| 0.0 : The four-year long wait is over and we are all set to begin the biggest event in cricket. Hello and welcome to the coverage of the first game of ICC Cricket World Cup 2019. Hosts England take on South Africa in the opener. Eoin Morgan and his troops start off as the favourites but it will be a crime to discount this South African side. England will look to send a strong statement straightaway and show why they are the favourites with a win over the Proteas whereas Faf du Plessis and his men woul |
| Pitch Report - Nasser Hussain says the boundary down the ground is 75m. The boundaries at the square from the Pavillion End is short. Sourav Ganguly from the other end says it is bright and sunny and says it is a good day for cricket. About the pitch he says there is a bit of grass covering on the surface and as it early summer here in England there will be a bit of help for the bowlers earlier on but he reckons that the pitch will be a good one for batting as the day goes on. |
| TOSS - We are set for the coin to go up for the first time in the World Cup 2019. England skipper, Eoin Morgan in his 200th ODI game for England has the coin in hand. He flips it and up it goes. South African skipper, Faf du Plessis calls Heads and it lands in his favour. South Africa OPT TO FIELD FIRST. |
| South Africa skipper, Faf du Plessis says they are doing so in general and he reckons if there is anything on the pitch it will be early on. On who is out for this game, Faf informs Steyn, Shamsi, Miller and Morris miss out. On Steyn's fitness he says he is 80 percent fit and he hopes that he should be 100 percent for game three. Faf also adds that Ngidi and Rabada have been good for them and once Steyn is back he knows they have a good trio. On being reminded that Amla has a triple hundred at t |
| Eoin Morgan says he would have batted second as he prefers chasing. Reckons the wicket should be good and it should not change. Informs Wood, Curran, Dawson and Vince miss out. States Wood was completely fit, he sprained his ankle, he trained fully and was available for seection but misses out due to the balance. States Archer has impressed, he is calm when he plays and he is an exciting prospect. Ends by saying he likes the tag of World Cup favourites, it has been a collective drive by them and |
| South Africa Playing XI - Hashim Amla, Quinton de Kock (WK), Aiden Markram, Faf du Plessis (C), Rassie van der Dussen, Jean-Paul Duminy, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Imran Tahir. |
| England Playing XI - Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan (C), Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler (WK), Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Liam Plunkett, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid. |
| The two teams walk out to the field for their respective national anthems. First up it will be the national anthem of South Africa followed by England's. |
| Done and dusted with the national anthems and now we are all set for the action to begin. The South African team are in a huddle, their skipper, Faf du Plessis is having a word with his team before they take their respective positions in the field. Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow stride out to the middle to open the batting for England. Who will take the first new ball for South Africa? Surprise, surprise! It is going to be Imran Tahir. Jason Roy to face the first ball of the World Cup. The umpire |
| 0.1 : I Tahir to J Roy, England are underway straightaway! They almost got an overthrow too. Flatter and on off, Roy pushes it to mid off and sets off. Andile scores a direct hit at the non-striker's end but the batter is well in. The ball deflects away from the fielder backing up but the man at deep square leg gets to it quickly and stops an extra run. |
| 0.2 : I Tahir to J Bairstow, OUT! EDGED AND TAKEN! What a master move this has turned out to be by Faf du Plessis. He gave the new ball exactly for this reason to Tahir and what a wicket this is! The opening stand for England has been so devastating and today, it has been broken in the very first over itself. Tahir is pumped up. He gives this air and lands it on off, Bairstow strides forward to defend but the ball turns away just a little. Enough to take the outside edge and it settles into the h |
| Joe Root walks out at number 3. Earlier than he would have expected to. |
| 0.3 : I Tahir to Joe Root, Bowls it slower again and lands it on off, this one goes straight on. Root lunges and keeps it out. |
| 0.4 : I Tahir to Joe Root, Almost gets another! This is top class bowling! Bringing all his variation into play. This is the slider on off, Root goes back, the ball skids through. It goes off the inner half of the bat to short fine leg. |
| 0.5 : I Tahir to Joe Root, Another slider, Root this time manages to push it back off the middle to the bowler. |
| 0.6 : I Tahir to Joe Root, A dot to end a outstanding first over by Tahir. The googly on middle, Root works it with the turn to mid-wicket. |
| No surprise from the other end as Lungi Ngidi takes the second new ball. |
| 1.1 : L Ngidi to J Roy, Back of a length on off and there is some extra bounce. Roy stands tall and guides it to backward point. |
| 1.2 : L Ngidi to J Roy, A single! Angles this one into the batsman, Roy looks to defend but it goes off the inner half down to fine leg for one. |
| 1.3 : L Ngidi to Joe Root, A confident punch there! Shorter and on off, Root stands tall and punches it to covers. |
| 1.4 : L Ngidi to Joe Root, Another confident stroke! Slightly fuller than the last ball and this is on off, Root strokes it to mid off. |
| 1.5 : L Ngidi to Joe Root, FOUR! Beautiful! Off the mark in some style! First boundary of the World Cup. Full and outside off, Root leans into the stroke and caresses it through the covers for a boundary. |
| 1.6 : L Ngidi to Joe Root, A little too straight this time, Root just about gets his bat down in time and works it towards fine leg for one. |
| 2.1 : I Tahir to Joe Root, On the stumps, this is eased down to long on for one. |
| 2.2 : I Tahir to J Roy, Almost a run out there! Tahir pulled off something brilliant there. He floats it up on middle, Roy smashes it back towards the bowler. Tahir sticks his leg out and almost deflects it on the stumps at his end. The ball hits the umpire and goes towards long on for one. Had that ball hit the stumps at the other end, Root was a goner. |
| 2.3 : I Tahir to Joe Root, Root now eases it down to long on for a single. |
| 2.4 : I Tahir to J Roy, Flatter and on off, Roy pushes it to covers. |
| 2.5 : I Tahir to J Roy, Another slider but on the pads, Roy works it to square leg. |
| 2.6 : I Tahir to Joe Root, OHHH! Root looks to sweep a very full ball on the stumps, it goes off the inner half towards short fine leg. He had to get bat on that or he would have been an LBW candidate. Another excellent over by Tahir. |
| 3.1 : L Ngidi to J Roy, Ngidi hits the deck hard outside off. No swing on that one. Roy looks to drive but it goes to third man off the outside edge for a single. |
| 3.2 : L Ngidi to Joe Root, Swing on offer this time. It looks to be coming in but once it hits the surface it moves away. Root looks to play it on the up but gets beaten. |
| 3.3 : L Ngidi to Joe Root, Closer to the stumps this time. Root is able to get bat on ball and push it to cover. |
| 3.4 : L Ngidi to Joe Root, FOUR! Off the meat. Good length ball on off, Root waits back and pulls it excellently through mid-wicket for a boundary. he is looking in fine touch. |
| 3.5 : L Ngidi to Joe Root, Oh! In the air but just short. Fuller on off, Root looks to play the square drive and he does so but uppishly but the ball falls short of Duminy at backward point who was diving in front. |
| 3.6 : L Ngidi to Joe Root, Dot to finish the over. Length ball on off, Root blocks it to see off the over. 5 runs off the over. |
| 4.1 : I Tahir to J Roy, FOUR! First poor ball by Tahir and it has been put away! Very short and on off, it sits up to be hit. Roy goes back and slaps it through covers for a boundary. |
| 4.2 : I Tahir to J Roy, Clever batting! Roy now eases this down to long on and gets off strike. |
| 4.3 : I Tahir to Joe Root, Good batting! Innovates and it comes off! Root plays the reverse sweep and hits it fine. Dwaine from short third man, hares after it and keeps it down to two. |
| 4.4 : I Tahir to Joe Root, FOUR! Misfield from Amla! Root plays the sweep to the left of Amla at square leg. He dives but the ball goes under his hands and to the boundary. Second in the over. |
| 4.5 : I Tahir to Joe Root, Almost got a wicket off the full toss! It is on the pads, Root gently flicks it uppishly towards mid-wicket. It goes just past the outstretched hand of the fielder there and towards the deep for a brace. |
| 4.6 : I Tahir to Joe Root, A dot to end but a very good one for England. Very full on middle, Root jams it out. |
| 5.1 : L Ngidi to J Roy, This is angled into the batsman, Roy looks to play it with a straight bat. The ball goes off the thick inside edge and through square leg for a couple. |
| 5.2 : L Ngidi to J Roy, Good length and on middle, Roy blocks it onto the ground. |
| 5.3 : L Ngidi to J Roy, FOUR! Very fine and a boundary! Ngidi is guilty of drifting on the pads, Roy flicks it very fine and it races to the fine leg fence. Runs coming thick and fast now. |
| 5.4 : L Ngidi to J Roy, WIDE! The typical fast bowler's response. Gets hit for a boundary on the last ball and now bangs it short. It is very short though and it has been wided. |
| L Ngidi to J Roy, Uppish but safe! Just behind a driving length and it is outside off, Root is guilty of playing at it away and ahead from his body. it flies off the outer half but past point and down to third man for one. |
| 5.5 : L Ngidi to Joe Root, This is angled into the off pole from wide of the crease. Root leans into it and defends it onto the ground. |
| 5.6 : L Ngidi to Joe Root, Nice push for a brace! Slightly fuller and on off, Root times it through covers. It is not right off the middle but enough to get two. |
| First bowling change of the game. Kagiso Rabada is introduced into the attack. He replaces Imran Tahir. |
| 6.1 : K Rabada to J Roy, FOUR! Straight down the ground and that has raced across the turn! Slightly fuller and on middle, Roy, with a straight bat, hits it past the bowler. It is just a push but the outfield here is lightning fast and it races away. |
| 6.2 : K Rabada to J Roy, Drags his length back and lands it on middle, Roy blocks it onto the ground. |
| 6.3 : K Rabada to J Roy, Good length and it is just outside off, Roy lets it be. Good carry also to the keeper. |
| 6.4 : K Rabada to J Roy, Another length ball and once again the line is very good, just outside off. Roy shoulders arms to it once again. |
| 6.5 : K Rabada to J Roy, On the bounce! Rabada continues landing it on a length and it is on off, Roy looks to hit it on the up but there is extra bounce. It goes off the higher portion, uppishly but on the bounce to mid off. |
| 6.6 : K Rabada to J Roy, A good nut to end! This is speared in on off, Roy is rooted inside his crease but manages to block it out. So an excellent comeback after going for a boundary on the very first ball. |
| 7.1 : L Ngidi to Joe Root, Poor shot by Root! Lapse of concentration maybe. It is on a length and way outside off, Root does not need to play at those but he goes fishing for it. Luckily, he gets beaten. |
| 7.2 : L Ngidi to Joe Root, Very smart bowling! Rolls his fingers on this delivery and it is bowled at 117 KPH. Root is foxed by the lack of pace. He is a touch early in the defense. It goes off the inner half towards the leg side for one. |
| 7.3 : L Ngidi to J Roy, FOUR! Stand and deliver! Lovely placement! Another slower one but this is slightly fuller and on off. Roy picks it, waits for it, hits it past the diving short cover and through wide mid off for a boundary. |
| 7.4 : L Ngidi to J Roy, Brilliant fielding! Duminy saves at least 2 for his side there. Short and outside off, Roy cuts it towards point. JP there dives to his left and makes a half-stop with one hand. Can't stop the single though. |
| 7.5 : L Ngidi to Joe Root, Back of a length on off, Root stands tall and guides it to cover-point. |
| 7.6 : L Ngidi to Joe Root, Root would feel he misses out there! Ngidi bowls it short and wide outside off, Root cuts it but finds cover-point. He loves it there and he knows he should have put that away. |
| 8.1 : K Rabada to J Roy, Length and on off, Roy guides it to point. |
| 8.2 : K Rabada to J Roy, Good running and it brings the 50 up for England. It has come up in quick time. On middle, Roy pushes it wide of mid on and gets to the other end. |
| 8.3 : K Rabada to Joe Root, Back of a length on middle, Root goes back and works it to mid-wicket. |
| 8.4 : K Rabada to Joe Root, FOUR! Poor effort in the deep by Ngidi. Can't blame him though, he would be tired after his spell and we could see that in the effort. Short and on middle, Root gets on top of the bounce and pulls it all along the ground towards backward square leg. Ngidi runs to his left and then instead of bending down, looks to stop it with his leg but fails to do so. That also brings up the 50-run stand between the two. A much-needed one after being rocked early. The two need to ca |
| 8.5 : K Rabada to Joe Root, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 8.6 : K Rabada to Joe Root, A single to end another decent over for the hosts. Root works this with soft hands towards mid on and gets to the other end. |
| Dwaine Pretorius is introduced into the attack. |
| 9.1 : D Pretorius to Joe Root, Starts with a length ball on middle, Root flicks it wide of fine leg and gets a couple. |
| 9.2 : D Pretorius to Joe Root, Fuller on off, Root just eases his push to point. |
| 9.3 : D Pretorius to Joe Root, On the pads, Root flicks it to to the left of fine leg and gets one. |
| 9.4 : D Pretorius to J Roy, Play and a miss. Roy looks to unsettle Pretorius. He comes down the track and looks to hit it straight. The ball moves away slightly after pitching and Roy misses his shot. |
| 9.5 : D Pretorius to J Roy, Back of a length ball on the body, Jason pulls it to fine leg and gets to the other end. |
| 9.6 : D Pretorius to Joe Root, Good length ball on off, Root plays an easy pull to square leg and keeps the strike with a single. |
| Powerplay 2 has been signaled! Now 4 fielders can be placed outside the 30-yard circle till the 40th over. |
| 10.1 : K Rabada to Joe Root, Back of a length on off, Root stands tall and defends it. |
| 10.2 : K Rabada to Joe Root, FOUR! Delightful stroke, the on-drive! Probably the toughest shot to play in the game. On off and it is slightly fuller. Root strokes it past the diving mid on fielder and it races away. |
| 10.3 : K Rabada to Joe Root, A couple now! On the pads, Root works it wide of the fielder at deep square leg and takes two. |
| 10.4 : K Rabada to Joe Root, Slightly shorter on off, Root pushes it towards cover and takes one. This is lovely batting from Root. |
| 10.5 : K Rabada to J Roy, The inside edge saves Roy there because had he missed it, he was plumb LBW! Rabada goes for a yorker but ends up bowling a full toss. It tails back in a little. Roy looks to flick but gets an inside edge onto the pads. The ball rolls towards third man for one. |
| 10.6 : K Rabada to Joe Root, A dot to end! Full and on off, Root mistimes his drive to mid off. |
| 11.1 : D Pretorius to J Roy, Full around off, Roys pushes it to mid off. Pretorius dives to his left to stop it but cannot. |
| 11.2 : D Pretorius to J Roy, Back of a length ball on middle, Roy taps it to backward point. |
| 11.3 : D Pretorius to J Roy, Length ball around off. It makes a good sound as the ball hits the bat but the drive is straight to the fielder at cover. |
| 11.4 : D Pretorius to J Roy, Four dots in a row. Will Roy go big now? Dwaine bowls it full on off, Roy drives it straight to mid off now. |
| 11.5 : D Pretorius to J Roy, FOUR! Yes, he does go big. Pretorius bowls it short, Roy gets on his back foot and pulls it over mid-wicket. The ball bounces before the ropes and goes away for a boundary. That releases all the pressure that was building. |
| 11.6 : D Pretorius to J Roy, Now once again bowls it on a length, Roy blocks it. So just one bad ball in the over. |
| 12.1 : K Rabada to Joe Root, Length ball on off, Root pulls it to deep mid-wicket and gets one. |
| 12.2 : K Rabada to J Roy, Ouch! Right on the box. That is a painful blow. Length ball pitching outside off and it comes in. Roy looks to defend but misses and the ball hits him on the box. |
| 12.3 : K Rabada to J Roy, In the air but safe. Length ball outside off, Jason cuts it uppishly wide of third man and gets a couple. |
| 12.4 : K Rabada to J Roy, Length ball on the stumps, Roy takes no risk and defends it onto the ground. |
| 12.5 : K Rabada to J Roy, On the off stump line, Roy plays a solid front foot defense to it. |
| 12.6 : K Rabada to J Roy, FOUR! Beautifully played. Rabada bowls it slightly shorter. Roy waits on his back foot and plays a short-arm jab pull through mid-wicket for a boundary. Spoils a good over. |
| 13.1 : D Pretorius to Joe Root, Full on off, Root plays a nice flick but finds the man at mid-wicket. |
| 13.2 : D Pretorius to Joe Root, Outside off on a length, Root just eases it down to third man and gets a single. |
| 13.3 : D Pretorius to J Roy, Slower ball on middle, Roy just strokes it to long on and gets to the other end. |
| 13.4 : D Pretorius to Joe Root, Length ball on off, Root turns it away to square leg and rotates the strike. |
| 13.5 : D Pretorius to J Roy, Length ball on off, Roy just taps it to the man at point. |
| 13.6 : D Pretorius to J Roy, Nice running! Length ball on off, Roy drops it towards cover and takes a very quick single to see off the over. |
| Andile Phehlukwayo is on now! |
| 14.1 : A Phehlukwayo to J Roy, Starts with a slightly shorter ball on off, Roy has no problem pulling it to deep mid-wicket and getting a run. The ploy from South Africa has been clear, they are looking to bowl short but it has not been short enough and it has not troubled the batsmen. |
| 14.2 : A Phehlukwayo to Joe Root, Length ball on off, Root punches it to sweeper cover and gets one. |
| 14.3 : A Phehlukwayo to J Roy, Once again the length is short, Roy this time pulls it to mid on. |
| 14.4 : A Phehlukwayo to J Roy, Fuller on off, Roy defends it onto the ground. The ball goes over Phehlukwayo and wide of mid off which allows them to take a run. |
| 14.5 : A Phehlukwayo to Joe Root, Full on middle and off, Root drives it to the man at mid on. |
| 14.6 : A Phehlukwayo to Joe Root, Full on off, Root drives it straight but Phehlukwayo does well to get his hand to it and take the pace off the ball. Mid on runs behind and they just get one. |
| 15.1 : D Pretorius to Joe Root, Short on off, Root pulls it to deep mid-wicket and gets a single. |
| 15.2 : D Pretorius to J Roy, FOUR! Nice shot! Full on off, Roy gets under it and lofts it over the mid off fielder. It was a slower ball from Pretorius but he could not deceive Roy. |
| 15.3 : D Pretorius to J Roy, Now flicks the next ball to deep mid-wicket and gets a single. Roy gets to 48. |
| 15.4 : D Pretorius to Joe Root, Length ball on off, Root punches it wide of sweeper cover and gets two. |
| 15.5 : D Pretorius to Joe Root, Better length this. It is on a good length on the off stump line. Root looks to play it on the off side but it goes towards fine leg off the inner half. He gets one. |
| 15.6 : D Pretorius to J Roy, Back of a length ball on off, Roy blocks it off the back foot to see off the over. |
| 16.1 : A Phehlukwayo to Joe Root, A good bouncer there! It is at head height and just outside off, Root looks to pull but does not time it. It goes to the right of mid-wicket and a single is taken. |
| 16.2 : A Phehlukwayo to J Roy, Angles this one into the middle pole, Roy pushes it to long on and gets to the other end. |
| 16.3 : A Phehlukwayo to Joe Root, Full around off, Root drives it beautifully but straight to mid off. |
| 16.4 : A Phehlukwayo to Joe Root, Length ball on off, Root once again drives it to mid off. |
| Direct hit! Is Root short? The umpire has taken it upstairs to check. Root looks relaxed. |
| 16.5 : A Phehlukwayo to Joe Root, Safe! No, he is not short. The dive has saved Root there. Good length ball on off, Root plays it wide of mid on and takes a quick single. Rabada there moves to his left and has a shy at the bowler's end. He hits it and the umpire just to be sure takes it upstairs. Replay rolls in and it confirms Root was comfortably in. |
| 16.6 : A Phehlukwayo to J Roy, 100 comes up for England. It is on the pads, Roy looks to flick it but it goes off his thigh pad down to the fine leg region. He takes a run and there is a slight confusion as Roy raises his bat in appreciation as the scorecard scores he has got to his fifty but Dharmasena signals it as leg bye. Roy has a word with the umpire but it is all in good spirit. He will have to wait for his fifty. |
| DRINKS! So England are going along really well after the early blow. Root and Roy seem to be timing the ball nicely and their partnership is laying the foundation for a big score. The English side will hope, the two can continue in the same manner. South Africa on the other hand, have bowled a little too short. They need to come up with something new and first break this partnership and then take a couple more. Who will dominate after the break? |
| 17.1 : D Pretorius to J Roy, Good length and on off, Roy lunges and pushes it to covers. |
| 17.2 : D Pretorius to J Roy, Slower one, that seems to have stuck in the surface. Roy is early in the flick but it goes all along the ground to mid-wicket. |
| 17.3 : D Pretorius to J Roy, Nicely played but just for a single. His fifty does come up this time. He raises his bat for the second time and the crowd cheers for the second time. His 15th in this format and 4th consecutive one. He gets there by flicking it down to long on for one. He looks all set to make it big here. Also, the 100-run stand is up between the duo, they are laying the foundation for a big score. |
| 17.4 : D Pretorius to Joe Root, The batsman has driven it through mid on. |
| 17.5 : D Pretorius to Joe Root, Good length on off, Root blocks it out. |
| 17.6 : D Pretorius to Joe Root, A bit of a misfield and Root gets to his half ton. 'ROOOOOTTTTT' shouts the crowd here. He raises his bat to acknowledge the applause. His 31st in this format. He flicks this towards mid-wicket where the fielder does not stop it cleanly and a run is taken. |
| 18.1 : A Phehlukwayo to Joe Root, On off and middle, Root flicks it to the man at mid-wicket. |
| 18.2 : A Phehlukwayo to Joe Root, On the pads now, Root turns it to fine leg and gets an easy single. |
| 18.3 : A Phehlukwayo to J Roy, FOUR! That was four the moment it left the bat. Full on middle and leg, Roy smashes it through long on. There is a man at long on but he does not move an inch. |
| 18.4 : A Phehlukwayo to J Roy, OUT! How many times have we seen Roy get to his fifty and throw it away and how often has Phehlukwayo given South Africa the breakthough? Phehlukwayo bangs it in short and Roy who has played the pull short so well today miscues one. He top edges it and it goes up to the right of mid off. Faf du Plessis moves to his right and takes an easy catch. Jason Roy must be kicking himself that he has not converted this into a big one. He was looking very good out in the midd |
| Eoin Morgan walks out to the middle. It is the England skipper's 200th ODI game for England. Will it be a memorable one for him? |
| 18.5 : A Phehlukwayo to E Morgan, Good length ball outside off, Morgan leaves it alone to begin his innings. |
| 18.6 : A Phehlukwayo to E Morgan, FOUR! Off the mark and in some style! Length ball on off, Morgan gets on top of the ball and drives it gloriously through covers for a boundary. |
| Kagiso Rabada is back on now! |
| 19.1 : K Rabada to Joe Root, OUT! CAUGHT! Rabada strikes on the very first ball of his new spell. Excellent bowling change by Faf du Plessis. Both the set batsmen are now back in the hut. Root too departs after getting to a half ton. Not a great shot this. It is on a length and just outside off, Root leans looks to stroke it on the up but ends up playing away from his body. Hence, it goes uppishly towards point where Duminy takes an easy catch. Rabada is delighted. South Africa right back in the |
| 0.0 : Ben Stokes walks out to bat next. |
| 19.2 : K Rabada to Ben Stokes, Good length and on off, Stokes lunges and defends it onto the ground. |
| 19.3 : K Rabada to Ben Stokes, Good length again and angling away from the left-hander from off. It is left alone. |
| 19.4 : K Rabada to Ben Stokes, Stokes is off the mark! It is on the pads, he works it through square leg and takes one. |
| 19.5 : K Rabada to E Morgan, Lands it on a length and on off, Morgan lunges and keeps it out. |
| 19.6 : K Rabada to E Morgan, BEAUTY TO END! This one starts on middle and then moves away just a little. Morgan looks to defend it off the front foot but the ball whizzes past the outside edge. |
| Imran Tahir is back on! Faf du Plessis senses the opportunity to go on top of the game. He is eager for another wicket and gets the leggie on. |
| 20.1 : I Tahir to Ben Stokes, Floats it on middle and off, Stokes strokes it towards mid on and gets a single. |
| 20.2 : I Tahir to E Morgan, Leg spinner on middle and off, Eoin defends it. |
| 20.3 : I Tahir to E Morgan, Shorter on the body, once again Morgan blocks it. |
| 20.4 : I Tahir to E Morgan, Short again, Morgan punches it towards sweeper cover and gets a single. |
| 20.5 : I Tahir to Ben Stokes, On the stumps, Stokes blocks it off the front foot. |
| 20.6 : I Tahir to Ben Stokes, Flighted on the pads, Stokes flicks it to mid-wicket and gets a single. He will keep the strike. |
| 21.1 : K Rabada to Ben Stokes, Down the leg side, the batter looks to flick but misses. Wided. |
| K Rabada to Ben Stokes, Well fielded! Full and on off, Stokes goes too hard at it, the ball goes off the inner half towards mid on where the fielder makes a diving stop. |
| 21.2 : K Rabada to Ben Stokes, Back of a length and it is on off, Stokes with the angle, guides it down to third man and takes a single. |
| 21.3 : K Rabada to E Morgan, Short and it is on Morgan's body. He looks to work it on the leg side but the ball hits the glove and rolls towards square leg for a single. |
| 21.4 : K Rabada to Ben Stokes, A full toss on off, Stokes works it towards mid-wicket. His one hand coms off the handle. A single taken. |
| 21.5 : K Rabada to E Morgan, Had Markram picked the ball up, it could have been close. Length and on off, Morgan defends it towards cover and the batters go for a quick run. Markram gets to the ball quickly but fails to pick it up. |
| 21.6 : K Rabada to Ben Stokes, length and around off, Stokes opens the face of the bat and guides it to backward point. |
| 22.1 : I Tahir to E Morgan, Flatter and on the pads, Morgan works it through mid-wicket for a single. This is what we will be seeing for a little while now from England. |
| 22.2 : I Tahir to Ben Stokes, Very full on off, Stokes strokes it down to long off for another single. |
| 22.3 : I Tahir to E Morgan, Gives it a lot of air but it is very full on off, it is eased down to long off for one. |
| 22.4 : I Tahir to Ben Stokes, Good batting! Works it wide of the fielder at deep mid-wicket and two is taken. |
| 22.5 : I Tahir to Ben Stokes, From around the wicket, it lands on middle, Stokes pushes it to mid-wicket. |
| 22.6 : I Tahir to Ben Stokes, Very full on the pads, it is flicked through square leg for one. |
| Lungi Ngidi is back into the attack. |
| 23.1 : L Ngidi to Ben Stokes, Bowls it on a length just outside off, Stokes runs it down to third man and gets a single. |
| 23.2 : L Ngidi to E Morgan, FOUR! Glorious! Full on off and middle, Morgan plays a textbook straight drive. It goes past the mid off fielder and races away to the fence. Morgan holds the pose for the cameras. |
| 23.3 : L Ngidi to E Morgan, Follows it up with a solid defense from the crease. |
| 23.4 : L Ngidi to E Morgan, Full again, Morgan looks to drive it past mid on this time but hits it straight to him. |
| 23.5 : L Ngidi to E Morgan, The length is the same again, Morgan plays it straight to mid off this time. |
| 23.6 : L Ngidi to E Morgan, In the air but safe. Good length ball on the pads, Morgan looks to defend but he almost chips it back to the bowler. Luckily for him it is well short of the bowler. |
| JP Duminy is on! |
| 24.1 : JP Duminy to Ben Stokes, This is flatter and on off, Stokes pushes it back to the bowler. |
| 24.2 : JP Duminy to Ben Stokes, On the pads, Stokes turns it behind square and gets a couple. |
| 24.3 : JP Duminy to Ben Stokes, Floated on off, Stokes pushes it back to the bowler. |
| 24.4 : JP Duminy to Ben Stokes, Tossed up on off, Ben milks it to long off and gets a single. |
| 24.5 : JP Duminy to E Morgan, Morgan nudges this flighted ball to long off and rotates the strike. |
| 24.6 : JP Duminy to Ben Stokes, On middle and leg, Ben flicks it but straight to the man at mid-wicket. |
| 25.1 : L Ngidi to E Morgan, BEATEN! Loose shot! This is on a length and outside off, Morgan goes after it but the length is not quite there. He gets beaten. |
| 25.2 : L Ngidi to E Morgan, SIX! He has picked the bones out of this one! Lovely shot. Dances down the track and makes it into a full ball. Morgan then smashes it over long off for a biggie. |
| 25.3 : L Ngidi to E Morgan, SIX! Back-to-back maximums! Easy this for Morgan. It is short but bounces at a good height for Morgan. He rocks back and helps it on its way over the fine leg fence. 12 from the first three balls. |
| 25.4 : L Ngidi to E Morgan, Full and on off, better line and length from Ngidi. It is driven to mid on. |
| 25.5 : L Ngidi to E Morgan, The slower one on off, Morgan eases it through covers for a run. |
| 25.6 : L Ngidi to Ben Stokes, Good delivery to end! It is the slower one and it lands on off, it moves away after pitching. Stokes looks to defend but the ball goes past the outside edge. It bounces just in front of de Kock who does well to stop it. So just the single from the last three balls but still a very good over for England. |
| 26.1 : JP Duminy to E Morgan, On the pads, this is worked through square leg for one. |
| 26.2 : JP Duminy to Ben Stokes, Flatter and on the pads, Stokes nudges it through mid-wicket and another single results. 150 is up for England. |
| 26.3 : JP Duminy to E Morgan, Short ball and it has been slapped hard towards sweeper cover but just for a single. |
| 26.4 : JP Duminy to Ben Stokes, Floats it up on off, Stokes stays leg side of the delivery, looks to go inside out over covers but hits it very straight and a single results towards long off. |
| 26.5 : JP Duminy to E Morgan, FOUR! Swept and swept nicely! It is on the pads, Morgan says thank you very much and hits it fine on the leg side for a boundary. |
| 26.6 : JP Duminy to E Morgan, Reverse sweep now! Morgan hits it hard towards Ngidi at backward point. He makes a good diving stop to his right, it is not clean but saves two for his side. 10 from this one and 23 from the last two. |
| Aiden Markram to have a go with the ball now. |
| 27.1 : A Markram to Ben Stokes, Starts with a short ball on off and middle, Stokes strokes it wide of sweeper cover and gets a single. |
| 27.2 : A Markram to E Morgan, Flighted on off, Morgan pushes it back to the keeper. |
| 27.3 : A Markram to E Morgan, Short on off, Morgan cuts it but finds Amla at point. They don't take the risk there. |
| 27.4 : A Markram to E Morgan, Very full on off, Morgan plays it to the right of bowler. Markram moves to his right and stops the single. |
| 27.5 : A Markram to E Morgan, Flighted on off, Morgan finds the man at cover with his drive. |
| 27.6 : A Markram to E Morgan, Tossed up on off, this time Morgan hits it wide of cover and to long on for a single. |
| Imran Tahir is back! |
| 28.1 : I Tahir to E Morgan, On the pads, Morgan works it towards short fine leg. They think of a run but then don't. |
| 28.2 : I Tahir to E Morgan, Very full outside off, Morgan jams it down to long off for one. |
| 28.3 : I Tahir to Ben Stokes, Nicely bowled! Slows it up and lands it on off, Stokes awkwardly defends it away. |
| 28.4 : I Tahir to Ben Stokes, FOUR! Slightly short and Stokes pounces on it. It is on off, Stokes goes back and punches it through covers. It races away. |
| 28.5 : I Tahir to Ben Stokes, This is floated up on middle, Stokes works it through mid-wicket and takes one. |
| 28.6 : I Tahir to E Morgan, Another single to end! This is flighted on off, Morgan hits it through covers and gets to the other end. Imran Tahir has been slightly expensive today. 7 from this one. |
| 29.1 : A Markram to E Morgan, On the stumps, Morgan lunges and defends. |
| 29.2 : A Markram to E Morgan, Flatter and on middle, Morgan makes room and hits it to covers. |
| 29.3 : A Markram to E Morgan, Once again Markram fires it outside off, Morgan looks to cut but ends up chopping it to point for a single. |
| 29.4 : A Markram to Ben Stokes, Loopy ball on off, this is eased down to long off for a single. |
| 29.5 : A Markram to E Morgan, Another dot! Short and outside off, Morgan cuts it to point. |
| 29.6 : A Markram to E Morgan, A single to end! Another good Markram overs comes to an end. Morgan goes back and pushes it down to long on for one. |
| Andile Phehlukwayo is back into the attack. |
| 30.1 : A Phehlukwayo to E Morgan, Good length and on off, Morgan blocks it out. |
| 30.2 : A Phehlukwayo to E Morgan, Well bowled! AP sees Morgan dance down the track and bowls it short and outside off. Not very short but away from Eoin's arc. He looks to hit it through the off side but misses. |
| 30.3 : A Phehlukwayo to E Morgan, Another dot as Morgan finds mid-wicket with this flick. |
| 30.4 : A Phehlukwayo to E Morgan, Down the leg side, Morgan looks to pull but misses. Wided. Morgan would feel he has missed out there. A little bat on it and it would have been a boundary. |
| A Phehlukwayo to E Morgan, Well bowled again! Slower one and on middle, Morgan pushes it back to the bowler. |
| 30.5 : A Phehlukwayo to E Morgan, No run from the bat in the over so far! Back of a length and into the body of the batsman. It is worked to mid-wicket. |
| 30.6 : A Phehlukwayo to Ben Stokes, A dot to end! So just the extra in the over. Length and on off, Morgan drives it to covers. |
| 31.1 : A Markram to E Morgan, Fired on the pads, Stokes looks to flick but misses to get hit on the pads. |
| 31.2 : A Markram to E Morgan, FOUR! In the air... but just wide! That should break the shackles for England! Full and on off, Stokes hits it uppishly but wide of long off. Rabada there runs to his right and then dives but it is out of reach. A much-needed boundary. |
| 31.3 : A Markram to E Morgan, Now eases this down to long off and gets to the other end. |
| 31.4 : A Markram to Ben Stokes, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 31.5 : A Markram to Ben Stokes, SIX! HUGE! Markram slows it up and bowls it on middle, Morgan brings the slog sweep out and hits it into the mid-wicket stand. Second boundary in the over. |
| 31.6 : A Markram to Ben Stokes, A dot to end but a productive over for England. 11 from this as England had started to slow down. Short and outside off, Morgan cuts it to point. |
| 32.1 : A Phehlukwayo to Ben Stokes, Fuller on off, Stokes drives it towards mid on and gets a single. |
| 32.2 : A Phehlukwayo to E Morgan, Good length ball on off, Morgan tucks it to the man at mid-wicket. |
| 32.3 : A Phehlukwayo to E Morgan, FOUR! Fifty comes up for the skipper with that boundary. He has been brilliant today. He gets to his 46th ODI fifty with an excellent pull through square leg. His first fifty as skipper in the World Cup. |
| 32.4 : A Phehlukwayo to E Morgan, Fuller on off, Morgan drives it straight to mid off. |
| 32.5 : A Phehlukwayo to E Morgan, Good length ball on off, Morgan blocks it. |
| 32.6 : A Phehlukwayo to E Morgan, Length ball outside off, Morgan cuts it straight to the man at point. |
| Dwaine Pretorius is back! |
| 33.1 : D Pretorius to Ben Stokes, Stokes dances down the track but DP bowls it very full on the pads. Stokes works it to mid-wicket. |
| 33.2 : D Pretorius to Ben Stokes, Once again it is angled into the body of the batsman, Stokes pushes it down to long on for a single. |
| 33.3 : D Pretorius to E Morgan, Back of a length on off, Morgan guides it towards short third man for one. |
| 33.4 : D Pretorius to Ben Stokes, Stokes once again uses his feet but the length is quite short. Ben pushes it to mid off for another single. |
| 33.5 : D Pretorius to E Morgan, 4th single in the over as Morgan jams it out through covers. |
| 33.6 : D Pretorius to Ben Stokes, Another length and outside off, it is hit through covers for another run. |
| Drinks Break! After losing two wickets in quick succession, England have once again steadied the ship, courtesy their skipper, Eoin Morgan and Benh Stokes. The duo have added 81 runs for the 4th wicket and are looking very good out in the middle. Morgan has got to his fifty in the process and is looking good out in the middle. South Africa have not been able to turn the screws after getting rid of Root and Roy. They need quick wickets here if they want to restrict England under 320. |
| 34.1 : A Phehlukwayo to Ben Stokes, Wide outside off, Stokes throws his bat at it but it goes off the bottom edge to short third man. |
| 34.2 : A Phehlukwayo to Ben Stokes, EDGY FOUR! England won't care! Stokes dances down the track and Andile bowls it outside off. Stokes swings but the ball flies off the outside edge and down to the third man fence. England may have decided to step on the gas now. |
| 34.3 : A Phehlukwayo to Ben Stokes, Now a couple! This is on the pads, Stokes whips it towards fine leg. Rabada makes a good stop but the batsmen take two. |
| 34.4 : A Phehlukwayo to Ben Stokes, Stokes again uses his feet but Phehlukwayo bangs it short. Stokes hits it through covers for one. |
| 34.5 : A Phehlukwayo to E Morgan, Slower short ball on the body, Morgan mistimes the pull shot towards fine leg for another run. 200 up for England. 15 overs to go after this. |
| 34.6 : A Phehlukwayo to Ben Stokes, OHHHHH! How has that missed the off pole? Andile bowls a yorker which is just outside off, Stokes looks to jam it out but his bat comes down late and the ball goes just past the off pole. |
| 35.1 : D Pretorius to E Morgan, Good length ball on middle, Morgan runs it down to third man for a run. It has started to drizzle here. Let's hope it is just a passing shower. |
| 35.2 : D Pretorius to Ben Stokes, FOUR! Slower ball gone wrong! Pretorius bowls it full outside off, Stokes stretches out and smashes it over cover for a boundary. Stokes is joining the party now. |
| 35.3 : D Pretorius to Ben Stokes, Good length ball on leg, Stokes looks to play the paddle by moving across the line but he misses. |
| 35.4 : D Pretorius to Ben Stokes, FOUR! Excellent shot! Good length ball on off, Stokes comes down the track and hits it over mid-wicket for a boundary. |
| The keeper walks upto the stumps now! This would probably stop Stokes using his feet. |
| 35.5 : D Pretorius to Ben Stokes, FOUR! Perfect execution! Stokes gets to his fifty with a brilliant shot. Pretorius bowls it full on off, Ben gets down on one knee and plays a delightful reverse paddle over the vacant slip region and into the third man fence for a boundary to get ti his 16th ODI fifty. This is just brilliant stuff from the English all-rounder. |
| 35.6 : D Pretorius to Ben Stokes, Length ball on off, Stokes cuts it straight to the man at point. |
| Imran Tahir is back into the attack! |
| 36.1 : I Tahir to E Morgan, Flatter and on off, this is hit wide of long off for a brace. |
| 36.2 : I Tahir to E Morgan, Shorter and on middle, this is hit through covers for another single. |
| 36.3 : I Tahir to Ben Stokes, Stokes misses out on a boundary opportunity! A full toss, Stokes looks to go big but he only gets an inside edge onto his boot. |
| 36.4 : I Tahir to Ben Stokes, A yorker on off, Stokes jams it out towards cover for one. |
| 36.5 : I Tahir to E Morgan, OUT! In the air... and what a catch by Markram! Excellent. South Africa needed something special to break the stand and Markram has produced it. Tahir is the one who the wicket will be credited to but Markram should be the one getting all the praise. Morgan dances down the track and Tahir bowls the googly. Eoin looks to clear long on but the ball does not go off the middle. For a second though, it seems like it would fall short of the fielder at long on but Markram run |
| Jos Buttler replaces his skipper out in the middle. |
| 36.6 : I Tahir to Ben Stokes, Flighted ball on off, Stokes strokes it to covers. A successful over by Tahir comes to an end. The purpose for bringing him on was achieved. |
| Kagiso Rabada is back for another spell. |
| 37.1 : K Rabada to Jos Buttler, A direct hit and Stokes was a goner! Markram was the man again and he is disappointed he missed. Back of a length on off, Buttler taps it towards cover and sets off. Markram runs in and underarms it diving forward. He misses though. |
| 37.2 : K Rabada to Ben Stokes, Short and on the body, Stokes plays a controlled pull towards fine leg for one. |
| 37.3 : K Rabada to Jos Buttler, Good length and on off, Buttler pushes it through covers and for a single. |
| 37.4 : K Rabada to Ben Stokes, Slower and shorter outside off, Stokes guides it through point and a run is taken. |
| 37.5 : K Rabada to Jos Buttler, Buttler shuffles across and Rabada bangs it short. He pulls it through mid-wicket for one. |
| 37.6 : K Rabada to Ben Stokes, A dot to end! Slower bouncer and outside off, Stokes lets it be as he feels it is a wide. The umpire feels different. |
| 38.1 : I Tahir to Jos Buttler, Floats it up on off, Buttler guides it to point. |
| 38.2 : I Tahir to Jos Buttler, Just wide! A tremendous effort from Tahir. He bowls it slower through the air on middle, the ball sticks in the surface a little. Buttler looks to push it but it flies off the inner half, past the diving and outstretched hand of Tahir and down to long on for one. |
| 38.3 : I Tahir to Ben Stokes, The batsman has punched the ball off the back foot. They pick up a single. |
| 38.4 : I Tahir to Jos Buttler, Very full on off, Buttler squeezes it through covers for a brace. |
| 38.5 : I Tahir to Jos Buttler, Drags his length back and bowls it on off, Buttler pushes it to covers. |
| 38.6 : I Tahir to Jos Buttler, The googly to end! Buttler picks it and works it through mid-wicket for one. |
| Lungi Ngidi is back for another burst. His figures so far 6-0-45-0. |
| 39.1 : L Ngidi to Jos Buttler, Poor ball to begin with. He bowls it on the pads, Buttler flicks it fine down towards fine leg and they run the first one hard which allows them to take two. Good running this. |
| 39.2 : L Ngidi to Jos Buttler, Length ball on off, Jos flicks it to mid-wicket and gets a single. |
| 39.3 : L Ngidi to Ben Stokes, Slower ball on off, it is bowled at 112 kph. Stokes does well to connect his pull towards mid-wicket and gets one. |
| 39.4 : L Ngidi to Jos Buttler, Back of a length ball, Buttler pulls it wide of Amla at mid-wicket. He looks to stop it with a dive but fails in his attempt to do so. The batsmen get two. |
| 39.5 : L Ngidi to Jos Buttler, Length ball on off, Buttler stands tall and punches it wide of cover for one. |
| 39.6 : L Ngidi to Ben Stokes, On off, Ben strokes it to long off and keeps the strike with a single. |
| Powerplay 3 has been signaled! Now a maximum of 5 players can be placed outside the ring till the end of the innings. |
| 40.1 : I Tahir to Ben Stokes, Straightaway comes down the track and hits it hard but there is a man at long on so he'll just get a run. |
| 40.2 : I Tahir to Jos Buttler, Low full toss on off, Buttler plays a stylish flick between deep mid-wicket and long on and gets a brace. |
| 40.3 : I Tahir to Jos Buttler, Floated on off, Buttler plays it to cover and gets to the other end. |
| 40.4 : I Tahir to Ben Stokes, FOUR! Short, wide and punished. Tahir is guilty of giving width to Stokes. He accepts the invitation to hit it and slashes it through covers. Andile Phehlukwayo runs to his right in the deep and puts in a desperate dive to stop the ball from going to the fence but it goes in vain as the ball beats him to the fence. |
| 40.5 : I Tahir to Ben Stokes, Follows it up with a single down to long on. |
| 40.6 : I Tahir to Jos Buttler, Once again bowls it short outside off, Buttler cuts it wide of third man and gets a couple. 11 runs off the over. It has come without any risk being taken. |
| 41.1 : L Ngidi to Ben Stokes, On the bounce! Stokes hits it hard down towards long on. The fielder there moves quickly to his right and keeps it down to one. |
| 41.2 : L Ngidi to Jos Buttler, OUT! DRAGS IT ON! Ngidi with the big, big wicket. What could have been a possible 350, now comes down to 320 or so. The slower short ball does the trick for Ngidi. It is short and it is on middle, Buttler looks to pull but the ball does not bounce as much as Jos expected it to. It hits the inside edge and then clatters into the stumps behind. They do check for the front foot but replay shows it is fine. Jos fails to make an impact and once again, South Africa manage |
| Moeen Ali is the new batsman in. |
| 41.3 : L Ngidi to M Ali, Back of a length on off, Ali guides it to point. |
| 41.4 : L Ngidi to M Ali, Slower ball on the stumps, Ali gets off the mark by pushing it towards covers. |
| 41.5 : L Ngidi to Ben Stokes, Slower one but it goes wrong! It is way outside off, left alone. Wided. |
| L Ngidi to Ben Stokes, Shortish and it bounces a touch extra. Stokes does well to get on top of the bounce and guide it towards point for one. 250 comes up for the hosts. 8 overs to go after this, how many more can they add? |
| 41.6 : L Ngidi to M Ali, A dot to end a top over by Ngidi. On off, Moeen guides it to point. |
| 42.1 : I Tahir to Ben Stokes, On the off pole, Stokes pushes it towards mid off for a quick run. |
| 42.2 : I Tahir to M Ali, Flatter and outside off, Moeen goes back and pushes it through covers for one. |
| 42.3 : I Tahir to Ben Stokes, Gives it a lot of air, Stokes nicely works it in the gap on the mid-wicket region and takes two. |
| 42.4 : I Tahir to Ben Stokes, Another couple! Stokes works this full toss in the similar region. They take one and go for the second. The fielder fires it to the bowler who deflects it onto the stumps but the batter is in. |
| 42.5 : I Tahir to Ben Stokes, The googly and it is on the shorter side, Stokes goes back and slaps it through covers for one. |
| 42.6 : I Tahir to M Ali, A dot to end Tahir's spell! An effort he can be happy with. 10-0-61-2 is how his figures read today. He ends with a quicker ball outside off, Ali looks to push it but gets beaten. |
| 43.1 : L Ngidi to Ben Stokes, Extra bounce there! Length and on off, it takes off. Stokes does well to play it with soft hands towards backward point for one. |
| 43.2 : L Ngidi to M Ali, Well bowled! Loopy slower one outside off, Moeen looks to go downtown but misses. |
| 43.3 : L Ngidi to M Ali, Another swing, another miss! This time it is a length ball and slower outside off. Ali looks to go over cover but does not connect. |
| 43.4 : L Ngidi to M Ali, Does connect this time but not off the middle. It goes towards deep mid-wicket for one. |
| 43.5 : L Ngidi to Ben Stokes, Toe-end! Another slower one on off, Stokes looks to reverse sweep the pacer. He is way too early in the shot. It goes towards cover and the batters take one. |
| 43.6 : L Ngidi to M Ali, OUT! Another stunning catch! This time it is the skipper, Faf du Plessis. He made that look so easy. Outstanding! Ngidi gets another important breakthrough. It is the slower one and it is full. Moeen hits it off the middle but flat towards wide long on. Faf there covers ground quickly to his left and then with a dive, takes it brilliantly. England are losing their way here. South Africa into the bowling all-rounders. |
| The new man is Chris Woakes. |
| Andile Phehlukwayo is back into the attack. 6-0-30-1 his figures so far. |
| 44.1 : A Phehlukwayo to C Woakes, Good length and on off, Woakes keeps it out. |
| 44.2 : A Phehlukwayo to C Woakes, On the shorter side and it is just outside off. Woakes looks to cut but that shot is not on. He ends up chopping it to the keeper. |
| 44.3 : A Phehlukwayo to C Woakes, Just a single now! This is guided past point and Woakes gets to the other end. |
| 44.4 : A Phehlukwayo to Ben Stokes, Well kept by de Kock and he almost produced a run out opportunity! This is down the leg side, Stokes flicks it fine. De Kock dives to his right and makes a half stop. He then gets up quickly and runs after it. The batsmen think of a second but then seeing the effort bail out. |
| 44.5 : A Phehlukwayo to C Woakes, Another single! South Africa won't mind this. Short and on the body, it is pulled towards fine leg for one. |
| 44.6 : A Phehlukwayo to Ben Stokes, Good running! A couple to end but just 5 from Phehlukwayo's over. South Africa would take that any day. Full and on middle, Stokes works it with soft hands towards mid-wicket. It is the longer side of the ground and the batsmen run two. |
| Kagiso Rabada is back for his final spell. 7-0-36-1 so far. He has a slip in place. Rarely do you see a slip in the death overs. |
| 45.1 : K Rabada to C Woakes, Good length ball on off, Woakes drives it uppishly over cover for a single. |
| 45.2 : K Rabada to Ben Stokes, Length ball on off, Ben strokes it towards cover for a single. |
| 45.3 : K Rabada to C Woakes, FOUR! Rabada bowls it short outside off, Woakes frees his arms and slashes it over backward point for a boundary. |
| 45.4 : K Rabada to C Woakes, Back of length on off, Woakes punches it wide of cover for a single. |
| 45.5 : K Rabada to Ben Stokes, WIDE! Misses his mark with the attempted bouncer here. It is on the leg side, Stokes looks to pull but misses. The umpire waits for a while and then signals it as wide. |
| K Rabada to Ben Stokes, Full on middle, Stokes nudges it to long on and gets a run. |
| 45.6 : K Rabada to C Woakes, Length ball on off, Woakes pulls it towards deep mid-wicket and gets only a run. 10 runs off the over. |
| 46.1 : A Phehlukwayo to C Woakes, WIDE! The ball probably slipped out of his hand. It is way, way outside the tramline. On the edge of the pitch actually. Woakes leaves it alone and wide signalled by the umpire. |
| A Phehlukwayo to C Woakes, Good fielding by Amla. He has made up for the misfield he committed early in the day. Length ball on off, Woakes drives it towards point. Amla there dives to his right and keeps it down to one. |
| 46.2 : A Phehlukwayo to Ben Stokes, WIDE! Once again Phehlukwayo misses his line and bowls it down the leg side. Wide signalled. |
| A Phehlukwayo to Ben Stokes, On the pads, Ben turns it behind square and gets one. |
| 46.3 : A Phehlukwayo to C Woakes, WIDE! Third one off the over. Looks to bowl a slower one outside off, Woakes looks to hit it but misses. |
| A Phehlukwayo to C Woakes, Fuller on off, Woakes drives it wide of sweeper cover and gets a couple. |
| 46.4 : A Phehlukwayo to C Woakes, Fuller on middle, Chris nudges it to long on and gets a run. |
| 46.5 : A Phehlukwayo to Ben Stokes, Slower ball which is shorter in length, Stokes pulls it hard to deep mid-wicket and gets just a run. |
| Now then, is that a catch? The umpires have gone upstairs to check. The SOFT SIGNAL IS NOT OUT! |
| 46.6 : A Phehlukwayo to C Woakes, NOT OUT! It's not a catch, it wasn't a bump ball but it hasn't carried. A very full ball on off, Woakes looks to hit it straight. He ends up chipping it back to the bowler. Phehlukwayo dives in front and it looks like he has taken it directly. Phehlukwayo does not look confident but de Kock seems sure. The umpire takes it upstairs to check whether it was a bump ball or not. Replays roll in and confirm that Woakes chipped it but Andile got it on the bounce. |
| A review from South Africa for an LBW. Stokes is the man in question. Seems to be pitching outside leg. But the batsman is hobbling around in pain. Seems to have got hit on the shin. That might be painful. The physio is out in the middle. |
| 47.1 : K Rabada to Ben Stokes, NOT OUT! It indeed is pitching outside leg! South Africa lose their only review. Rabada bowls a yorker. It sneaks under Stokes' bat as he looks to flick and hits the foot. The bowler is appealing and the umpire shakes his leg. The ball in the meantime rolls down to fine leg and the batters take a leg bye. South Africa take the review though but replays show the on-field call is the right one. |
| 47.2 : K Rabada to C Woakes, A dot! Gold dust at this stage! Woakes makes room and then bangs it short and into the body. Woakes looks to upper cut but misses. |
| 47.3 : K Rabada to C Woakes, OUT! Woakes holes out! Faf du Plessis takes his third catch of the day. Slower ball and it is on a length on middle, Woakes flat-bats it but does not get the desired elevation. It goes to Faf at long on who makes no mistake. So just the single and a wicket from the first three balls of the 48th. |
| The new man in is Liam Plunkett. |
| 47.4 : K Rabada to Ben Stokes, FOUR! The second half of the over has began well for England. This is not off the middle but Stokes gets the desired result. Short and wide outside off, Stokes slaps it but off the bottom, through covers and into the boundary. England would love a few more. |
| 47.5 : K Rabada to Ben Stokes, Another short one and on middle, Stokes pulls it through mid-wicket for one. |
| 47.6 : K Rabada to L Plunkett, FOUR! Plunkett gets off the mark with a boundary! So what was a brilliant over till then is spoiled. Short and on the body, LP pulls it hard through backward square leg and it races away. |
| Lungi Ngidi to bowl the penultimate over. |
| 48.1 : L Ngidi to Ben Stokes, FOUR! Poor start this. Comes steaming in and bowls it on the body, Stokes just helps it on its way down to the fine leg region for a boundary. |
| 48.2 : L Ngidi to Ben Stokes, Fuller on off, Stokes plays it to long off and gets a run. Better from Ngidi. Stokes does not look too pleased. Don't know what the reason is. |
| 48.3 : L Ngidi to L Plunkett, Smart bowling this. Slower one from Ngidi. Plunkett shuffles across a bit. Ngidi sees it and bowls it wide. Liam swings his bat at it but misses. The umpire is satisfied with the ball so not a wide. |
| 48.4 : L Ngidi to L Plunkett, Fuller on off, Plunkett hits it over mid off and gets a run. 300 comes up for England with that single. |
| 48.5 : L Ngidi to Ben Stokes, Swing and miss. Slower ball once again on off, Stokes looks to heave it over but misses. |
| 48.6 : L Ngidi to Ben Stokes, OUT! End of an excellent knock from Stokes. It has been a brilliant comeback from South Africa. Ngidi hits the deck hard on a length. It is on off, Stokes looks to play the reverse paddle. He does not time it well and ends up hitting straight to Amla at short third man. 320 now looks far fetched here. |
| 49.1 : K Rabada to L Plunkett, Another slower ball, short in length, pulled behind square leg for a single. |
| 49.2 : K Rabada to J Archer, FOUR! Excellent shot! Length ball outside off, Jofra rocks onto his back foot and slashes it through covers for a boundary. |
| 49.3 : K Rabada to J Archer, Tremendous running this. Full on off, Jofra flicks it wide of deep mid-wicket and runs the first one hard and comes back for the second. |
| 49.4 : K Rabada to J Archer, Pulls hard but to the man in deep. Back of a length ball on off, Jofra whacks his pull to deep mid-wicket for a single. |
| 49.5 : K Rabada to L Plunkett, On the pads, Plunkett flicks it towards deep square leg and gets a couple. |
| 49.6 : K Rabada to L Plunkett, Single to end the innings. 11 runs off the final over. The last ball is full on off, Plunkett hits it towards mid off and gets a single. ENGLAND FINISH WITH 311/8 FROM THEIR 50 OVERS. |
| Just the 76 in the last 10 overs and England have finished way below the score they would have loved or should have got at one moment. Surely, South Africa will be the happier side heading into the break. |
| The visitors started off in the best possible manner as their idea of starting with Tahir worked. However, Root and Roy then counter-attacked and the two added a 100-plus run stand. Both got to their fifties. The two though fell in quick succession and South Africa looked to crawl back but Morgan and Stokes kept the momentum going and added yet another 100-plus run stand. When the two were batting, 340 looked possible but the wicket of the English skipper changed everything. England then started |
| The South African did not start off that well! They were way too short at the start but read the pitch really well as the game progressed. They started rolling their fingers on the ball and that is what worked for them. Especially Ngidi, he was the pick of the bowlers. He was well supported by Tahir, Rabada and Phehlukwayo. Pretorius also, did a handy job, he did not pick a wicket but did not give away a lot of runs too. |
| 312 is the target! You would probably feel South Africa are the favorites at the moment but the wicket is not that easy to bat. However, England's bowling line-up isn't the best. We though have to keep in mind that the South African batting line-up is way too dependent on their top order. Who will win the first game of the 2019 World Cup? Join us in a while to find out. For now, Joe Root is seen giving an interview. |
| Joe Root says they would have liked more but says you always want more. Reckons the wicket was not true and says it never felt like you were always in it as the bowlers had something in it. Further adds that it has been a different wicket than they are used to. Reckons as it is a new pitch it is different. On his innings, Root says it is nice to get time in the middle and middle the ball. Says they are in a good position and need to take wickets like South Africa did. |
| 0.0 : We are back for the chase. The umpires are out in the middle. The England players are out on the field. Out stride the opening pair of Quintin de Kock and Hashim Amla for South Africa. Unlike South Africa, England spring no surprise as Chris Woakes takes the first new ball. |
| 0.1 : C Woakes to de Kock, Good fielding! They need to be good in the field today. Back of a length on middle, de Kock works it towards mid-wicket. Stokes there runs to his right, dives and saves a run at least. |
| 0.2 : C Woakes to de Kock, Shortish again on off, de Kock stands tall and defends it. |
| 0.3 : C Woakes to de Kock, Perfect line and length, on off, de Kock stays back and keeps it out. |
| 0.4 : C Woakes to de Kock, De Kock is underway! On the pads, this is flicked through backward square leg for a couple. |
| 0.5 : C Woakes to de Kock, Crisp drive but straight to the fielder! Full and on off, de Kock drives it firmly but to covers. |
| 0.6 : C Woakes to de Kock, BEATEN! A loose shot by de Kock there. It is on a length and outside off, QdK just hangs his bat out and gets beaten. End of a very good first by Woakes. |
| Jofra Archer to bowl from the other end with the second new ball. Two slips in place for Archer. |
| 1.1 : J Archer to H Amla, Starts off on a length and on off, Amla lunges and strokes it to mid off. |
| 1.2 : J Archer to H Amla, Brilliant effort! Saves a certain boundary! Short and outside off, Amla cuts it towards point. Roy there dives to his right and stops it. Already saved at least 5 runs in the field have England till now. |
| 1.3 : J Archer to H Amla, Amla is off the mark now! Length and on middle, HA looks to defend but it goes off the inner half towards square leg for one. |
| 1.4 : J Archer to de Kock, A little too straight, it pitches and skids off the surface. De Kock works it to mid-wicket. |
| 1.5 : J Archer to de Kock, Once again, bowls it into the body of de Kock, giving him no room at all. QdK works it to mid-wicket. |
| 1.6 : J Archer to de Kock, Once again a tight line, on middle, de Kock nudges it around the corner for a single. A tight over from Archer as well. |
| 2.1 : C Woakes to de Kock, On off and angling away. De Kock works it against the angle and to mid on. |
| 2.2 : C Woakes to de Kock, Continues bowling it on off, not letting de Kock free his arms. QdK pushes it to mid off. |
| 2.3 : C Woakes to de Kock, Another dot! Straighter line again, de Kock works it to mid-wicket. |
| 2.4 : C Woakes to de Kock, EDGED AND FOUR! No slip and it races away. Slightly short and it is just outside off, de Kock throws his bat at it. The ball goes off the outside edge, past the diving Buttler and into the third man fence. First one for South Africa. |
| 2.5 : C Woakes to de Kock, A couple now! On the pad, de Kock works it through backward square leg for two. |
| 2.6 : C Woakes to de Kock, A dot to end a better over for South Africa. Slightly fuller than the last ball. De Kock strokes it to mid off. |
| 3.1 : J Archer to H Amla, Confident stroke! Length and on off, Amla plants his front foot forward and strokes it to covers. He tried using the pace of the bowler but could not find the gap. |
| 3.2 : J Archer to H Amla, FOUR! DEFT! Lovely from Amla. Back of a length and it is slightly outside off, Amla hops and then plays it late. Guides it past second slip and into the third man fence. First boundary for Amla. |
| 3.3 : J Archer to H Amla, OUCH! This lands on middle and jags back in. Amla looks to work it on the leg side but misses to get hit on the pads. |
| 3.4 : J Archer to H Amla, Slower ball from Archer! You saw South Africa bowl many of these. It is on middle, Amla adjusts and blocks it out. |
| 3.5 : J Archer to H Amla, On the helmet! That was quick, very quick. Bowled at 145 KPH, this bouncer keeps on rising. Amla looks to pull but is beaten for pace an gets hit on the helmet. He takes it off. |
| The physio is out straightaway to have a mandatory check on Amla. You cannot take such chances in this day and age. Also, Morris comes out with a few helmets for Amla to have a look at. Amla is going back as he holds his head. Let's hope it is nothing serious. |
| Aiden Markram walks out to bat now. |
| 3.6 : J Archer to A Markram, Good length and outside off, Markram shoulders arms to it. Just the boundary from the over then. |
| 4.1 : C Woakes to de Kock, Tight lines and lengths! On off, de Kock lunges and keeps it out. |
| 4.2 : C Woakes to de Kock, Cramps the batsman for room by bowling it on his body. De Kock looks to flick but misses to get hit on the thigh pad. |
| 4.3 : C Woakes to de Kock, FOUR! Poor ball and put away! Yes, de Kock did make a little room but Woakes too helped him by bowling it short and outside off. De Kock slaps it through point for a boundary. |
| 4.4 : C Woakes to de Kock, Woakes goes back to bowling it on a length and around off, de Kock keeps it out. |
| 4.5 : C Woakes to de Kock, FOUR! On the up! Lovely stroke. Length and around off, de Kock stands tall and strokes it past covers and the ball races away. Second boundary in the over. |
| 4.6 : C Woakes to de Kock, De Kock is finding the middle here. Another excellent drive but this is stopped, not cleanly but good enough to not concede a run by the bowler. End of a good over for South Africa. 8 from it. |
| 5.1 : J Archer to A Markram, Back of a length on off, Markram punches it to point. |
| 5.2 : J Archer to A Markram, On the fuller side, Markram hits it wide of mid off and takes two. He is off the mark. |
| 5.3 : J Archer to A Markram, Nicely played! He opens the face of the bat and guides it down to third man for one. |
| 5.4 : J Archer to de Kock, Good bumper again! This is outside off though. De Kock evades it. Buttler collects it above his head. |
| 5.5 : J Archer to de Kock, That is the first time de Kock lost his shape. He looks to slog this full ball on middle, ends up mistiming it towards the right of mid on for a run. |
| 5.6 : J Archer to A Markram, Back of a length on off, de Kock defends it onto the ground. |
| Markram at the non striker's end was not ready as Woakes was running in. |
| 6.1 : C Woakes to de Kock, Woakes bowls it on the pads, Quinton flicks it to fine leg and gets a single. |
| 6.2 : C Woakes to A Markram, Bowls it on a length with very little swing on offer. Markram plays it to the man at cover. |
| 6.3 : C Woakes to A Markram, Good length ball juts outside off, Markram strokes it to the man at point. |
| 6.4 : C Woakes to A Markram, Good shot and very good fielding. Length ball outside off, Markram punches it to the left of the point fielder. Roy dives to that side and stops a certain boundary. Good cricket all around. |
| 6.5 : C Woakes to A Markram, FOUR! Glorious! Length ball on off, Markram drives it elegantly through covers. No fielder can stop that from going to the fence. |
| 6.6 : C Woakes to A Markram, Now follows it up with a solid front foot defense. |
| 7.1 : J Archer to de Kock, On the shorter side and on the body, de Kock works it towards mid-wicket. |
| 7.2 : J Archer to de Kock, On the pads, this is flicked through backward square leg for a run. |
| 7.3 : J Archer to A Markram, FOUR! Brilliant shot! Not a very bad ball. It is on a length and it is just outside off. Markram strides forward and then strokes it through covers for a boundary. |
| 7.4 : J Archer to A Markram, OUT! EDGED AND TAKEN! Jofra Archer draws first blood! He gets his revenge and he is delighted. Back of a length on off, this may have been the effort ball as it bounces a little more. Markram looks to punch it through the off side but fails to get on top of the bounce. It flies off the outside edge to Root at first slip who takes a neat catch. 276 more needed in 254 balls. |
| South African skipper, Faf du Plessis is the new man in. |
| 7.5 : J Archer to du Plessis, FOUR! Faf du Plessis is off the mark with a boundary! He uses the pace of the bowler here. It is fuller and on off, Faf leans into it and times it past mid off. It races to the fence. |
| 7.6 : J Archer to du Plessis, Goes shorter and on the body, Faf works it to square leg. End of an action-packed over, 9 runs and a wicket from it. |
| 8.1 : C Woakes to de Kock, De Kock seems to be playing a responsible innings here. It is on middle, de Kock is happy to defend it out. |
| 8.2 : C Woakes to de Kock, On the pads, de Kock looks to work it on the leg side but gets an inside edge onto the pads. The ball rolls towards square leg for one. |
| 8.3 : C Woakes to du Plessis, Good shot but just for a single! Full and on off, Faf strokes it towards wide mid off for a single. |
| 8.4 : C Woakes to de Kock, On the pads, it is worked through backward square leg for a single. |
| Woakes once again pulls out. He may have missed his run-up there. |
| 8.5 : C Woakes to du Plessis, Goes wide of the crease and angles it into the middle pole, Faf works it to mid on. |
| 8.6 : C Woakes to du Plessis, Not a good shot! It is behind a driving length and outside off, Faf goes after it without a lot of foot movement but gets beaten. |
| 9.1 : J Archer to de Kock, Back of a length on the body, it is worked down to fine leg for one. |
| 9.2 : J Archer to du Plessis, Back of a length on off, Faf stands tall and pushes it to covers. |
| 9.3 : J Archer to du Plessis, OUT! In the air... taken! Faf du Plessis is out of here! England are into the fragile middle order of South Africa and that too very early in the game. The bouncer does the trick. It is on middle, Faf looks to pull but just like Markram does not get on top of the bounce. The ball takes the top edge and goes high up in the air towards fine leg. Moeen Ali there takes a good catch. South Africa in trouble here. |
| Rassie van der Dussen replaces his skipper out in the middle. |
| 9.4 : J Archer to de Kock, On the off pole, de Kock blocks it out. |
| 9.5 : J Archer to de Kock, Shorter in length and on the body, de Kock works it to square leg. |
| 9.6 : J Archer to de Kock, Another quick bouncer! De Kock evades it. |
| Powerplay 2 signalled by the umpire! Now 4 fielders can be placed outside the 30-yard circle till the 40th over. Also, first bowling change of the innings. Spinner into the attack now. Adil Rashid to bowl his first over of the game. |
| 10.1 : A Rashid to van der Dussen, Flatter and on off, this is pushed down to long off for one. |
| 10.2 : A Rashid to de Kock, Down the leg side, de Kock works it towards fine leg for a couple. |
| 10.3 : A Rashid to de Kock, Gives it air on middle, de Kock works it to mid-wicket. |
| 10.4 : A Rashid to de Kock, The slider outside off, de Kock waits for it and guides it straight to point. |
| 10.5 : A Rashid to de Kock, FOUR! What happened there? Has that hit the stumps? Yes, it has! But the bails have not come off, instead the ball has gone to the boundary. The googly which pitches around leg. De Kock goes for the sweep shot but misses as the ball stays low. It kisses the off pole, goes past Buttler and down to the third man fence. 50 up for South Africa. |
| 10.6 : A Rashid to de Kock, De Kock goes for another sweep but misses to get hit on the pads. 7 from Rashid's first but it could have easily been a successful one for England. |
| Moeen Ali into the attack now. |
| 11.1 : M Ali to van der Dussen, Starts with a shorter ball on middle, Rassie gets on his back foot and pulls it towards deep square leg for a couple. |
| 11.2 : M Ali to van der Dussen, Floated on middle, van der Dussen blocks it. |
| 11.3 : M Ali to van der Dussen, Tossed up on off, Rassie nudges it towards sweeper cover for a single. |
| 11.4 : M Ali to de Kock, Short on off, QdK Mmilks it to long off for one. |
| 11.5 : M Ali to van der Dussen, Floated on off, Rassie strokes it to sweeper cover and gets one. |
| 11.6 : M Ali to de Kock, SIX! That was six the moment it left the bat. Moeen flights it on off. He ends up serving it under de Kock's bat. He takes full toll of it and smothers it over the mid-wicket fence for the first maximum of the innings. |
| 12.1 : A Rashid to van der Dussen, Pushed to the cover region by the batsman. They pick up a single. |
| 12.2 : A Rashid to de Kock, Floats it up on middle, de Kock eases it to mid-wicket. |
| 12.3 : A Rashid to de Kock, Risky shot! This is tossed up outside off, it comes back in. De Kock plays it late towards short third man for a single. |
| 12.4 : A Rashid to van der Dussen, The leg spinner on off, Van der Dussen pushes it to covers. |
| 12.5 : A Rashid to van der Dussen, The googly on middle, van der Dussen looks to defend but the ball hits the pads and rolls towards the leg side. A leg bye taken. |
| 12.6 : A Rashid to de Kock, Down the leg side, de Kock looks to sweep but the ball goes off the top edge and towards short fine leg for one. |
| 13.1 : M Ali to de Kock, Bowls a flatter delivery outside off, de Kock looks to cut but misses. |
| 13.2 : M Ali to de Kock, Flighted on middle and off, de Kock defends it off the upper half of his bat. |
| 13.3 : M Ali to de Kock, Tossed up on off, de Kock comes down the track and milks it to long off for a single. |
| 13.4 : M Ali to van der Dussen, DROPPED! Buttler should have taken that. Off spinner pitching outside off, Rassie looks to defend but gets a faint outside edge. It goes behind sharply to the keeper. Buttler cannot grab it in his glove and it pops out. |
| 13.5 : M Ali to van der Dussen, Tossed up on off, Rassie blocks it off the front foot. |
| 13.6 : M Ali to van der Dussen, FOUR BYES! Now this one goes between the legs of Buttler. Quicker and straighter outside off, van der Dussen looks to drive it but misses and the ball goes right between the legs of Buttler and past him to the fence. |
| 14.1 : A Rashid to de Kock, Nicely played! Floated up on middle, de Kock plays the slog sweep through mid-wicket for a brace. |
| 14.2 : A Rashid to de Kock, Flatter on the pads, this is worked through square leg for one. |
| 14.3 : A Rashid to van der Dussen, Gives it a lot more air and lands it on off, it is pushed back to the bowler. |
| 14.4 : A Rashid to van der Dussen, The googly on off, Rassie goes back and pushes it to covers. |
| 14.5 : A Rashid to van der Dussen, On the stumps agian, it is defended again. |
| 14.6 : A Rashid to van der Dussen, Flighted ball on middle, Rassie pushes it back to the bowler. A good tight over this, just three from it. |
| 15.1 : M Ali to de Kock, Flatter and on off, de Kock goes back and pushes it through covers for one. |
| 15.2 : M Ali to van der Dussen, FOUR! Reverse swept and that has been played nicely! He goes down on one knee and hits it past backward point. First boundary for him and that should get him going. |
| 15.3 : M Ali to van der Dussen, Works it with the turn to the man at mid-wicket. |
| 15.4 : M Ali to van der Dussen, Flighted ball on off, Rassie drives it uppishly but well short of mid off. |
| 15.5 : M Ali to van der Dussen, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 15.6 : M Ali to van der Dussen, A dot to end! Again tries the reverse sweep but finds short third man this time. Four dots after the boundary, 5 from this one. 233 needed in 204. |
| 16.1 : A Rashid to de Kock, FOUR! On the pads, de Kock looks to whip it but gets an inside edge which goes fine down the leg side. The ball races away to the fien leg fence for a boundary. |
| 16.2 : A Rashid to de Kock, Play and miss. Short outside off. It is spinning away from the southpaw. De Kock looks to cut but misses. |
| 16.3 : A Rashid to de Kock, Floated on middle, de Kock strokes it to long on for one. |
| 16.4 : A Rashid to van der Dussen, Rassie is struggling to pick the spin here. Rashid bowls a wonderfully googly, van der Dussen looks to block it thinking of it as a leg spinner but it spins in and luckily for him he gets an inside edge which goes towards mid-wicket and they take single. |
| 16.5 : A Rashid to de Kock, On the pads, de Kock flicks it to the man at mid-wicket. |
| 16.6 : A Rashid to de Kock, On the pads, de Kock turns it away towards square leg and keeps the strike. |
| DRINKS! England on top at the moment! They have Markram and Faf back in the hut. No news yet about Amla whether he is going to bat or not. Couple of more wickets for them and they will be into the bowling all-rounders. For South Africa, a lot depends on the two batters batting out there. They are amidst a 42-run stand but they need to keep going. |
| 17.1 : M Ali to de Kock, Tossed up on middle, de Kock defends it with soft hands. |
| 17.2 : M Ali to de Kock, Short outside off, de Kock cuts it hard but straight to the man at point. |
| 17.3 : M Ali to de Kock, Good fielding once again from England and again it's that man Roy. Tossed up on off, de Kock drives it wide of cover but Roy there dives to his right and saves runs for his side. |
| 17.4 : M Ali to de Kock, Fifty for de Kock. It has been a great knock from him. Shorter on off, de Kock punches it wide of cover this time and gets a single to get to his 22nd ODI fifty. South Africa need him to convert this into a big one and take them over the line. |
| 17.5 : M Ali to van der Dussen, Tossed up on off, van der Dussen sweeps it wide of fine leg and gets a couple. |
| 17.6 : M Ali to van der Dussen, On the stumps, Rassie defends it to see off the over. |
| Liam Plunkett is on now! |
| 18.1 : L Plunkett to de Kock, A little too straight to begin with! De Kock flicks it through backward square leg. He calls for two straight away and completes it. |
| 18.2 : L Plunkett to de Kock, This time it is flicked to the left of fine leg for a single. |
| 18.3 : L Plunkett to van der Dussen, Back of a length on off, Rassie guides it down to third man for a single. |
| 18.4 : L Plunkett to de Kock, Takes a few steps down the track and Plunkett bowls it short and on the body. He pushes it to mid on. |
| 18.5 : L Plunkett to de Kock, Once again on the pads, de Kock works it towards fine leg and gets to the other end. 50-run stand up between the two. The job is only half done though. |
| 18.6 : L Plunkett to van der Dussen, Uppish but wide! Short and outside off, Rassie slashes at it, it goes uppishly but well wide of point and down to third man for one. |
| 19.1 : M Ali to van der Dussen, The reverse sweep comes out again. It is played too early though. It goes through covers for one. |
| 0.0 : Stumping appeal taken upstairs. Quinton de Kock is the man in question. He looks confident. Let's see what the replays have to say. |
| 19.2 : M Ali to de Kock, NOT OUT! De Kock is in! A beauty by Moeen though. It is flatter and on off, de Kock lunges and tries to defend. The ball though turns away and beats the outside edge. Buttler whips the bails off and appeals. The umpire takes it upstairs. Replays roll in and they show, that de Kock's foot was lifted but he got it down in time. |
| 19.3 : M Ali to de Kock, Flighted ball on middle, this is kept out. |
| 19.4 : M Ali to de Kock, On the shorter side outside off, de Kock goes back and cuts it to point. |
| 19.5 : M Ali to de Kock, Very full on the pads, this is worked through mid-wicket for one. |
| 19.6 : M Ali to van der Dussen, Just short! Rassie dances down the track and Moeen gives it a lot of air. The batter pushes it back towards the bowler. It is uppish but well short. A tight over from Ali. |
| 20.1 : L Plunkett to de Kock, FOUR! Just the start to the over South Africa would have wanted. Plunkett bangs it in short, de Kock was waiting for it and he pulls it through square leg for a boundary. With that boundary 100 comes up for the Proteas. |
| 20.2 : L Plunkett to de Kock, On middle and leg, de Kock flicks it to mid-wicket for a single. |
| 20.3 : L Plunkett to van der Dussen, Good length ball on off, van der Dussen punches it wide of cover and gets one. |
| 20.4 : L Plunkett to de Kock, Fuller on middle, de Kock comes down the track slightly and drives it straight to mid on. |
| 20.5 : L Plunkett to de Kock, SIX! What a shot! Full on off, de Kock moves away slightly towards the leg stump and tonks it over covers for a maximum. |
| 20.6 : L Plunkett to de Kock, Length ball on off, de Kock punches it to the man at cover. Good over for South Africa. 12 runs off it. |
| 21.1 : M Ali to van der Dussen, SIX! Top shot! Rassie dances down the track, gets to the pitch of it and then lofts it over the long off fence for a biggie. Runs starting to flow now for South Africa. Ideal start to the over, pressure on the bowler now. |
| 21.2 : M Ali to van der Dussen, FOUR! Lovely batting from Rassie! He showed power on the last ball and finesse this time. Goes down on one knee and reverse sweeps it through short third man for a boundary. 10 from the first two balls. |
| 21.3 : M Ali to van der Dussen, Just a single now! Sensible batting. He pushes it down to long on and gets to the other end. |
| 21.4 : M Ali to de Kock, Flighted ball on off, de Kock strokes it down to long off and rotates strike. |
| 21.5 : M Ali to van der Dussen, FOUR! Third boundary in the over! This may have been off the edge. Yes, it is. Floated outside off, it is the straighter one. Rassie looks to defend but does so for the turn which is not there. The ball goes off the outside edge. The fielder from short third man runs after it and dives but his effort goes in vain. |
| 21.6 : M Ali to van der Dussen, On the stumps, this is kept out. 16 from the over. 28 from the last two. 187 more needed in 168. |
| 22.1 : L Plunkett to de Kock, Good length ball on middle, de Kock flicks it to deep mid-wicket and gets a single. |
| 22.2 : L Plunkett to van der Dussen, Good shot for a couple. Full on off, Rassie drives it handsomely through covers. The sweeper cover though gets there and they take two. |
| 22.3 : L Plunkett to van der Dussen, Plunkett hits the length hard on middle, Rassie tucks it to the man at mid-wicket. |
| 22.4 : L Plunkett to van der Dussen, Fuller on off, van der Dussen defends it to the fielder at point. |
| 22.5 : L Plunkett to van der Dussen, Full on off, Rassie drives it to the right of the sweeper cover and gets a single. |
| 22.6 : L Plunkett to de Kock, OUT! Big, big wicket for England. Plunkett who has been a bit expensive today has got them the big fish. Quinton de Kock is out of here. It is not the best of deliveries. It is full on the pads, de Kock looks to flick it over the fine leg fence. He does not get the desired elevation as the ball comes off the lower half of his bat. It goes to the right of Joe Root stationed at fine leg. He moves there and takes a good catch in front of him. The 85-run stand is broken |
| 23.1 : M Ali to van der Dussen, Flighted ball on off, Rassie strokes it through covers for one. |
| 23.2 : M Ali to JP Duminy, Flighted ball on middle, Duminy strokes it down to long off and gets to the other end. |
| 23.3 : M Ali to van der Dussen, Flatter and on off, Rassie guides it through point and gets to the other end. |
| 23.4 : M Ali to JP Duminy, Flatter and on off, Duminy strokes it through covers for one. |
| 23.5 : M Ali to van der Dussen, Flatter and outside off, Rassie slaps it through covers for another single. |
| 23.6 : M Ali to JP Duminy, Nicely played! Plays it with the turn through covers for a run. |
| 24.1 : L Plunkett to JP Duminy, Extra bounce! Short and outside off, Duminy looks to cut but is done in by the extra bounce. |
| 24.2 : L Plunkett to JP Duminy, Good length and on off, Duminy pushes it to mid off. |
| 24.3 : L Plunkett to JP Duminy, On the shorter side, Duminy pulls it through backward square leg. The fine leg fielder does well to get to the ball quickly and keep it down to one. |
| 24.4 : L Plunkett to van der Dussen, On the shorter side outside off, Rassie slaps it through covers for one. |
| 24.5 : L Plunkett to JP Duminy, Changes his length and goes very full on middle, Duminy jams it out to mid-wicket. |
| 24.6 : L Plunkett to JP Duminy, Another dot to end! On a length and on off, JP keeps it out. |
| 25.1 : M Ali to van der Dussen, Tossed up on off, Rassie brings out the reverse sweep but finds backward point. |
| 25.2 : M Ali to van der Dussen, Floated on off, Rassie looks to defend but it goes to the leg side off the inner half of his bat for a single. |
| 25.3 : M Ali to JP Duminy, FOUR! Good use of the feet here. Moeen tosses it up on off and middle, Duminy comes down the track and lofts it over mid-wicket. The ball bounces before the ropes and goes away for four. |
| 25.4 : M Ali to JP Duminy, Follows it up with a gentle drive to cover. |
| 25.5 : M Ali to JP Duminy, OUT! Duminy holes out! Moeen has the last laugh. Moeen shows courage and flights this ball on off, Duminy looks to go inside out over long off. He does not time it well and ends up hitting it straight to long off. Ben Stokes there who has had a very good game so far takes a simple catch. South Africa losing regular wickets here. |
| Dwaine Pretorius is the new man in. |
| 25.6 : M Ali to van der Dussen, On off, Rassie defends it to see off the over. Another good over from Moeen. Just 5 runs and he has finally got a wicket in this match which was evading him. |
| 26.1 : L Plunkett to D Pretorius, Short ball and it is pulled powerfully towards deep square leg but just for a single. |
| 0.0 : Have England got another? They are celebrating. They have gone upstairs to check if Dwaine Pretorius is short. |
| 26.2 : L Plunkett to van der Dussen, OUT! Pretorius is well short! This is probably the last thing South Africa would have wanted. Rassie strokes this through covers. They take one and then go for the second. Stokes does brilliantly as he runs to his right and then picks it up with one hand. Fires it to Morgan who is standing ahead of the stumps. He collects it and then whips the bails off. They appeal and it has been taken upstairs. Replays show that DP is short. That second where he had to run |
| Andile Phehlukwayo walks out next. |
| 26.3 : L Plunkett to van der Dussen, The batsman opens the face of the bat and helps it to third man. They pick up a single. |
| 26.4 : L Plunkett to A Phehlukwayo, Full and on middle, it is kept out. |
| 26.5 : L Plunkett to A Phehlukwayo, Short and outside off, AP looks to cut but it goes off the outside edge to third man for a run. |
| 26.6 : L Plunkett to van der Dussen, Back of a length on off, it is guided to point. |
| 27.1 : M Ali to A Phehlukwayo, Short on off, Andile cuts it wide of deep point and gets a couple. |
| 27.2 : M Ali to A Phehlukwayo, Flatter on middle and leg, Phehlukwayo gets on his back foot and blocks it. |
| 27.3 : M Ali to A Phehlukwayo, Tossed up on the stumps, Andile taps it back to the bowler. |
| 27.4 : M Ali to A Phehlukwayo, Floated on middle, AP blocks it off his front foot. |
| 27.5 : M Ali to A Phehlukwayo, Tossed up on off, Phehlukwayo strokes it to long off for a single. |
| 27.6 : M Ali to van der Dussen, Flighted on off, Rassie defends it off his front foot towards cover and keeps the strike with a single. |
| Adil Rashid is back! |
| 28.1 : A Rashid to van der Dussen, The slider on the pads, it is worked through square leg for one. |
| 28.2 : A Rashid to A Phehlukwayo, Rashid flights it beautifully outside off, Andile looks to drive it but misses. Buttler fails to gather it and it hits him on his right pad. |
| 28.3 : A Rashid to A Phehlukwayo, On off, AP drives it to the man at cover. |
| 28.4 : A Rashid to A Phehlukwayo, FOUR! Floated on off. It is very full, Phehlukwayo picks the bones out of it and smashes it through mid off for a boundary. |
| 28.5 : A Rashid to A Phehlukwayo, Good comeback from Rashid. He tosses it up outside off. The ball spins away from Andile, who looks to defend it. |
| 28.6 : A Rashid to A Phehlukwayo, Floated on middle and leg, Phehlukwayo sweeps it away for a single and he will keep the strike. |
| 29.1 : M Ali to A Phehlukwayo, FOUR! Up and over! Phehlukwayo dances down the track but does not get to the pitch of the ball. He still manages to drag it over mid on for a boundary. Risky shot but the risk comes off. |
| 29.2 : M Ali to A Phehlukwayo, Slightly shorter and on off, AP cuts it hard but to point. |
| 29.3 : M Ali to A Phehlukwayo, Flatter and outside off, Phehlukwayo hits it through covers for one. |
| 29.4 : M Ali to van der Dussen, FOUR! Second boundary in the over! Too short and outside off, Rassie goes back and slaps it past covers and it races away. |
| 29.5 : M Ali to van der Dussen, On the stumps, it is kept out. |
| 29.6 : M Ali to van der Dussen, A single to end a good over for South Africa. This is stroked through covers for one. 146 more needed in 120. |
| 30.1 : A Rashid to van der Dussen, Loops it on middle, Rassie defends it with soft hands to cover. Andile wanted a run which was not there at all and van der Dussen sends him back. |
| 30.2 : A Rashid to van der Dussen, Good fielding off his own bowling. Tossed up on off, Rassie drives it to the left of Rashid and he gets down in time to stop it. |
| 30.3 : A Rashid to van der Dussen, On the stumps, van der Dussen blocks it. |
| 30.4 : A Rashid to van der Dussen, Fifty for van der Dussen. He has made the most of the life he has got here. He was dropped on 6 by Buttler and has made the full use of it. He gets to his 6th ODI fifty by punching this short ball wide of cover and taking a single. The onus will be on him to take South Africa over the line. |
| Review time! England's appeal for an LBW has been turned down. They take the review. Looks close. |
| 30.5 : A Rashid to A Phehlukwayo, NOT OUT! Pitching outside leg and England have lost their only review. Nicely flighted leg spinner from Rashid. It spins in to the southpaw. Phehlukwayo gets on his back foot and looks to block but misses it completely. The ball hits him on the left pad. England players put in an appeal but it is turned down by the umpire. They decide and then take it upstairs. Replay rolls in and Hawk Eye shows that the ball was pitching outside leg. |
| 30.6 : A Rashid to A Phehlukwayo, Good fielding from Archer. Floated on middle, Andile hits the reverse sweep hard but Archer at point dives to his left and stops the ball. He has saved a certain boundary there. |
| Jofra Archer is back! |
| 31.1 : J Archer to van der Dussen, Slower ball on off, it straightens after pitching. Van der Dussen looks to adjust but gets an outside edge which goes on the bounce to the keeper. |
| 31.2 : J Archer to van der Dussen, Another slower one on middle, it is defended. |
| 31.3 : J Archer to van der Dussen, Length and on off, Rassie strokes it on the up to the man at covers. |
| 31.4 : J Archer to van der Dussen, 4 dots in a row! Rolls his fingers on the ball and lands it on off, Rassie guides it to point. |
| 31.5 : J Archer to van der Dussen, OUT! There goes, probably, South Africa's last hope of chasing this total down. The well-set van der Dussen walks back after getting to a half ton. What an impact Archer has made. He gets his third and that too, all three of his wickets are huge. Once again the short ball does the trick for him. It is quick and the key here is the length. It is outside off, Rassie looks to drag his pull but only manages a top edge. It balloons towards mid on where Ali takes an e |
| Hashim Amla walks out to bat. |
| 31.6 : J Archer to H Amla, Welcomes Amla with a bumper but it is outside off, Hashim evades it. End of a wicket maiden by Archer. It is also the first maiden of the game. |
| 32.1 : A Rashid to A Phehlukwayo, FOUR! Swept and swept away! Rashid flights it on off, Phehlukwayo gets down on one knee and sweeps it over mid-wicket. The ball bounces in front of the ropes and goes away for a boundary. |
| 32.2 : A Rashid to A Phehlukwayo, On the pads, Andile sweeps it down to fine leg for a single. |
| 32.3 : A Rashid to H Amla, Floated on the stumps, Amla defends it solidly. |
| 32.4 : A Rashid to H Amla, Flighted on off, Hashim defends it off the front foot. |
| 32.5 : A Rashid to H Amla, On the pads now, Amla turns it away to fine leg and gets a single. |
| 32.6 : A Rashid to A Phehlukwayo, Nice ball to end the over. Rashid tosses it up on off, Phehlukwayo looks to defend but the ball spins away from him and he misses it. |
| 33.1 : J Archer to H Amla, Slower one and fuller on middle, Amla keeps it out. |
| 33.2 : J Archer to H Amla, Brilliant, just brilliant from Roy. As far as I can remember, he has saved at least 3 boundaries today. Short and wide outside off, Amla cuts it to the left of point. Roy there dives to his left and stops it. The batters take a run. |
| 33.3 : J Archer to A Phehlukwayo, Good length on off, it is defended. |
| 33.4 : J Archer to A Phehlukwayo, FOUR! Easy-peasy! On the pads, Phehlukwayo works it fine on the leg side and the ball races away. |
| 33.5 : J Archer to A Phehlukwayo, WIDE! Short one on middle, AP evades it. Umpire has wided it. |
| J Archer to A Phehlukwayo, Good length and on middle, it is kept out. |
| 33.6 : J Archer to A Phehlukwayo, A single to end the over! Good length and on off, it is guided towards cover for a run. |
| Drinks Break! England are way in front at the moment and a wicket here will all but seal the game here. Andile Phehlukwayo and Hashim Amla hold the key here for South Africa. Even if they don't win this they will look to get close to the total. |
| 34.1 : A Rashid to A Phehlukwayo, OUT! Ho, Ho, Ho! That is some catch! My word! Ben Stokes, take a bow. Still can't believe he has taken it. For a second not even he could. Andile Phehlukwayo too trudges off in disbelief. Magnificent. Rashid tosses this up on middle, Phehlukwayo goes down and looks to play the slog sweep. He nails it towards deep mid-wicket. Ben Stokes there is standing a little too inside the ropes as it is the longer part of the ground. He moves to his left and then leaps with |
| 0.0 : Kagiso Rabada walks out to bat next. |
| 34.2 : A Rashid to K Rabada, Tossed up on off, it is kept out. |
| 34.3 : A Rashid to K Rabada, The googly on off, Rabada guides it to point. |
| 34.4 : A Rashid to K Rabada, The batsman rocks onto the back foot and punches the ball. One run added to the total. |
| 34.5 : A Rashid to H Amla, Shortish and on off, it is slapped to covers. |
| 34.6 : A Rashid to H Amla, Amla keeps strike as he pushes it through covers. |
| Ben Stokes is into the attack now. He was brilliant with the bat and has been excellent in the field. Can he top it up with a wicket here? |
| 35.1 : Ben Stokes to H Amla, Starts with a length ball on middle, Amla tucks it to mid-wicket for a single. |
| 35.2 : Ben Stokes to K Rabada, Good length ball on off, Rabada taps it to the man at point. |
| 35.3 : Ben Stokes to K Rabada, Length ball on off, Kagiso defends it off the front foot. |
| 35.4 : Ben Stokes to K Rabada, Stokes bends his back and bowls it short, Rabada pulls it off the lower half of his bat to mid on. |
| 35.5 : Ben Stokes to K Rabada, Good length ball on off, Rabada defends it onto the ground. |
| 35.6 : Ben Stokes to K Rabada, Excellent over from Stokes. He just cannot do anything wrong today. Just a single off his first over. The last ball is on off, Rabada taps it to point. |
| Liam Plunkett is back! |
| 36.1 : L Plunkett to H Amla, Short and outside off, Amla looks to cut but gets an inside edge to the keeper. |
| 36.2 : L Plunkett to H Amla, This is angled into the batsman, he works it to mid-wicket for one. |
| 36.3 : L Plunkett to K Rabada, Good short ball on middle, the batter ducks under it. |
| 36.4 : L Plunkett to K Rabada, This time Rabada pulls it and does so nicely towards fine leg for just a single. |
| 36.5 : L Plunkett to H Amla, The batsman flicks it away with a wristy shot. They pick up a single. |
| 36.6 : L Plunkett to K Rabada, Almost plays it on! Length and outside off, Rabada looks to drive it through the off side but gets an inside edge onto his pads. |
| 37.1 : Ben Stokes to H Amla, Good length ball on off, Amla nudges it to cover and gets a single. |
| 37.2 : Ben Stokes to K Rabada, FOUR! Just over! Stokes bowls it short, Rabada plays the pull towards mid-wicket. Eoin Morgan stretches his right hand up but it still goes over him for a boundary. |
| 37.3 : Ben Stokes to K Rabada, Good length ball on off, this time Rabada blocks it. |
| 37.4 : Ben Stokes to K Rabada, Bowls this slower one on the leg side, Rabada looks to flick but misses. It flicks his pad on the way. |
| 37.5 : Ben Stokes to K Rabada, Back of a length ball on off, KG pushes it wide of cover and gets a single. |
| 37.6 : Ben Stokes to H Amla, On the pads, Amla flicks it to fine leg and keeps the strike. |
| 38.1 : L Plunkett to H Amla, OUT! There goes the last recognized batsman. Once again we see the short ball doing the trick. It is outside off, Amla looks to pull but there is a top edge. It goes to Buttler who takes it and appeals. Amla starts walking. |
| 0.0 : Lungi Ngidi is the new man in. |
| 38.2 : L Plunkett to L Ngidi, On the fuller side on off, Ngidi drives it square on the off side to point. |
| 38.3 : L Plunkett to L Ngidi, Short and outside off, the batter looks to cut but misses. |
| 38.4 : L Plunkett to L Ngidi, SIX! Full and on middle, Ngidi lofts it with ease over the long on fence. |
| 38.5 : L Plunkett to L Ngidi, Squares him up! Length and on middle, the ball straightens. Ngidi is opened up in his defense and the ball whizzes past the outside edge. |
| 38.6 : L Plunkett to L Ngidi, The batsman defends it from within the crease. So a wicket and a maximum from the over. |
| 39.1 : Ben Stokes to K Rabada, FOUR! STREAKY! Not sure though why there isn't a slip in place! Length and outside off, Rabada hangs his bat out. The ball flies off the outside edge and to the third man fence. |
| 39.2 : Ben Stokes to K Rabada, A short ball, around off, Rabada pulls it firmly and almost holes out. The ball lands in front of short mid-wicket. |
| 39.3 : Ben Stokes to K Rabada, FOUR LEG BYES. Down the leg side, Rabada misses his flick but the ball goes off his pads. Buttler dives to his right but in vain. |
| 39.4 : Ben Stokes to K Rabada, OUT! Caught. There goes wicket number 9 and Jofra Archer is denied a fifer. A short ball, around middle and off, Rabada pulls it firmly again but this time it is in the hands of Liam Plunkett at deep square leg. |
| Imran Tahir is the last man in! |
| 39.5 : Ben Stokes to I Tahir, OUT! Catching practice! Two in two for Stokes. He did it with the bat, he was brilliant in the field and now finishes it with the ball. Length delivery on off, Tahir opens the face of the bat and guides it to widish first slip where Root takes a neat catch diving to his right. All smiles in the England camp AS THEY HAVE WON BY 104 RUNS! |
| What a comprehensive win for the hosts! They have justified the tag of being favorites. It was a complete team performance from them today. Their bowlers were exceptional, their batting was decent and their fielding was at its best. A day where Morgan and co. can be very satisfied. |
| England headed into the second innings with momentum not on their side but they did not make it feel that way. Their new-ball bowlers were exceptional with their lines and lengths. Woakes kept it nice and tight whereas, Archer bowled with pace. One of his deliveries hit Amla on the helmet due to which he had to retire hurt. He then got Faf and Markram and pushed South Africa on the back foot early on. De Kock and Rassie van der Dussen did get South Africa back into the game with both scoring hal |
| Every bowler except for Woakes was amongst the wickets. Archer was probably the pick as he finished with the three-fer. Plunkett and Stokes too had two each. The two spinners had a wicket to their name. All-in-all, it was a good day at the office for all the bowlers. |
| Earlier in the day, South Africa won the toss and elected to bowl. The England batters were going great guns till the 37th over. However, once Morgan got out, they lost their way completely. Courtesy Stokes though, they got to a competitive total, their 5th successive 300-plus score in ODIs which in the end, proved to be enough by a long way. |
| MAN OF THE MATCH, Ben Stokes, on that catch, says he was panicking as he was ahead than where he should have been. Says it would have been a regulation catch had he been in the position he had to be. On his batting performance, he says it was a sticky wicket and getting to 300 was the aim. Tells that boundaries were hard to come by while batting and they knew what their bowlers had to do. On the crowd, he says the atmosphere was fantastic and further adds it got loud out in the middle. Also tell |
| South African skipper, Faf du Plessis, says that England were better in all three departments today and they got good partnerships out in the middle. Further adds that England got off to a good start with the ball and credits Jofra Archer for the way they bowled. Faf says he thought 300 was a par score but the wicket was slower than it usually is. Further adds that he was at one time expecting to chase around 340 with the way England were batting but credits his bowlers for the way they came bac |
| England skipper, Eoin Morgan, says he is delighted to be up and running in the tournament and a performance like that is more satisfying. Mentions the wicket did not allow them to execute their plan A which is scoring a big total but they showed great maturity, played smart cricket and they got to a total which he felt was competitive and above par. Credits Stokes for the way he played in every department and says he is the difference maker. Tells the bowling unit got off to a great start, they |
| So that is it from the first game! The tournament favorites are the ones who came out on top. Now we have two different teams playing on the 31st of May. It is a clash between Pakistan and West Indies in Nottingham at 1030 local (0930 GMT). Till then, take care and goodbye! |
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