2nd ODI England v South Africa July 22nd

Neil Whitaker reports from Old Trafford

ENGLAND beat South Africa by 118 runs with 8.2 overs to spare at Emirates Old Trafford  to tie the Royal London Insurance one day series 1-1with the decider to be played at Headingley on Sunday.


Defending 201, England won the match in 16 balls of the South African innings when South  Africa slumped to six for four in four overs Adil Rashid took three for 29 in his six overs, but it was Reece Topley who shattered the South Africa top order.

Chasing South Africa were soon six for four with three ducks as they lost four wickets in 16 balls without scoring.They  lost their first wicket when Janneman  Malan chipped Topley to Sam Curran  at mid on, if England have found a Ben Stokes replacement in Curran have they found a man with a golden arm in Topley.  

On Tuesday Rassie Van Der Dussen hit 134, tonight he got a two ball duck. Van Der Dussen moved across his stumps and feathered it to Jos Buttler. Without adding to the score England set a trap for Quinton De Kock, by packing the legside with fielders so De Kock tried to turn David Willey to the offside and got a leading edge to Liam Livingstone at short cover. 

Willey wrapped Heinrich Klaasen on his pads and the ball only went a couple of yards and Klaasen looked up to see Aiden Markram almost at his end but Markram couldn’t beat Buttler’s direct hit.

Curran bowled over and around the wicket to David  Miller and bowled him with one that kept  low. With rain coming England wanted to get to 20 overs for a match.  Klaasen and Dwaine Pretorius looked to be denying  England by adding 39 in six overs but Klaasen played for spin from Moeen Ali  that wasn’t there he was stumped by Buttler.

Keshav Mahraj was bowled by a leg spinner that slid on by Rashid.  Rashid got his second wicket when Pretorius sliced a drive and Jason Roy took the catch at cover.  Lungi Ngidi chipped a regulation leg spinner straight back to Rashid.

Tabraiz Shamsi tried to turn Rashid to leg and was given out but Shamsi reviewed it straight away and the replay showed he had got a touch on it.  The match was over in the next over when Anrich Nortje went down the pitch to Moeen Ali and drove him straight to  Jonny Bairstow on the long on boundary.  The defeat was South Africa’s joint heavies defeat.

For the fifth time this summer England failed to bat for their full overs in the Royal London Insurance ODI series, this time it was  worse because the match had been reduced to 29 overs a-side because of rain. Rashid failed to beat Klaassen’s return from the mid wicket as England were dismissed with five balls remaining.

But they may have found a replacement for Ben Stokes in the shape of Curren who was the second top scorer with 35 batting at number eight.  Curran drove Maharaj down the pitch for a straight six.  He went down the pitch to Shamsi and launched him straight for his second six.  In Shamsi’s next over Curran went down the pitch to him but he could only hit a four.  After he hit another four he was back hitting a straight six.  Then he hit a slower and wider ball to Markram at long off.

With Livingstone he added 43 in three overs.  Livingstone pulled Nortje for three consecutive sixes, the fourth ball was a top edged for a four.  He had to reach for the fifth ball and pulled the slower ball to Miller at mid wicket.

For South Africa Pretorius took his best figures in ODI of four 36 six overs.  Pretorius took his first wicket for South Africa in the seventh over. Phil   Salt drove Ngidi to the long off boundary after he had driven the previous ball to the long on boundary.  But Salt was soon back in the hutch in a similar manner to Roy but this time it was Miller who took a low catch and Pretorius was the bowler.  Salt turned to walk but Bairstow asked the umpires to review it.


Joe Root went down the wicket to Pretorius but top edged his pull and De Kock took a simple but a steepling catch.  Two balls later Bairstow was beaten by one that came back by Pretorius.

Willey drove Petorius over long off for a six, he got too far under the next ball when he drilled Petorius to Klaassen on the mid wicket boundary.  

The match started 3 3/4 hours late  because of morning rain and was reduced to 29 overs a side.  South African skipper Maharaj won  the toss  but this time put England in.  Bairstow and Roy made a  brisk start but lost Roy in the third over when he charged Norte  but top edged his pull to Pretorius at mid wicket.

On four Moeen Ali edged Pretorius  just wide off De Kock but his luck ran out in the next over when he pulled Maharaj to Nortje at deep backward square leg. Buttler danced down the wicket to Shami to hit him over long off but he sliced it and Pretorius at backward point took the catch.

Willey drove Petorius over long off for a six, he got too far under the next ball when he drilled Petorius to Klaassen on the mid wicket boundary as Pretorius finished with his best figures so far  in ODI cricket of four 36 six overs.

England replaced Stokes with Salt, Willey came in for Brydon  Carse and Topley replaced Matty Potts as the England changes from the first ODI in Durham, for South Africa Andile Phehlukwayo didn’t recover from his injury and Pretorius made the starting X1.

SCORECARD