With the first match between South Africa and England officially complete, one side was able to assert their cricket prowess, while this other squad heavily struggled to get anything going. Looking at the Proteas side, them winning by 7 wickets clearly showed that they dominated all three phases of this match and didn’t give England any chance to even come close. Something that was even more quite impressive included the fact that this South African unit didn’t have star bowlers Kagiso Rabada or Marco Jansen playing. With them finding newer talents like Nandre Burger that could further improve their depth, it further established the number of options this side could have going forward.
Captain Temba Bavuma was really on his mark today as he did a tremendous job figuring out who the correct bowling options were and continued being very motivating to various teammates. For England, this was a day to forget as they couldn’t quite get anything done and seemed to be limited in almost all aspects. Currently ranking 8th in ODI cricket, this was supposed to be match that would raise their ranking, but it in fact lowered them even more and has everyone questioning about this team’s future. A side that was just amongst the top during 50/50 cricket a few years ago, their glamour is nearly gone, and will be tested again during their next two matches. Their captain, Harry Brook, did show some prowess, but still needs to show a lot of improvement going into the next matches.
England: Batting Order Couldn’t Do Anything At All And Were Completely Controlled
England’s batters really struggled to get much going today and couldn’t really establish any noteworthy partnerships, leading them to get bowled out for 131 runs. Opener Ben Duckett was only able to score 5 runs, and although he crunched a delightful boundary, Nandre Burger took quick advantage of him by forcing the lefty to edge it right towards Ryan Rickleton. As Joe Root had come in, it felt like him and other opener Jamie Smith were about to take advantage of this match after scoring 31 combined runs. Their duo looked amazing before Rickleton made another fantastic catch and forced England to be 44/2, while captain Harry Brook tried to make something out of a ground where he usually dominates. While, him and Jamie Smith were looking strong to start their partnership, Brook was removed since he was trying to hit too hard and left Smith by himself again.
Where people thought Jos Butler could be the only potential option to save them, Smith did hit a half-century and scored 54 runs with 10 boundaries. Going hard at various different bowlers and taking them on pretty easily, he got them past 100 before being caught by Corbin Bosch. After losing this key piece, they also couldn’t make anything out of the Butler, either, since he went slowly during spin overs, while only being able to smack one six. With Bethell getting removed right before him for just 1 run and Will Jacks getting caught-plus-bowled by Keshav Maharaj before too, it really put them in a tough situation where they were at 119/7 after Butler’s wicket. Although Adil Rashid added 9 runs at the end, it wasn’t enough for them to even reach 135.
South Africa: Pacers and Spinners Really Had Their Way In This Match
For the Proteas side, their bowling attack really was on point and looked like they were in cruise control through their 23+ overs. A group that was missing their main fast-bowler in Kagiso Rabada, right-handed Lungi Ngidi really took over well in that leader role once again. Taking a key wicket of Joe Root earlier in the innings, he was very economical during the 4 overs after allowing just 5 runs during each, and making tons of England batsmen miss the ball with his pace. From the other end, Nandre Burger also got in 4 overs, and despite him being a little expensive, he drew first blood by removing the dangerous Ben Duckett. Wiaan Mulder chipped in 3 wickets and went for a surprising economy of under 5, while looking a lot more controlled than matches prior.
Although he gave up a few boundaries during his 7 overs, it was a great performance given that he tends to give up over 10 runs an over whenever facing deep lineups. Talking about this group’s spin attack, they only featured one piece named Keshav Maharaj, but he was more than valuable after taking a 4-wicket haul and really knowing how to turn the ball. Known for his ability to attack stumps and come in from the left end with his surprise element, he was able to remove batsmen like Jacob Bethell and Will Jacks today. Allowing just 4 runs per over during his 5.3, he was very reliable to take out the bottom order quickly, while also bowling at times where there would be a good pace/spin mix. Closing it out, Corbin Bosch was a part-time pacer who tried controlling the attack against big hitters.
South Africa: Easy Run Chase Completed By Key Batsmen Starting Well
With the South Africans only having to chase down 132 in 50 overs, their target seemed very simple from the beginning and looked like it was more than manageable. Ryan Rickleton opened as a left-handed batsman and seemed to play very defensively throughout these innings. Scoring 31 runs off just 59, he did hit four boundaries, but also kept his tempo by playing a lot of straight drives rather than jumping ahead of stumps. The reason he kept moving like this was because Aiden Markram took control on the end and really showed his six-hitting ability. Hitting two that went over 80 meters, the even bigger aspect of his game included 13 classy fours that helped him take over Sonny Baker pretty easily.
As he looked all-around the ground and was able to hammer in open gaps, his strike rate was well over 150 while handling deliveries from Jofra Archer really well too. Although he got removed when South Africa was 121/0, Markram finished with 86 runs on 55 balls while also looking to get close to that century mark. With Temba Bavuma coming in at one down, he did hit great running between the wickets, but ended up getting caught by Will Jacks with one run left to win. Tristan Stubbs tried to finish it in style with a reverse sweep but got clean-bowled, and South Africa had to rely on Dewald Brevis to finish it. With him hitting a six on the final ball, it was all set and done for the Proteas.
England: Bowlers Really Struggled Except For A Few Outliers
On the topic of England’s bowling attack, they really had a day full of harsh performances, except for a few pieces that really showed up. Sonny Baker couldn’t make anything out of his debut as he was given 7 overs and gave up 76 runs in those, while being trounced by most batsmen. Having shown no wicket-taking threat, Brydon Carse was also similar, except he kept his economy a little under 5. Two pieces that showed up on the right side were Jofra Archer, who looked unstoppable with his bouncers and pace, while giving up 8 runs during 5 overs, while Adil Rashid was a strong wicket-taker. Rashid got three different batsmen out towards the end and showed that he still had that ability to swing the ball in him.
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