Cape Town — For a few stirring moments, South Africa threatened to claim their first white-ball series in England. Dwaine Pretorius was making the ball talk, swinging and seaming it both ways.
He took two wickets in three balls. And not just any wickets. Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow - England’s most in-form batters of the summer. He had already bagged Ben Stokes’ successor Phil Salt, and then for good measure returned at the death to close out the innings with David Willey’s scalp.
Could it be that South Africa were about to wipe away 28 years of despair?
The stark answer to that lay in their reply after just 3.5 overs. South Africa were reeling 6/4 and the dream was in tatters. They were eventually bundled out for 83 - their lowest ODI score against England which was preceded by their highest score against England - so we will have a decider on Sunday at Headingley.
England’s two left-arm new-ball bowlers, who missed the Durham sauna, Reece Topley and David Willey seemed to prefer the more traditional Lancastrian weather on display on Friday and were simply superb. They looked to swing the ball from the outset and caused South Africa’s top-order all sorts of problems.
Topley, in particular, has been brilliant since becoming a regular in England’s first-choice XI, and he once again set the tempo with the dismissals of Janneman Malan and Rassie van der Dussen for ducks in the third over.
Aiden Markram watched the chaos unfold from the non-striker’s end before adding to it when he called for an invisible run only to be run out without facing a ball.
The remainder of the innings meandered to a close with England’s leg-spinner Adil Rashid feasting upon South Africa’s middle-order with figures of 3/29. Spin partner Moeen Ali also chipped in with 2/22 as South Africa’s innings faltered.
Second ODI, Old Trafford
England: 201 all out (Livingstone 38, Pretorius 4/36, Shamsi 2/39. Nortje 2/53)
South Africa: 83 all out (Klaasen 33, Rashid 3/29, Topley 2/17, Moeen 2/22)