Proteas wilt against England
Morgan and Ali blast SA’s poor bowling and shoddy fielding
IT needed something special from South Africa’s batsmen after their bowlers blew their chances to win the first oneday international against England at Headingley in Leeds last night. But something special never came, and another loss in Southhampton on Saturday will decide the series and ask uncomfortable questions about South Africa’s readiness for next month’s Champions Trophy.
AB de Villiers won the toss and chose to field, and his attack repaid that apparent confidence by conceding 339/6 – the highest total posted in the 39 ODIs played at Headingley.
South Africa’s reply floundered to 267 in 45 overs, which made England winners by 72 runs.
Only Chris Morris, aside from part-timer JP Duminy, looked the part in an attack that bowled too full, bled runs and had to rely on loose strokes to take wickets.
Morris claimed 2/61 and owned the only maiden of the innings. Duminy went wicketless in his six overs, but the 34 runs he gave up made him South Africa’s tidiest bowler.
None of the other bowlers could keep the pressure on for long enough to bowl maidens, much less force errors.
And when they did put the batsmen on the spot, too often their hard work was squandered by shoddy work in the field.
Opener Alex Hales took advantage of all that while the ball was new with a 61 that rattled off 60 balls with eight fours and a six.
Hales and Joe Root steadied England in a second-wicket stand of 98 that followed Wayne Parnell having Jason Roy caught behind in the second over.
But the stars for the home side were Eoin Morgan and Moeen Ali, who put on 117 – a record for England’s sixth wicket in ODIs against South Africa.
Morgan went to his ton in the 45th over, which leaked 22 runs and saw him smash Imran Tahir for three sixes.
Morris removed Morgan for a 93-ball 107, but Ali was still there at the end with an undefeated 77 – 50 of them in fours and sixes – off 51 balls.
South Africa’s batsmen, then, would have to pull the game out of the fire as their bowlers had done so many times before.
But the only time redemption seemed part of the equation was during a second-wicket stand of 112 between Hashim Amla and Faf du Plessis.
Amla made a classy 73 off 76 balls, only his second half-century in 11 completed innings for South Africa regardless of format.
Seven balls later Du Plessis, who clipped his 67 off 61 deliveries, was undone and caught behind.
What of De Villiers, that proven match-winner?
He scored a promising 45, then holed out at deep mid-wicket.
But promising 45s do not win matches like this.