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It has been a South African summer at Lord’s. After the World Test Championship triumph in June came a second to savour at the home of cricket: a tight five-run win under lights that sealed their first one-day international series victory on English soil for 27 years.
For England it was another reminder of how far they have fallen since lifting the World Cup on this ground six years ago, this their fifth ODI series defeat from their last six. They improved on Tuesday’s howler at Headingley but they would have done well to have played any worse.
Set 331 to win, Harry Brook’s men came within touching distance of levelling the series after a collective effort that did crackle at times. Jacob Bethell tucked into Keshav Maharaj en route to 58 from just 40 balls, Joe Root finessed 61 before being stumped. And after Jos Buttler’s brisk 61 from 51, they needed 75 from the last 45 balls of the innings.
But in the end, the more regimented Proteas prevailed. A yorker from Lungi Ngidi lit up Buttler’s stumps and, despite some late blows from Will Jacks, the regular fall of wickets left the lower order too much to do. It ended with Jofra Archer needing 16 off the final over – the part-time spinner Senuran Muthusamy the bowler – only to fall just short.
Two-nil down, England now head to Southampton on Sunday looking for a consolation win before the Twenty20s that follow. This was their eighth defeat from 11 ODIs since Brendon McCullum’s brief was expanded to include the white-ball teams at the start of the year – their only wins coming against West Indies, ranked ninth in the world to their eighth.
A bit went England’s way here, too, be it Brook winning the toss after a morning of rain or an outfield that quickened up in the second innings. Wiaan Mulder, whose figures of three for 33 helped derail them at Headingley, was missing for the tourists after an overnight illness. Saqib Mahmood in for Sonny Baker also meant more experience for the hosts.
South Africa were unperturbed by all this, their imposing 330 for eight built on another bright start from Aiden Markram, 49, and a fourth-wicket stand from Matthew Breetzke, 85, and Tristan Stubbs, 58, that put on 147 in just 126 balls. Dewald Brevis then lit the afterburners, the 22-year-old smoking 42 from 20 to underline his remarkable hand-eye talent.
Archer ran though his variations for four wickets but, not for the first time, the standout bowler was Adil Rashid. Sending down 10 overs for 33 runs – and hit for just one boundary – the leg-spinner tickled Temba Bavuma’s outside edge with a beauty and removed Markram with a sharp return catch. In a parallel universe, this would augur well for the Ashes.
As dreamily as Rashid bowled, however, there was no obvious need for South Africa to take him on. One of the hallmarks of Brook’s captaincy has been to pack the batting and winkle out 10 overs using part-time spin. Bethell did snuff out Brevis with his left-arm darts but, sending down five overs apiece, he and Jacks were taken for a combined 112 runs.
Breetzke was among those to take advantage, returning from a hamstring niggle to become the first man in ODI history to pass 50 in each of his first five innings. The right-hander moved through the gears here, unfurling some eye-catching shots including one silky inside-out six off Bethell, only to be mugged by a slower ball yorker from Archer for a plumb lbw.
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South Africa went into the last 10 overs on 240 for four, a useful platform from which to accelerate, only for the set Stubbs to be run out two overs later after a calamitous mix-up with Brevis. The youngster atoned at least, his late flurry of three fours and three sixes – plus a handy 32 from Corbin Bosch – tasking England with breaking a record.
Their start could scarcely have been worse, Jamie Smith pushing hard at an inswinger from Nandre Burger first ball and feathering an inside edge behind. Ben Duckett also lacked any fluency, penned in for a 33-ball 14 and bowled by Maharaj trying to manufacture a reverse sweep.
At 66 for two in the 13th came Bethell, elevated above Brook to continue a right-left combination with Root and finding some form at the end of a personally challenging summer. Taking 19 runs off an over from Maharaj, Bethell gave the innings momentum only to slash Bosch to backward point.
When Root followed soon after, Maharaj reasserting himself, England’s chances hinged on one of Brook, Buttler or Jacks seeing things through to the end. But despite the improved conditions for batting the Proteas kept chipping away, Muthusamy removing Brook for 33 via a leading edge and just about keeping Archer at bay come the end.
