A Bloemfontein run-bonanza, much enjoyed by the wicketkeeper-batsmen of both sides – but not their bowlers – ended with England clutching a Duckworth-Lewis victory by 39 runs.
England had hit their second highest score in ODI cricket, 399 for nine, with Jos Buttler registering his fourth – and slowest – century in this format. It took him all of 73 balls to reach the landmark and was another superb exhibition of power hitting. Yet even he was overshadowed by his opposite number, Quinton de Kock, who was stranded on 138 not out from 96 balls when the rain, much needed in these parts, descended.
De Kock played a staggering innings and he will be scratching his head how he ended up on the losing side. In fact he lacked the support given to Buttler – all of England’s batsmen contributed – and the tourists’ bowling attack, though hammered, possessed a little more variety than South Africa’s.
And there was a brilliant one-handed, vital catch by Ben Stokes on the boundary to dispatch AB de Villiers.
This was almost a textbook batting performance by England. They smashed more sixes than they have ever managed before in ODI cricket, their 15 surpassing the 14 they hit against New Zealand both at Lord’s and the Oval last June.
Moreover this was the first time eight different players had hit sixes in the same ODI innings, with only Reece Topley, Adil Rashid and David Willey failing miserably to clear the boundary. The air may be thin up here but the boundaries at Bloemfontein are long by modern standards.
All the batsmen flourished or flickered. Jason Roy, free of back spasms, set the tone with a silky torrent of boundaries against South Africa’s second-string attack. Marchant de Lange and Chris Morris searched for swing but delivered half-volleys, exquisitely stroked away. Initially Alex Hales was happy to proceed in Roy’s slipstream, but after Roy was caught at cover off Morne Morkel – another exasperating dismissal but that’s the deal – Hales opened his shoulders while Joe Root was the only Englishman to attempt a pragmatic innings.
Upon Hales’s departure, Buttler emerged at No4 in the 18th over. Here was evidence of a fresh, flexible England, not tempted to hide one of their trump cards in the pavilion. Buttler did not disappoint.
There was brief reconnaissance – he had only three runs after 13 deliveries, whereupon he struck a blameless ball from Imran Tahir on to the tiles of the roof of a distant hospitality box. And off he went sedately – by the staggering standards of a man who has hit England’s three fastest centuries in this format.
Here Buttler’s hundred – only the seventh fastest in the list of English centurions – ensured a mammoth target.
There were the usual reverse sweeps and glides, the odd flick over the shoulder and the uppercut, but the most striking aspect of his innings was the simple, awesome power of his hitting when playing the “orthodox” shots. Buttler is in the IPL auction this weekend and most good judges are well aware of his capabilities. But this little reminder of his astonishing ability to ransack white-ball attacks will not have done his market value any harm. It would be remarkable if Buttler was not snapped up and the sea change within the England and Wales Cricket Board is such that they are actively encouraging his participation.
South Africa were below their best in the field, at times looking resigned to the concession of so many runs. Twice they donated no-balls to England because they were one man short in the inner ring. These aberrations may not have been costly but they betrayed a captain preoccupied and off the pace as well as the absence of alert support from his team-mates in the field.
England were more vibrant when they were out there and maybe this was a consequence of a bench that was of Manchester City proportions. Looking on was Stuart Broad no less, Chris Woakes and the two in-form batsmen, James Taylor and Jonny Bairstow.
Moreover Eoin Morgan had more bowling options than De Villiers and he needed them against De Kock. From the moment he caressed his first ball through the covers De Kock was inspired. He outpaced Buttler and he kept going, hitting his ninth ODI hundred in just his 53rd game. No one else scores centuries in this format at this rate.
He tormented all the bowlers but especially Chris Jordan and Moeen Ali. De Kock appreciated which way the wind was blowing and that was the direction he was minded to hit the ball. Jordan’s deliveries were frequently flicked to the long leg boundary, Moeen’s were sometimes clumped over deep midwicket.
South Africa needed allies for De Kock and they could have done without the rain. Faf du Plessis, a vastly improved player when compelled to play his shots, hit a fluent 55.
De Villiers might have relished the challenge but he fell to a gobsmacking catch by Stokes, who sprinted to his right before sticking out his right hand. There magically the ball remained as Stokes managed to stay on the right side of the rope. It was a matchwinning moment, though no one told De Kock, who kept penetrating the field at will.
However, South Africa were always behind the Duckworth-Lewis rate and their plight was exacerbated by the loss of Rilee Rossouw just before a thunderstorm enveloped Bloemfontein.