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South Africa v England, 3rd ODI: Five Things We Learned

South Africa get off the mark to make it 2-1 in the ODI series with a comprehensive seven wicket win at Centurion. Here are five things we learned…

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MAN OF THE DAY – QUINTON DE KOCK 135

We’ve spoken before about just how good de Kock is when you give him a white ball to thrash. This century was his 10th in ODI cricket: he now has 2,288 runs at an average of 44. He’s 23. While England did not bowl as well as South Africa (and even the hosts weren’t that great), de Kock’s ability to pick up length, time after time, turned the chase into his own public net. He was even pre-empting deliveries, knowing when the full ball was coming to drive and when that short ball was on the way for him to throw his hands and shoulders through. It’s such a cliche to say he doesn’t overhit the ball, but it really is something to see him clear the ropes with such immaculate timing.

AMLA GETS A REGULAR FEED

Runs for Hashim Amla, after nine innings of famine, with no fifties and only three scores above 20 in that time. So here was the feast, on a ground he regularly dines out at. His 127 was a ninth century at the ground, in all formats, to go with six half-centuries. While most of the concern with South Africa is their bit-part middle order, there was a worry starting to emerge on whether Amla’s days as a limited overs player were behind him because of the slow nature of his starts and his lack of form. This innings was quite the return to type.

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A THROWBACK BOWLING PERFORMANCE

Just as we were singing England’s praises as the leading lights in one day cricket, they pull out a bowling performance that reminds us all of that harsh, cold world where ODI cricket seemed like a form of torture. There was little swing and little off the surface: the sort of conditions this side will come across in the World T20 next month. It would be harsh to lambast the collective given England are 2-1 up. But the form of Chris Jordan is an issue. He looks unlikely to take a wicket and at times it is hard to decipher what plan he is trying to execute.

ROOT’S MANOEUVRES IN VAIN

At altitude, with a fast outfield, this was supposed to be one for the big hitters. Teams have been getting 300 here at Centurion for yonks, and after what England had produced in the first two ODIs, 325-plus, even maybe 350 was in the sights. However, the two-paced pitch had other ideas. Jason Roy sold himself short on a second run, Jos Buttler came in at four and immediately found a catcher around the corner and Eoin Morgan couldn’t hit the ball off the square. Just like that, three of that top five were done. Arise, Sir Joe Root – it’s only a matter of time, really – to take stock and bat from the sixth to the 43rd over. When he reached fifty off 53 balls, it was imperative for him to go on because of how difficult it would be for a new batsmen to get going. So he did. The century was achieved 42 balls later, before Root went on to his ODI best. He now has as many ODI hundreds in the last 12 months as Ian Bell managed in 161 matches.

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LOCAL WISDOM WINS OUT

There’s nothing more annoying that being undone by a bit of local knowledge, especially as an English tourists: a species who pride themselves on leaving no detail unearthed, no Lonely Planet un-thumbed, no Trip Advisor page unadvised. So when Morgan won the toss and chose to bat first and 318 was racked up, all was going to plan. No one in the respective commentary boxes was sure how the pitch would play, apart from the South Africans, who warned throughout that chasing at the ground – with dew providing a slicker surface to time shots and making the ball harder to grip. As Albie Morkel said when the bow was being put on this gift-wrapped South Africa win: “You don’t win the toss and bat first at Supersport park….”