Stokes and Co cannot handle the heat from South Africa
No heroics from departing star as white-ball wobbles continue
There was to be no fairytale finish. No bowing out in style from the one- day format he has graced but now feels he has to give up because he cannot keep on giving his all for england.
Just a desperately disappointing anti-climax that saw Ben Stokes fail with ball and bat on his home ground in another heavy 62-run defeat for the once mighty england white-ball side.
The stage had appeared to be set for Stokes to finish on the high his 50-over career deserved on the ground where he first set out on the rollercoaster journey that has seen him become england’s talisman and now their Test captain.
But Stokes just could not deliver in front of a devoted Durham crowd who endured rather than enjoyed the occasion because of the extreme heat that left them exposed in open Durham stands that were not built with 37°C (99°F) in mind.
Stokes led england out to a standing ovation, earned loud cheers when he came on to bowl and gave his last england 50- over cap to a young boy in the crowd as he left the field after 50 overs of hard toil in conditions surely never before seen in this part of the world.
But it was when Stokes was out, plumb lbw trying to reverse sweep, for just five off 11 balls that the full emotion of a decision he believes has been forced upon him by the demands of the international schedule finally hit him.
Stokes walked slowly off after wisely deciding not to review richard ard Kettleborough’s decision, acknowledged the applause of a stoic crowd who rose to him and glanced towards his family and friends as he left the 50-over field for the last time.
With him, in effect, went england’s chances in another big setback for the new management team of Jos Buttler and Matthew w Mott as South Africa followed d India in defeating an england d white-ball team who suddenly y seem to be stuck in transition.
The day got off to a bad start t when another local man in Matthew Potts only lasted eight overs on his one-day international debut before he was forced to leave the field suffering from the effects of the heat. his four wicketless overs had cost 33.
There was an understandable lethargy about england in the field, with extra drinks consumed under large parasols, that was matched in the stands where hundreds of spectators left their seats desperately seeking shadehd or j joining i i long l queues for f water. But one player who kept his cool was rassie van der Dussen, the in-form man of the South African line-up with an average of 73 in 50-over cricket since the start of last year.
his was very much an old-school one-day innings, with no sixes and only 10 fours coming in his 134, but it was no less important for that as england struggled in the heat.
A rejigged england bowling lineup, with the star of the series against India in reece Topley rested to manage his workload, were pretty much powerless to resist as Van der Dussen added 151 with Aiden Markram for the third wicket.
Not least the subdued figure of Stokes, who said it was ‘unsustainable’ to carry on playing in all formats when he announced his shock retirement from one- day cricket and proved it in five expensive, impotent overs.
Only when Van der Dussen had reached 121 did he offer the semblance of a chance but he was reprieved by Jonny Bairstow at deep midwicket.
It did not prove too expensive as Liam Livingstone, called up as third spinner to cover for the absence of Potts, dismissed both South Africa’s leading run-scorers in the same over.
That double coupled with good death bowling from another local, Brydon Carse, kept South Africa down to 333 for five, which was probably par, but was still their best 50-over total in england.
It was not long ago england would have been far from daunted by chasing such a total but, for now at least, they have lost their white-ball batting mojo as they regroup without their legendary captain eoin Morgan and now Stokes.
Jason roy did hit the first six of the match off Keshav Maharaj but still looks far from the dominant force of england’s World Cup winners of old and struggled for timing in an opening stand of 102 with Bairstow that took 19 overs.
Bairstow was better in producing something like his Test form in making 63 off 71 balls, being badly dropped by Lungi Ngidi on 50, but once the spin of Markram dismissed both him and then Stokes the game was almost up.
South Africa had to make a concussion change when Andile Phehlukwayo came off worse from a collision with Maharaj and was replaced by Dwaine Pretorius. But it did nothing to unsettle South Africa as england fell 62 runs short with only Joe root taking them anywhere near respectability with a late flurry that brought him 86.
So defeat in the first of three one- day internationals after defeats in both the Twenty20 and one-day series against India. And now england have lost their most important player for half of their white-ball rebuild.
‘It was a tough day,’ said Buttler. ‘ We never quite managed to impose ourselves. I do think we’ve
been improving through the four 50- over games we’ve played but we’ve been missing some experienced players and we’re going to lose another one now in Ben.
‘It does feel like changing times for us but we can give opportunities to some fantastic players.’
They have much to do in a form of the game they have dominated for seven years, starting in the second 50-over match at old Trafford on Friday.