over: South Africa 76-3 (De Villiers 9, Duminy 4), target 263
Duminy carves Stokes backward of square on the offside for a single, bringing De Villiers on strike and he’s itching to wrest back the initiative, springing onto his backfoot and belting Stokes across the line to the midwicket boundary for four. Stokes comes back with a big appeal for lbw against Duminy with the last ball and it’s reviewed after not being given. It’s almost a front-foot no-ball, Duminy is forward and in front of off-stump reprieved, but it’s only clipping and stays with the umpire. Not out.
Review!
Stokes has a shout for lbw against Duminy – not given, staying with umpire’s call.
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17th over: South Africa 70-3 (De Villiers 4, Duminy 3), target 263
Drop! An eminently catchable one – Duminy dries to drive off the back foot at a decent away-swinger and Hales at second slip snatches at it, diving in front of first-slip Jordan and parrying it up and onto the ground. The delivery, bowler and field-placing all deserved a wicket there. They take a single instead, as does De Villiers with an off-cut backward of square. One more follows – three from a good over. This is Woakes’s best match of the series. It’s easy to forget that only three other members of this England XI made their ODI debuts before he did, fact fans.
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16th over: South Africa 67-3 (De Villiers 3, Duminy 1), target 263
De Villiers counterattacks, belting Stokes through the covers for two, which should have been four but for a brilliant sprawling stop by Hales. Another single follows, as dones one for Duminy, but that’s South Africa’s lot in another decent over from England’s perspective.
“Twitter sign-off words” subject-headings John Starbucks. “The obvious thing to do is create a list of words for signing off a tweet which are completely random. How about: Whistles. Portmerion. Kangaroo. Upanishads. Broadstreak. Stickleback. Trombone. Handsomehorse. Marlinspike.Another option would be to use anagrams, allowing readers to focus their minds on something other than social media platforms.” Impossible.
15th over: South Africa 63-3 (De Villiers 0, Duminy), target 263
There’s understandable clamour in the commentary box for Broad to be brought back for a crack at De Villiers but Woakes, almost as if he heard it, thinks “Tish, and fipsy – I’ll show you with a wicket maiden.” He produces a cracking delivery, pitching on middle and seaming a decisive fraction to clatter Du Plessis’s off and middle stumps. The rest of the over isn’t bad either, mostly slanted tantalisingly across the left-handed new arrival Duminy. Momentum has officially swung.
Wicket! Du Plessis b Woakes 33, South Africa 63-3
And another one bowled! What’s this?
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14th over: South Africa 63-2 (Du Plessis 33, De Villiers 0), target 263
De Kock takes another single off Stokes, who then finds bounce but not enough pace at Du Plessis, who steers it in front of square on the legside for one. But a breakthrough comes! De Kock is unable to make room to cut and drags the ball onto his stumps – Stokes makes stuff happen again. De Villiers is accompanied to the crease by chants of “AB!” but is forced on the defensive by two accurate line and length balls by Stokes. A damn fine over.
Wicket! De Kock b Stokes 27, South Africa 63-2
A second wicket, a second chopping-on. A big scalp for – who else? – Stokes.
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13th over: South Africa 61-1 (De Kock 26, Du Plessis 33), target 263
Woakes isn’t giving De Kock too much room, to his credit, and is rewarded with three dots before he drags one down too short and the left-handed opener pulls it across the line towards deep midwicket for a single. Woakes then finds some swing which Du Plessis grubs at outside off-stump, playing and missing. His best over so far, and perhaps England’s best, were wickets not needed.
12th over: South Africa 60-1 (De Kock 25, Du Plessis 33), target 263
De Kock nicks a quick single off Stokes, and a couple more strike-rotating ones follow. More economical but not yet too threatening.
“Oh man,” yelps Peter McLeod, “I can’t say how glad I am that there’s someone else who feels how I do about the Opta tweets. There’s something horribly Partridge about the single word at the end, a nodding and a smirking. ‘Sent 12 tweets since half time. Legend.’ And yeah, a few of us are still tip-tapping away in the office as the light fades. February. What a month.” Though presumably your tip-tapping away takes the form of sending appreciative bantz to the OBO rather than work, and that counts as sexy Friday-night leisure time, no? It would for me were I in your position.
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11th over: South Africa 57-1 (De Kock 23, Du Plessis 32), target 263
Woakes’ second over is delayed two balls in by the floodlight failure and when they resume, he’s bang on the money with his first two balls, which offer just a hint of movement amid the dew and evening light. But Du Plessis then gets his eye in and pulls across the line past mid-on for four. It’s the only scoring shot of the over. And this has been something of a pattern – four or five tight balls per over, then one or two that get the treatment from the batsmen.
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Someone has got pedalling behind the generator at the Wanderers, and the lights are apparently back on. Play should resume shortly.
In other South-Africa-chasing-263 news, their women beat England’s earlier to level their series. Here’s the report:
Delay – floodlight failure. An aesthetically pleasing fading evening light is now bathing the Wanderers, light that requires topping up with floodlit power, which has only gone and conked out. So the players are taking a breather. You, dear reader, should not, however. You should send some emails – or have you all left your workpods early for a night of that binge-drinking, that they have now? Or something.
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10th over: South Africa 53-1 (De Kock 23, Du Plessis 28), target 263
Making Things Happen’s Ben Stokes comes into the attack, and the first thing he makes happen is an addition to South Africa’s total – an ugly legside wide. Du Plessis, razor-sharp between the wickets so far, snatches a single with a push to mid-off. Another one follows with an inside-edged chop behind the stumps by De Kock. And four more follow – off a decent delivery, which Du Plessis thick-edges past Jason Roy at backward point. Stokes looks displeased with his fielder’s efforts.
9th over: South Africa 45-1 (De Kock 22, Du Plessis 22), target 263
Woakes replaces Broad, and surprises De Kock a tad with a bouncer and the left-hander can’t really get on top of it. He has an unsurprisingly offside-heavy field set for the expansive opener, and De Kock can’t find a way past it, so he decides to whip the final ball of the over to leg. It’s four. A good over, but England still aren’t applying pressure to any meaningful degree.
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8th over: South Africa 41-1 (De Kock 18, Du Plessis 22), target 263
De Kock takes a single to mid-on off Topley, who’s been the tighter and more parsimonious of the England bowlers so far. No sooner do I type that than Du Plessis takes another briskly-run two with a square cut before really opening his shoulders and clobbering a wide long-hop on the offside for four.
7th over: South Africa 34-1 (De Kock 17, Du Plessis 16), target 263
Broad bowls his fourth over on the bounce, and it’s a tidier one, though De Kock is still going for his shots – as you would if you were in his vein of form. The left-hander can only find fielders with his drives and cuts, until the fifth ball, which he chops through the point region for four, despite the presence of a phalanx of fielders in that area. Another crack to mid-off brings a single.
6th over: South Africa 29-1 (De Kock 12, Du Plessis 16), target 263
Du Plessis top-edges Topley unconvincingly, but safely, towards midwicket and takes a single. De Kock looks to be quick onto anything vaguely matching the description ‘half-volley’ and drives down the ground for another one. Two more for Du Plessis follow, who goes two better off the final ball of the over with a delightfully-timed clip in front of midwicket for four. These two are looking ominously/encouragingly comfortable already.
The one-word descriptions at the end of Opta stat tweets. Why?
5th over: South Africa 21-1 (De Kock 11, Du Plessis 9), target 263
Broad is focusing on a decent full length at Du Plessis, who nonetheless adds three with a firm on-drive that Morgan cuts off before it reaches the boundary. He’s shorter at De Kock, who nudges him off his hips for a couple more. Emboldened, De Kock smites an overpitched Broad delivery emphatically to the long-on boundary for four. Morgan then dives smartly at mid-off to cut off another one.
4th over: South Africa 12-1 (De Kock 5, Du Plessis 6), target 263
Half-chance! Du Plessis hoiks Topley to leg and it just drops short of the onrushing Root, hitting his lower arm on the half-volley. The batsmen run two. Other than that, Topley maintains a testing line and length coming over the wicket at the right-hander – ooh how it’s good to have proper left-arm quicks available. A quick single rounds off another handy over.
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3rd over: South Africa 9-1 (De Kock 5, Du Plessis 3), target 263
Broad sends down a full toss that is slashed down to third man by Du Plessis for a frenetically-run two after the batsman slips for a moment at the non-striker’s end. Another glided single in the same region follows, before De Kock finally announces himself with a nicely timed back-foot punch square on the offside that punctures the in-field and goes for four.
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2nd over: South Africa 2-1 (De Kock 1, Du Plessis 0), target 263
Topley opens at the other end, mostly just back of a length and mostly met with watchful defence from De Kock, who is restrained by a tight line from the bowler too. A fine over, and a maiden.
More on the T20 squad from Smylers. “I think the ECB have made an error in omitting KP,” he talking-points. “For maximum vindictiveness they should’ve selected him for the squad — thereby getting his hopes up — but then not included him in the team. Making him carry on the drinks would’ve added to the humiliation.” Twitter would explode, which may not be such a bad thing.
1st over: South Africa 2-1 (De Kock 1), target 263
Stuart Broad, back in the ODI attack, gets the ball first up and South Africa are off the mark second ball with a leg-bye after the bowler strays just a little too much towards his pads. De Kock continues where he left off with a delicious cover drive, but Morgan does brilliantly to cut him off and deny him a run with a diving stop at mid-off. South Africa know they don’t have to belt the leather out of everything, and don’t. De Kock is off the mark with a steer down to deep backward point before Broad strikes, probing Amla’s corridor of uncertainty outside off-stump and inducing an inside-edge onto the stumps. Terrific start for England. Is Broad in the zone at the Wanderers again?
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Wicket! Amla b Broad 0, South Africa 2-1
Broad is back! Amla inside-edges onto his stumps.
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What to talk about? Ravi Bopara of course. “I see Ravi Bopara has put in probably the greatest 20/20 all round performance ever today,” understates Kevin Wilson. “Any chance Jordan might still pull up injured before the tournament starts?” As an Essex man – and someone liable to bore people with anecdotes about the time I saw Alastair Cook make a T20 hundred - I’m duty-bound to fight Ravi’s corner, and get irked a little by the way his name is sometimes used as a sort of smirking byword for nearly-man-dom, so I will take your suggestion in the spirit it is written. Bring back Ravi. Anyway, out they come.
Afternoon/evening everyone. At the weekend, thoughts of a 5-0 England whitewash in this series might reasonably have been entertained. Not by me, obviously – I loathe sporting optimism in all its forms – but nonetheless by reasonably informed observers. Now we’re staring down the barrel of 2-2, South Africa still favourites to win this despite England’s Root-led recovery in the second half of their innings. South Africa were mostly very impressive, though there’s sufficient pace and life in this pitch to give the tourists some hope. You’d fancy England’s first-choice Test attack on this surface, if not necessarily their white-ball equivalent. This one’s the hosts to lose.
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That’s some rebuilding effort after England lost five wickets for 21 runs, to leave them flopping on 108 for six. Were it not for Joe Root, this game would probably be done already. Excellent from South Africa in the field, particularly Rabada (four for 45) and Tahir (three for 46).
South Africa require 263 to win and square the series. That’s all from me – Tom Davies will be joining you soon.
WICKET! Rashid c de Villiers b Rabada 39 (ENGLAND ALL OUT FOR 262)
Rashid, after tickling one fine for four, tries to heave straight down the ground but can only find a diving de Villiers at mid off.
WICKET! Broad c Duminy b Rabada 6 (England 258-9)
Broad heaves into the leg side, undone by a slower ball, and Duminy trots in from the midwicket fence and makes a difficult catch look like dinner at nan’s
47th over: England 258-8 (Rashid 35, Broad 6)
Excellent shot from Rashid, who plays a full ball outside off stump as late as he can and gets three as Wiese dives to stop the ball from hitting the sponge at wide third man. Broad, naturally, wants to carve into the off side. He moves to the leg side to attempt the shot but waves one past. Abbott tries to follow him but passes Broad down leg for a wide. Abbott’s radar has gone for a walk: a full toss wide on the off side, which Rashid gets hold of for two, is followed by a rank slower ball down the leg side. Rashid ends the over with two to third man and an inadvertent chest bump with Abbott as he turns for his second run.
England have always been world leaders at turning an embarrassing losing total into a respectable losing total.
— Rob Smyth (@robsmyth0) February 12, 2016
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46th over: England 248-8 (Rashid 28, Broad 5)
A full toss from Rabada is worked around the corner by Rashid, who is unlucky not to miss the fielders. He gets two for it as the fielder comes around from fine leg to sweep up. He then makes a hash of clubbing a slower ball, but it dribbles down the legside for a wide. Much better from Adil, as he clubs a short ball squarer and, thus, for four. Broad gets in on the action too as Rabada ends a poor over with another full toss and is scythed over point for four.
Joe Root (pictured, left) deals with the rest of this England innings as best he can. pic.twitter.com/8Ur0yekHwe
— Erik Petersen (@CricketErik) February 12, 2016
45th over: England 234-8 (Rashid 19, Broad 0)
Edge and.... WIDE! Rashid goes hard at a delivery and beats a diving de Kock. Four! Another edge, this time a leading one, and Behardien DROPS IT! He might have been put off from Rabada, who was charging in from cover as Behardien made his run from long off. No matter, Root is out next ball.
WICKET! Root c Tahir b Morris 109 (England 233-8)
An attempted ramp shot goes high rather than long and Tahir judges the catch well. What an innings from Joe Root, who has been in from the sixth over and dug his team out of the mire. Class.
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44th over: England 226-7 (Root 109, Rashid 12)
Tahir starts his final over with a rank short ball that Root bludgeons to midwicket for four. With the majority of the leg side fielders on the fence, Root then pushes halfway to get a comfortable two. Great batting.
43rd over: England 216-7 (Root 100, Rashid 11)
Gorgeous from Rashid, who hits Wiese inside out over cover for four! Good comeback from Wiese, who brings his length back and uses a bit of movement away from Rashid to get him feeling outside off stump. Root is back on strike and, with a flick into the leg side, brings up his eighth ODI hundred. And what a knock it has been. England were up against it and staring at an absolute shellacking. This one has come off 119 balls. The over ends with Rashid hoicking Wiese over mid on, who had been brought up.
That's 8 hundreds in his last 39 one-day international innings for Joe Root and 5th inside last 12 months #SAvsENG #runmachine
— Richard Gibson (@richardgibson74) February 12, 2016
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42nd over: England 206-7 (Root 99, Rashid 2)
Woakes goes, looking to make use of the fact that fine leg was up in the circle. Rashid drops his hands on a ball to beat leg slip and get off the mark. Root then tucks into the leg side to go to 99...
WICKET! Woakes c de Kock b Rabada 33 (South Africa 202-7)
A short ball from Rabada does the trick. Woakes has done well to get anything on that, truth be told. But he swipes at it as it sails over his head, getting the merest feather on it, through to de Kock, who takes a good grab high to his left.
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41st over: England 202-6 (Root 97, Woakes 33)
David Wiese returns and starts well: the first ball beating Woakes for pace outside off stump before drawing a false shot down the ground, which bounces just in front of the man running in from long on. The 200 comes up as Root dabs to third man once more. The over ends with Woakes being beaten again as walks over to the off side but fails to connect.
40th over: England 198-6 (Root 95, Woakes 31)
Delicate from Root, who doesn’t try to lump Tahir down the ground and instead offers the upturned face of his bat for the ball to race down and into the legside for two. Woakes decides behind the wicket is best, too, somehow managing to pinch a single despite picking out third man, who is up in the circle. Root is then given his marching orders as he’s struck in front but a review shows that the ball hit the inside edge of his bat first.
NOT OUT - UMPIRE'S DECISION IS OVERTURNED
The speed of Root’s call for a review said it all – a thick inside edge onto pad. Tough for an umpire to spot, but exactly what the technology is there for. SAFE
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REVIEW...
Root is given out LBW to Tahir but he reviews straight away...
39th over: England 193-6 (Root 92, Woakes 29)
Third man has to earn his corn as Woakes and then Root pick him out for three runs off the first two balls of this Abbott over. Again, the Worcestershire-bound quick decides short balls are the way to go. While he gets away with one to Woakes, who hits right to the midwicket fielder (for one), Root punishes him by waiting for the one he gets next and whips it behind square for four.
About this stage of innings at J'burg 2015, 38th over, de Villiers came in. If Root can match him he'll be roughly 230 not out at the end.
— richard hobson (@richardjhobson) February 12, 2016
38th over: England 185-6 (Root 87, Woakes 26)
AB decides it’s time for Imran Tahir again and his spinner gives him an over for just three runs. Woakes and Root still watchful. No reason for them to do anything outlandish now.
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37th over: England 182-6 (Root 85, Woakes 25)
Abbott to replace Morris, who is one of South Africa’s death bowlers. Two singles to start bring Root on strike for the third, which is clubbed through midwicket easily for four. Well watched and waited for. He’s on the charge now, as Abbott bangs on in back of a length and Root’s gamble pays off as he can pick this one up over wide mid on for six the first of the innings! Thick edge runs to third man for a single.
36th over: England 169-6 (Root 73, Woakes 24)
Classy boundary from Root, who hangs back to a ball that’s short and wide and plants him through point. A frilly whip off his legs is then cut off brilliantly by Morris, who runs around and dives at square leg to reel the ball in with one hand. Saves two.
35th over: England 162-6 (Root 67, Woakes 24)
Morris’ change-up seems to be the short ball and both Root and Woakes are aware of that. The sweepers out on the legside ensure there’s no boundary, but it’s not challenging these batsmen. What does challenge them is some dodgy calling, which leaves Root well short of the nonstriker’s end. However, de Villiers misses the stumps from mid on! He took his time, too, and Root had all but given up.
34th over: England 159-6 (Root 64, Woakes 23)
Delicate from Woakes, who gets four from the first ball but expertly opening the face of the bat to allow the ball to run through a vacant first slip. The fifty partnership comes up for these two, from 54 balls. Woakes is going at better than a run a ball since coming to the crease. A drive to wide mid on takes Root to 2500 career ODI runs, from 67 matches.
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33rd over: England 151-6 (Root 63, Woakes 17)
The 150 comes up for England as Root slashes Morris fine, inside third man, for four. Nine runs come from that over and, that boundary aside, they’ve come fairly risk free. Drinks are being taken.
32nd over: England 143-6 (Root 57, Woakes 16)
Excellent from Woakes. Wiese doesn’t have the pace to bang the ball in short and he’s nicely hooked behind square on the leg side for four. Root, too, cashing in on the short ball to club to midwicket for another boundary. The over ends in alarm for England as a top edge from Root lingers in the thin air but drops in between the on-rushing fielders.
31st over: England 132-6 (Root 51, Woakes 11)
With a shot over cover-point, Root gets to his 50 from 73 balls. He was watchful at the start and then watching on in horror as the middle order came and went. A pull for one at the end of the over means he’ll keep the strike. Again, good work in the deep not only stops the boundary but ensures a second isn’t stolen.
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30th over: England 129-6 (Root 48, Woakes 11)
Wiese returns and Woakes gets forward nicely to push into the covers. Root then times nicely through midwicket for two, as the sweeper reads the shot early and comes around to cut it off.
29th over: England 125-6 (Root 45, Woakes 10)
Three from the Rabada over, which nearly features a run out as de Villiers manages to finally hit the stumps from mid on. However, a dive from Woakes is enough to keep his place out in the middle.
Phil Withall on email writes: “Having watched the New Zealand Test innings this morning and now getting home to see the state of England’s performance so far, I admit to being confused by the state of modern cricket. Is this innings being influenced by Test cricket or is it the other way round? Am I over analysing things and thinking like a tabloid reporter or simply a man in need of sleep as the clock heads towards midnight?” Count some sheep and be on your way to the land of nod, Phil.
28th over: England 122-6 (Root 44, Woakes 8)
Tahir flatter and slightly wayward this over, as both batsmen are able to pick up runs due to some over- and under-pitching.
27th over: England 118-6 (Root 42, Woakes 6)
Rabada comes back into the attack and gets a good go at Woakes, after Root works to midwicket for a single. But Woakes is very much in the “no mug” category and works a short ball to the leg side fence for four.
26th over: England 113-6 (Root 41, Woakes 2)
Wicket to wicket for Tahir, in his sixth consecutive over. Woakes gets off to clip to midwicket. Even the low full tosses are being treated with respect. Still, England manage five from the over (all singles).
This England team are here for a bad time, not a long time
— Barney Ronay (@barneyronay) February 12, 2016
25th over: England 108-6 (Root 38, Woakes 0)
Five from the first three balls speaks of a counter attack. Then Ali edges to first slip. Chris Woakes is the new batsman, two slips for company, and sees out the over. Forget 300, how about 150?
WICKET! Ali c Amla b Abbott 4 (England 108-6)
Abbott decides to go across Moeen, who has just timed a ball nicely through midwicket. Ali tries to repeat the trick but the length is far too short and the line too wide. Amla at first slip takes a high catch.
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24th over: England 103-5 (Root 36, Ali 1)
Tahir rattling through his over, as Ali gets off the mark with a nice flowing drive down the ground. Root gives him back the strike and Ali looks like he might get his first boundary only for Morris to ensure it doesn’t leave the ring with some good fielding at mid off.
23rd over: England 100-5 (Root 34, Ali 0)
A wicket maiden for Kyle Abbott, and what a wicket, too. England’s deep batting line-up will be tested to the limit. Moeen Ali sees out the remaining four deliveries of the over, though does not look convincing at all as he punches at a short ball that drops to where a short leg might be.
Already worked out the press conference - 'We are young side learning & this will happen at times when you play aggressive cricket' #saveng
— Innocent Bystander (@InnoBystander) February 12, 2016
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WICKET! Buttler c & b Abbott 1 (England 100-5)
Oh dear. My fault, that. Abbott delivers a brutal short ball that climbs on Buttler, who attempts to hook but can only top edge onto his helmet and pops neatly in the air for Abbott to take the catch.
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22nd over: England 100-4 (Root 34, Buttler 1)
Tahir strutting now. Just two from the over as Root and Buttler are watchful for any bite off the pitch. What should they be hoping for here – 300, still? Not that far off if these two can stay in for the next 20 overs. Bit obvious when one of those batsmen is Buttler, I suppose.
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21st over: England 98-4 (Root 33, Buttler 0)
A single from the over and very nearly a wicket as Wiese gets one to hold its line, as Jos Buttler attempts to work the ball to the legside an gets a leading edge. It hangs in the air for an age but falls just short of the man deep at mid off.
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20th over: England 97-4 (Root 32)
Tahir has just turned the game, perhaps not decisively but enough to mean England will finish below par here. First Morgan, then Stokes – the left-handers done by a bit of extra bounce and turn, respectively.
WICKET! Stokes c Amla b Tahir 2 (England 97-4)
Stunning delivery from Tahir and a stunning catch from Amla at slip! Stokes pushes forward to a googly that turns away sharply off the pitch to take the edge. Amla, initially moving to his left, dives back and sticks out a right paw for a superb take. Chris Jordan-esque...
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WICKET! Morgan c Behardien b Imran Tahir 2 (England 95-3)
Shoddy from Morgan, who misreads the extra bounce and top edges the ball to gully, who springs to take a regulation catch.
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19th over: England 92-2 (Rot 31, Morgan 0)
Doesn’t look like Root is going to consolidate after that wicket. The first ball of the over is driven, but straight into the ground and back to the bowler. Tw balls later, he thrashes hard and aerially, just out of the reach of the diving man at cover, for four. A dab to third man gives Eoin Morgan the strike for the first time. Dot ball to square leg.
18th over: England 87-2 (Root 26)
A drinks break and we’re back underway - Tahir again. This partnership is 63 off 11.3 overs going into this one. Tahir flights one that strikes the pad of Root but it’s down the legside. A full toss is plinked into the leg side before Hales edges one to third man for a three that brings him his half century off 55 balls. That’s all for him though as Hales finds the sub-fielder in the deep. Tahir gets his first wicket in three ODIs and celebrates accordingly...
Players to hit 4+ straight ODI scores of 50+ for England:
— The Cricket Prof. (@CricProf) February 12, 2016
Boycott, Gooch, Stewart, Hick (5)
Fowler, Hick, Pietersen, Cook, Morgan, HALES (4)
WICKET! Hales c Miller b Tahir 50 (England 87-2)
Fifty and out for Hales. Tahir gives it some air and the opener sweeps high into the off side... and straight into the hands of David Miller on the midwicket fence. Eoin Morgan in at four...
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17th over: England 81-1 (Hales 46, Root 24)
Root is starting to look a bit, well, peeved. His orthodox game doesn’t seem to be working so he’s trying to do what he can to upset the bowlers’ rhythm. After cutting to third man for two, he walks down the wicket and hits Morris over extra cover for four. Morris responds with a full ball that arrows down the leg side, before a short ball is thwacked to the leg side sweeper for a single. The ploy has worked, for this over at least.
16th over: England 72-1 (Hales 45, Root 19)
AB de Villiers decides this is the time to introduce Imran Tahir. In the previous three ODIs he has returned two for 193. England have certainly taken a liking to him. He starts short and is picked up for one down the ground by Root, but it’s a decent start from the leg spinner.
15th over: England 69-1 (Hales 44, Root 15)
Root trying to manufacture some scoring options here but nearly does himself a mischief trying to cut a ball that comes back into him. A short ball is whipped around the corner for a single. Hales then gets an inside edge on a ball that nips into him sharply. The over finishes with a quality bit of bowling as Morris goes wider on the crease. Root drives at the ball but instead of continuing on its line, it nips away off the pitch and beats the outside edge.
14th over: England 66-1 (Hales 4, Root 13)
Hales runs Wiese down to third man before Root does the same. Hales repeats the trick, though gets the ball a lot squarer and puts in a sprint to turn one into two.
The Wanderers is at an elevation of 5500 feet.
— Test Match Special (@bbctms) February 12, 2016
Our commentary box is at an elevation of 6125 feet. #SAvsENG pic.twitter.com/JtL1EiNUTh
13th over: England 62-1(Hales 40, Root 12)
Somehow, Hales bisects the point fielders again, this time with a lot more purpose as he opens the face into a drive and guides it nicely for four. Morris decides to cut down the amount of width he’s offering, which works until his final delivery is slightly off line and Root plants him over mid off for another four.
12th over: England 53-1 (Hales 36, Root 8)
Root drives to mid off. Mid off is AB de Villiers. AB de Villiers picks up and throws in the blink of an eye. Root is short of his ground. AB de Villiers, not for the first time, misses the stumps. David Wiese is your bowler, by the way. It’s pretty uneventful until Root uses his feet and lobs mid on for his first boundary.
11th over: England 47-1 (Hales 35, Root 3)
Morris to continue and AB de Villiers keeps a slip in to Hales. That’s soon gone, as the opener somehow manages to get an aerial drive through point and backward point for four. He tries to work a few into the leg side but doesn’t beat the midwicket fielder.
10th over: England 39-1 (Hales 28, Root 2)
Hales digs out a full ball and manages to get a single as mid off comes around to clean up. Rabada then hits the front pad of Root, though via the inside edge, and a single is taken to bring Hales on strike. He immediately clubs Rabada through square leg for four. Ten from the final over of the first Power Play.
9th over: England 32-1 (Hales 22, Root 2)
Chris Morris replaces Abbott and squares up Root with his first delivery. A mistimed drive into the covers is followed by a lazy swing to a ball that is called wide as Root fails to connect. A single to third man and it’s just three from the ninth over.
8th over: England 29-1 (Hales 21, Root 1)
Rabada persisting with the short ball to tuck Root up: it was this tactic early to England’s number three that kept Rooty under wraps for the first part of his innings in the previous ODI. He manages to work one away fine, beyond the catcher at leg slip.
7th over: England 28-1 (Hales 21, Root 0)
That’s more NEW ERA ENGLAND: Hales whips Abbott’s first ball through midwicket for four and then ends the over with a fine pull shot for another boundary through midwicket. Ten from it...
Lovely to see England doing their part today with a commemorative ODI circa 1975 batting display @Vitu_E. Heartwarming.
— Guy Hornsby (@GuyHornsby) February 12, 2016
6th over: England 18-1 (Hales 11, Root 0)
Wicket maiden for Rabada, as Roy helps one around the corner and Abbott takes the catch. Joe Root is the next man in with a pink handle. That’s the sort of “lovely touch” that inevitably brings a hundred.
WICKET! Roy c Abbott b Rabada 5 (England 18-1)
Inevitable really – Rabada goes short and Roy helps it around the corner to Abbott, who was resting up at deep fine leg.
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5th over: England 18-0 (Roy 6, Hales 11)
Before this over began. Hales and Roy were involved in a pretty animated discussion in the middle of the pitch. There were more than a few looks to the scoreboard. Expecting big things this over... and after two wafts, Hales takes the aerial route over cover and gets four. Not very convincing, but the ball was well over the heads of point and cover-point.
Bring back Cook and Bell imo.
— Dave Tickner (@tickerscricket) February 12, 2016
4th over: England 14-0 (Roy 5, Hales 7)
Good bowling and good ring-fielding from the hosts. When the in-field is breached fourth ball, David Wiese does some sterling work at third man to save three runs.
3rd over: England 11-0 (Roy 4, Hales 6)
Just a single for Hales in that over, as Duminy does great work at mid off before Roy is robbed of a boundary by the fielder at point.
2nd over: England 10-0 (Roy 4, Hales 5)
As Alex Hales is so tall, you can often tell if he’s in form but how much he has to duck into the ball. When he’s out of nick, he tends to misread the ball off the pitch and often has to readjust to low bounce, doubling over to cover get bat on ball. In form, the ball is under his eyes and, whether in attack or defence. comes out of the middle of his bat. He looks in form today: standing tall and punching defensive shots back to the bowler before he holds his shape perfectly to hit through extra cover for four. Good batting pitch, this.
1st over: England 5-0 (Roy 4, Hales 0)
Kyle Abbott starts with a wide. Not a ridiculous wide, though: an outswinger which goes too much on the off side. South Africa know Jason Roy is going to go for those, but that one just went too much. The third ball is almost identical, but tighter, and Roy has a go but can’t connect. Too straight from Abbott to finish the over and Jason Roy biffs him high down the ground for four.
Before we get going, here is the list of the highest totals at the ground...
Twelve teams have posted 300 or more batting first...
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“Big fan here of the South African mascot,” writes Kevin Wilson. “Why don’t all Test sides have them? Watching the mascot standing there gormless during the post-match presentations was one of the Test series highlights. And doesn’t he look fetching in pink?”
I’m with you, Kevin. Pakistan have had some belters to call upon...
@mfaisal_mirza Please Pakistan Super League Ka MASCOT hona chahie big request sir . pic.twitter.com/t0BqEtM7un
— Hussain Arain (@mudassirarain71) January 31, 2016
SOUTH AFRICA WIN THE TOSS AND CHOOSE TO BOWL FIRST
A surprise, perhaps, that AB de Villiers has decided to let England have a go first, but people seem to think you can chase a cheetah on this Wanderers track, so I suppose it makes sense.
South Africa make one change (Chris Morris comes in), England make two, with Chris Jordan and David Willey making way for Stuart Broad and Chris Woakes.
Don’t be alarmed by South Africa’s pink get-up: it’s part of their Pink Drive for World Cancer Day. You might be alarmed if you’re an England fan (or cancer) – they are unbeaten in it.
South Africa: Q de Kock†, HM Amla, D Wiese, F du Plessis, AB de Villiers*, JP Duminy, F Behardien, K Rabada, KJ Abbott, CH Morris, Imran Tahir
England: JJ Roy, AD Hales, JE Root, EJG Morgan*, BA Stokes, JC Buttler†, MM Ali, CR Woakes, SCJ Broad, AU Rashid, RJW Topley
SA win toss and bowl pic.twitter.com/cPN9hNaRgh
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) February 12, 2016
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MORNING CALL
I’ve never been an actor (morning all – Vish here).
Well, actually, I have. A few times. In a Year 5 play about the Blitz I played a fishmonger called Ethel – my most acclaimed role to date. My dad, not of these modern times bless him, wrote a letter to my school teacher asking why the boys had to act as girls (he wasn’t a fan of the Shakespearean twist). And specifically, his son. Needless to say my teacher – our head of year, AT AN ALL BOYS SCHOOL – was less than impressed. Somehow, my dad managed to negotiate that I didn’t have to wear a wig, so I spent the play in a dress sporting a number four buzz cut. The reason I bring this up is that I spent the morning getting my India visa which, unbeknownst to me, basically requires getting headshots because the size of the photos needed are slightly bigger than your bog standard passport job. As a result, I had to use the unflattering booth at the Paddington visa centre which, due to some poor lighting and a chair that wouldn’t screw down so that I could meet camera at eye level (and two months of cheese based products), leaves me with no neck. Like a wide lens Gladstone Small.
Team news soon from Johannesburg, along with the toss. Stuart Broad’s expected to be back for England (at least those are the whispers) for his first ODI since the 2015 World Cup. I don’t know about you, but I like the fact that Broad is being brought in to combat Quinton de Kock. A bit like enlisting a fish monger to counter an air raid.
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Hello. Vithushan will be here shortly. Until then, here’s Barney Ronay on Jos Buttler’s impending IPL adventure, and what it could mean for English cricket:
It has been another quietly revolutionary week for English cricket’s relationship with that oddly insistent entity; the outside world. The selection of a World Twenty20 squad for next month’s tournament in India has again focused the mind on the fraught, quietly shifting connection between new and old worlds.
The legacy of non-engagement with the global T20 world is still here. England’s 15-man squad contains nine players with no experience of the major franchise leagues, a senior batsman in Joe Root who has only ever batted 35 times in T20 matches anywhere, and just two players with experience of the Indian Premier League.
On the plus side it also contains Jos Buttler and Sam Billings, in their own way frontiersmen in a tentative thawing in the tense, often destructive interaction with the BCCI’s powerhouse league. For the first time two current England players have been not just allowed but encouraged to play the full Indian Premier League season in April and May, thereby ruling themselves out of seven County Championship matches and pretty much an entire home Test series.
The decision to allow Buttler in particular to play a full IPL season represents a profound change of policy for the England and Wales Cricket Board, and further evidence the unshakeable primacy of Test cricket is perhaps a thing of the past. Buttler may no longer be in the Test team but he remains an England poster boy, an A-list draw alongside Ben Stokes and Joe Root. To offer such a prime asset a seven-week IPL break is a genuine breath of perestroika.
