South Africa's tour of England 2017

**Ska'dForLife-WBA** · 24-05-2017, 18:52

After a big mid-innings wobble, that was magnificent from Moeen and Captain Morgan to swing things back in England's favour. Seeing Moeen smash Imran Tahir for three sixes off one over was a treat (only the second player ever to do so in an ODI, after Jos Buttler in Port Elizabeth last year).

Records tumbling: England's highest-ever sixth-wicket partnership against South Africa, biggest ODI total against South Africa on home soil and second-biggest against them anywhere in the world. Eoin Morgan is now England's third-highest run-scorer of all time too, having overtaken Alec Stewart in the course of that century.

339-6 off the fifty; on a belter of a pitch with four of the best batsmen in the world, South Africa will still fancy their chances, but England are making them work.

**Ska'dForLife-WBA** · 24-05-2017, 19:58

First big wicket for England: de Kock top-edges a Woakes delivery into the stratosphere, Jos Buttler gets under it and takes a fine catch. After nine overs South Africa are 56-1 with Amla and du Plessis in the middle.

Has to be said, all those moaning this afternoon about Bairstow being left out have been increasingly quiet as the day's progressed.

**Lord Snooty** · 24-05-2017, 20:52

Get Root on.

**Ska'dForLife-WBA** · (This post was last modified: 24-05-2017, 21:30 by Ska'dForLife-WBA.)

Amla gone, LBW off Wood! South Africa 145-2. Just what the doctor ordered for England, it was beginning to look like SA would do this at a canter.

I make that South Africa's highest-ever second-wicket partnership of all time in ODIs against England, beating the previous 110 by de Kock and du Plessis at Bloemfontein last February.

Add two wickets to the score! From 145-1 to 149-3 as du Plessis nicks one behind. Two fresh batsmen at the crease in AB de V and Duminy, England right in this.

And another one goes! Deirdre bowls an absolute gimme to Duminy, who tries to put it into the stands and only picks out Chris Woakes on the boundary. A startling similarity to England's innings; de Villers is now the key for South Africa as Morgan was for England.

**Ska'dForLife-WBA** · 24-05-2017, 22:29

And that's that. A few easy dismissals to finish off the tourists, who end 267 all out off forty-five overs. A thoroughly convincing win in the end, England one up in the series and making a real statement of intent for the Champions Trophy.

**Lord Snooty** · 24-05-2017, 22:40

Not seen much of this today. Will watch the highlights in the morning.

**Ska'dForLife-WBA** · 26-05-2017, 20:08

2nd One-Day International

The Rose Bowl, Southampton

ENGLAND team (previous match): Alex Hales, Jason Roy, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan (capt), Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler (wk), Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Adil Rashid, Liam Plunkett, Mark Wood

SOUTH AFRICA team (previous match): Quinton de Kock (wk), Hashim Amla, AB de Villiers (capt), Faf du Plessis, JP Duminy, David Miller, Wayne Parnell, Chris Morris, Wayne Parnell, Andile Phehlukwayo, Kagiso Rabada, Imran Tahir

An emphatic win at Headingley got England off to a dream start in this series, and tomorrow they go after a win on the south coast to wrap things up nice and early.

Both teams were their own worst enemies with the bat on Wednesday, offering up cheap wickets on a pitch that was doing very little for bowlers. Ultimately it was England who got a telling partnership together between Moeen Ali and Eoin Morgan in the second half of their innings, and South Africa couldn't find a pair to match it. Even Virat Kohli professed his admiration for the performance, and the fact is that England weren't even firing on all cylinders.

But then, nor were South Africa. And if both sides hit their full potential at Southampton tomorrow, we could see some real fireworks. The tourists will need Imran Tahir to put Wednesday's toothless showing behind him and be in the hunt for wickets, and likewise, they'll want more with the bat from Quinton de Kock. Whisper it quietly, but in spite of some fine shots even AB de Villiers wasn't quite the force of nature that he can be on his day. No-one shifts gears like the South Africans, and if they get out of first tomorrow then they'll be a force to be reckoned with.

For England there's good news in Ben Stokes being declared fit, and though the temptation must be to protect him so close to the Champions Trophy and give Bairstow a chance, I suspect sticking with a winning team is the better option. For South Africa we may see Morne Morkel preferred to Phehlukwayo this time round, in spite of the latter's wickets in the first game.

Some overnight showers are forecast to give way to another day's hot sunshine. Expect runs, and lots of them.

Play commences at 1100, 27th May 2017

**Lord Snooty** · 27-05-2017, 12:19

Roy clean bowled by a perfect yorker. 12-1

**Lord Snooty** · (This post was last modified: 27-05-2017, 15:15 by Lord Snooty.)

Typical! Just about to sit down with a nice hot cup of tea, watch a bit of cricket,when the stupid thunder and lightning knocks my satellite signal off.
Typical! Angry

200 up, 12 overs to go. Looking for around 290 - 300 then.

Stokes 98 not out.

Stokes 100 not out. Smile

He was dropped off the first two balls he faced. One straight through Amla, went for 4.Then a difficult one for a caught behind which de Koch dropped.

And he's out for 101.

252-5 (43.2)

**Lord Snooty** · (This post was last modified: 27-05-2017, 15:50 by Lord Snooty.)

22 runs scored in the 46th over. Think my earlier estimate is about to be eclipsed.

289-5 (46)

Good over from Rabada. Only 3 added to the total.

300 up.

306-5 (48)

Their beardy should've caught our beardy, but he totally cocked it up and it went for 4. Laugh

318-5 (49)

Phehlukwayo to bowl the last. Taken some hammer today.

And again. First ball gone for 4.

And the second.

Just a single off the third brings Butthead on strike.

Skied it. Got away with it. 2 runs.

Good yorker, dug out for a single.

Moeen caught off the last ball.

330-6 (50)

Should be enough.