Leaky Proteas must up game

The Proteas will have to tidy up their act with the ball in the second one-day international at the Rose Bowl in Southampton tomorrow if they want to stay alive in the three-match series against England.

The visitors leaked far too many runs as the hosts blasted 339/5 at Headlingley on Wednesday on their way to a comprehensive 72-run win.

And to add insult to injury, the Proteas also have to cough up for a slow over rate, with AB de Villiers being docked 20% of his match fee and his team-mates 10% each.

De Villiers will be desperate to turn the tables in the second and third match (Monday at Lord’s) to gain some valuable momentum ahead of taking on Sri Lanka in the Champions Trophy opener at The Oval next Saturday.

The Proteas conceded 102 runs in the last 10 overs as England captain Eoin Morgan scored a superb 107 and Moeen Ali (77 off 51 balls) chipped in with a late flurry.

The Proteas were cruising on 145/1, but lost Hashim Amla (73) and Faf du Plessis (67) in quick succession and never recovered.

“We very pretty much on target,’’ admitted Amla (below).

“Fortunately that partnership kept us in the game for 25 to 30 overs or so. Unfortunately neither of us managed to get through and score a hundred, which obviously makes it a lot easier for batsmen coming in.’’

Morgan moved to allay concerns over the fitness of Ben Stokes, who left the field during the Proteas innings after suffering pain in his left knee.

Stokes, in his first England match since his most valuable player-winning stint in the lucrative Indian Premier League, came back on later but did not add to his tally of two overs.

Stokes had surgery on the same knee last year but Morgan insisted all was well with his star all-rounder.

Additional reporting by AFP