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Cricket: Mark Wood’s stunning final over secures England ODI win over South Africa

Mark Wood’s stunning final over secures England ODI win over South Africa

A brilliant, modern one-day contest ended with a stunning English victory by two runs. Just seven were required from the last over and David Miller and Chris Morris had already added a quickfire 55. A successful pursuit of 331 was the likely outcome

Mark Wood had the dubious honour and he bowled a final over of rare hostility and composure. He yielded just three runs from his first five balls, most of which were short and fast, and Morris was unable to hit the last one for four.

Thirty three were needed off the last three overs. Jake Ball, replacing the injured Chris Woakes, was the unlucky bowler to be shredded at the end of another thrilling contest. But Wood delivered an over that will guarantee his place in the side during the Champions Trophy provided he stays fit. There seems to be steel in Eoin Morgan’s side.

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Here they gave another polished, professional performance, keeping their head in the field under pressure when Quinton de Kock and AB de Villiers combined ominously in South Africa’s run chase. Morgan was icily decisive in his bowling changes and the men around him appeared to relish the challenge of a tight finish.

There are just two clouds on their horizon. Ben Stokes, who produced his second ODI century, bowled just three overs and could not be risked further. And there is the suggestion that this team might be peaking a little too early, which is barely more than an old-fashioned, superstitious observation.

This victory was so much tougher to achieve than the one at Headingley. Batting conditions were tricky when England started at 11 o’clock and South Africa were more resolute in their pursuit of another substantial target, 331.

South Africa’s start had been solid. They had scored 56 inside 10 overs before Hashim Amla was nimbly caught at extra cover by Morgan, off Stokes (of course).

Faf du Plessis fell to the excellent Liam Plunkett but then De Kock and De Villiers proceeded far too easily for the home crowd’s comfort in a partnership of 96. Now Plunkett made another telling contribution. He bowled a bouncer to De Villiers, which was correctly given as a wide. So the last delivery the South African captain was anticipating on the next ball was another short one – which is what Plunkett delivered. The ball brushed the glove of a startled De Villiers before it was caught by Jos Buttler.

De Kock soon followed, edging Moeen Ali to the keeper when two shy of his century, which meant that England finally had some leeway. But this time the South African lower order were more disciplined than at Headingley. Miller swung dangerously and to good effect – except in Wood’s final over.

Now England routinely pass 300. Here they did so despite grim, grey clouds hovering over the ground at the start and a relatively modest rate of progress after 25 overs when they were 120 for three. This time the IPL boys were the key contributors.

Since Headingley there has been much agonising over Stokes’s ability to bowl because of a dodgy knee, which meant that the quality of his batting may have been overlooked. In this format he bats at five and he demonstrated why, in a superbly paced, though-initially fortuitous innings.

His chief ally was Buttler, who emerged from an unusually unproductive spell in this format with an unbeaten 65. Hence England were able to knock up 111 runs in their final 10 overs as opposed to the 102 they managed at Headingley. At the moment someone always turns up.

Likewise there is always someone under scrutiny. Currently that man is Jason Roy, whose highest score in four ODI innings so far this summer is the 20 at Lord’s against Ireland. Understandably this regime gives players plenty of rope; they know that Roy has the capacity to change the game in 15 overs. But Roy may also recognise that Jonny Bairstow or Sam Billings would be more than happy to be drafted in as an opening batsman.

Here Roy played around a full, straight delivery from Kagiso Rabada. Joe Root looked in rather better form. He glided along from the start and England proceeded with few alarms for 10 overs. Alex Hales was not so fluent: he was dropped on the boundary by Rabada but could not take advantage, edging to the keeper.

No matter; Root was batting exquisitely, unveiling the odd ramp shot along with drives expertly clipped wide of diving fielders. Then a calamity that might have deflated a lesser side: a straight drive from Morgan clipped the fingers of the bowler, Dwaine Pretorius, and hit the stumps with Root stranded a foot out of his crease.

Now Amla committed the most costly error of a flawed performance by South Africa in the field. Stokes edged his first ball from Keshav Maharaj, who was making his ODI debut, and it passed straight through the hands of Amla at slip all the way to the boundary. Next ball another edge, just as thick, hit the gloves of De Kock.

Stokes was good enough to capitalise with Morgan a steady ally until he was caught behind off Rabada.

Buttler initially was out of sorts, his timing awry, but he was able to acclimatise in Stokes’s wake. Then one crunching pull shot of Andile Phehlukwayo announced that the magic had returned. Three more boundaries from Buttler followed in an over that cost 22. For the first time in ODI cricket the fourth, fifth and sixth wicket of an innings exceeded 70 (according to Zaltzman), statistical confirmation of what we already know: this England side bats deep. Moeen scurried effectively again and England had enough.