South Africa are finding it difficult to have closely contested ODI matches in recent times. This time around, instead of being in the ascendency, they suffered the heaviest ever defeat in a men’s 50 over international match.
Having been put in to bat on losing the toss, England knocked up a decidedly large total: 414 runs, for the loss of only five wickets, equating to 8.3 runs an over. However, the atmosphere at the ground was fairly subdued for most of the day – broken only when England’s opening bowlers reduced the visitors to 5 for 18 runs from 46 deliveries, and shortly after that to 6 for 24 runs from 58 deliveries. The shackles being put on by Archer and Carse, respectively with four and two victims.
Markram began the slide with an untypically lazy shot, swatting at a shortish delivery well outside off stump. The others of the upper order could be exonerated. His partner, Mulder attempted a pull very early on, pursuing the team’s interest in chasing early-on. He miscues Carse to the slips due to the extra bounce (2 runs for 2 wickets). Soon after, Archer bowls one fullish, with a little away movement off the pitch, to the left hander Rickleton. He edges it through to the keeper.
After collecting one boundary, Breetzke encounters steep bounce from Archer and can only fend it to the keeper – the score reading 7 runs for 4 wickets. Eleven runs later, Stubbs goes on getting cramped up by a lifter from Archer. The delivery slides from high on his bat to Jacks in the slips: now it’s 18 for 5 wickets. And six runs later comes the nail in the coffin. Brevis departs on edging Carse’s late-moving delivery to third slip: 24 for 6 wickets.
The interesting point about all this is the following. Having reached the former position with half the side out for extremely few runs and well behind on a stiff required run rate, Captain Bavuma (nursing a calf strain on the sidelines, though likely the one issuing tactical directions) found himself not only with a side in an unwinnable position, his was on the horns of a dilemma.
If South Africa were to try to save face by serving it up to England and inflict some real damage, that would amount to a kamikaze onslaught (unless a couple of the opposition bowlers happened to break down with injury).
Yet if, alternatively, they tried to save face another way, by a concerted effort to resurrect the team innings and accumulate a fairly respectable total – and perhaps have some wickets in hand at the end – then they would be liable to be accused of simply giving up and failing to contest the match! In the event, South Africa chose the former course of action – or, at least, they refused to seriously contemplate the latter grind, not wanting to face the likely somewhat damning accusation.
As it happened, South Africa were unsuccessful – unable to impose themselves. Bosh, at number 7, made their top score, 20 runs, striking 3 fours; whilst Maharaj at number 8 made 17 runs with 2 fours and a six. Both ultimately fell to Rashid who finished with 3 wickets for just 13 runs from his four overs. Archer secured 4 for 18 from his nine overs, abetted by Carse with 2 for 33 from his six overs. (Overton could squeeze in just a couple of overs, with a decent chance being put down, whilst not being required to bat.)
England’s pacemen had contained the opposition’s lower middle order before Rashid’s leg spin and googlies got to work. Having been in dire straits at 6 for 24, the addition of 48 runs wasn’t too bad in the circumstances and given absence of Bavuma. The total – 72 runs – isn’t actually the lowest on record – equating to just 3.46 an over, made from 20.5 overs received. (Not the lowest ODI total on record.) Archer had projected the ball at a speed generally in the early-90s, obtaining sharp lift from a good length and disconcerting a number of the batsmen.
An initial collapse in the face of top-notch pace bowling is far from uncommon in this format of the game; nor is it also in Test matches. And, in this case, it wasn’t so much a case of poor batting as accurate and hostile/cunning bowling.
Why many knowledgeable, and seemingly non-racist, cricket enthusiasts maintain, staunchly, that Adil Rashid isn’t cut out for Test cricket puzzles me. He has played 19 Test matches, from 2015-19, taking 60 wickets from 34 innings of bowling, capturing them – on average – by conceding runs in the high 30s. In his penultimate match to date, he took 5 for 49 in Sri Lanka’s first innings at Colombo (November 2018), including three of the top four in the order. He should, I feel, be tried again on suitable pitches.
As is the fashion with modern screenplay scripts, to revert late on in this account to the beginning of the story: England’s compilation in excess of 400 runs seemed to be soon forgotten by the fact that this series had already been lost. Their spectators’ salvation came in the form of Bethell’s century (110 runs, including 3 sixes) and “King” Buttler’s quick-fire, undefeated, 62 at virtually two runs a delivery.
Root scored exactly 100, though he was simply being characteristically Root – unable to be suppressed while being all polish – technically, a class above all the others. Bethell’s innings was, admittedly, high class; but, overall, fell some way short of his brilliant knock in the previous encounter.
At the top of the order, Duckett was sluggish, while Smith continued to be less than fully convincing as an opener – unable to accumulate in the usually busy and safe way of Duckett himself. Moreover, Brook is something of a worry – seemingly unable to adapt his game to the circumstances of a particular ODI match when he enters the fray. It signals a lack of maturity. Coach McCullum should set down some dates for Brook with Mike Brearley for croissants and coffee at Gail’s Bakery in London’s West Hampstead. This time, Brook was guilty of failing to be decisive, or urgent, in calling and running between the wickets, to be – to his surprise – run out (for a mere 3 runs).
For South Africa, Bosh and Maharaj again shone with the ball, gaining two scalps each and doing so with relatively low economy rates.
In conclusion: South Africa’s batting display, after Markram had departed the second ball of the innings, was nothing to be ashamed about; while England’s deeds with the new ball boded well for the forthcoming Test series down under. With hindsight, South Africa’s big “mistake” was deciding to bowl first on winning the toss!South Africa (from 35 matches played) now stand in 6th position on the ICC’s ODI rankings; while England (from 37 matches) stand in 8th, one place below Afghanistan.
