England’s summer of chaos shows no signs of slowing down as they snatched four wickets from 10 balls for no runs at the start of South Africa’s innings, ultimately claiming a 118-run win to level the series in a contest that accelerated as it went on.
Rain delayed the start of play by almost four hours and both teams were bowled out before completing their allotted 29 overs. But there was certainly no shortage of action. England’s 201 all out proved more than enough as Reece Topley’s two for 17 set the tone in bundling the tourists out for 83.
So much of this game defied convention. Jason Roy, Johnny Bairstow, Liam Livingstone, Sam Curran and David Willey all lost their wickets immediately after hitting a boundary. Livingstone crunched Anrich Nortje’s 90mph screamers for three sixes and a four before he holed out to midwicket. Curran struck Tabraiz Shamsi for a six and two fours before he was caught at long-off.
This England team does not do rebuilds. When the wheels fall off they do not pull over to put on a spare. They keep the revs up until they are hurtling over a canyon like Thelma and Louise.
For the seventh time in eight white-ball matches they lost all 10 wickets. That is a large enough sample to suggest that something simply is not working. But this is a team that seems oblivious to prior failures. Chastening defeats by India in Southampton, Birmingham and The Oval, and by South Africa in Durham, are yesterday’s news. Like those batters who keep chasing another hit, Jos Buttler’s charges are living in the moment.
Willey cited a number of factors behind his team’s erraticism: the “ridiculous” schedule, an inexperienced bowling unit, swift changes between formats, the quickening of English wickets.
“It will take a bit of time to get used to 50-over cricket,” Willey said. “Most of the boys were part of the World Cup winning squad. We’re finding our feet again.”
Roy was caught at midwicket advancing down the track to Nortje and Phil Salt clothed one in the same direction when Dwaine Pretorius came into the attack. The lanky South African all-rounder was a concussion replacement in the first game of the series but now looks inked on the teamsheet after a best-ever return of four for 36 from six overs.
His double strike of Joe Root, caught by Quinton de Kock from a top-edge for one, and Bairstow bowled with a wonderful nip-backer for 28, saw England reduced to 62 for four.
It was 72 for five when Moeen Ali hooked Maharaj to deep-backward square and, when Shamsi had Buttler for the second game in a row – caught at short third man for 19 – the innings was faltering at 101 for six.
Curran and Livingstone proceeded to throw their hands at anything they could reach while run-a-ball scores of 21 and 12 from Willey and Adil Rashid, respectively, hauled England’s tally beyond 200. At the time it looked about 30 runs short.
England’s batters have been susceptible to the moving white ball this summer but their bowlers have made good use of the added swing and seam, especially Topley who was once again magnificent up front. He sent Janneman Malan and Rassie van der Dussen for a duck each in his second over to bag his 17th and 18th wickets in eight games.
In the fourth over De Kock chipped Willey straight to cover and Aiden Markram was run out – somewhat acrobatically by Buttler – without facing a ball.
Heinrich Klaasen offered resistance but his 40-ball 33 ended when he was stumped off Ali in the 15th over. At 66 for six that all but ended South Africa’s chance of victory. Ali picked up the last wicket of Nortje with 50 balls remaining but every bowler contributed in bowling South Africa out for 83. The decider is on Sunday at Headingley.
Willey and Curran each collected a wicket at an economy rate below three. Rashid underlined his value with three for 29 while bamboozling the tail. “It was just one of those days,” was Pretorius’s summation. Indeed it was but England will not dwell on that. Buttler’s side move too fast to take notice.
