Breetzke Helps South Africa Edge England To Clinch Second Men’s Odi And Series

It has been a South African summertime astatine Lord’s. After nan World Test Championship triumph successful June came a 2nd to savour astatine nan location of cricket: a tight five-run triumph nether lights that sealed their first one-day world bid triumph connected English ungraded for 27 years.

For England it was different reminder of really acold they person fallen since lifting nan World Cup connected this crushed six years ago, this their 5th ODI bid conclusion from their past six. They improved connected Tuesday’s howler astatine Headingley but they would person done good to person played immoderate worse.

Set 331 to win, Harry Brook’s men came wrong rubbing region of levelling nan bid aft a corporate effort that did crackle astatine times. Jacob Bethell tucked into Keshav Maharaj en way to 58 from conscionable 40 balls, Joe Root finessed 61 earlier being stumped. And aft Jos Buttler’s brisk 61 from 51, they needed 75 from nan past 45 balls of nan innings.

But successful nan end, nan much regimented Proteas prevailed. A yorker from Lungi Ngidi lit up Buttler’s stumps and, contempt immoderate precocious blows from Will Jacks, nan regular autumn of wickets near nan little bid excessively overmuch to do. It ended pinch Jofra Archer needing 16 disconnected nan last complete – nan part-time spinner Senuran Muthusamy nan bowler – only to autumn conscionable short.

Two-nil down, England now caput to Southampton connected Sunday looking for a consolation triumph earlier nan Twenty20s that follow. This was their eighth conclusion from 11 ODIs since ­Brendon McCullum’s little was expanded to see nan white-ball teams astatine nan commencement of nan twelvemonth – their only wins coming against West Indies, classed ninth successful nan world to their eighth.

A spot went England’s measurement here, too, beryllium it Brook winning nan flip aft a greeting of rainfall aliases an outfield that quickened up successful nan 2nd innings. Wiaan Mulder, whose figures of 3 for 33 helped derail them astatine ­Headingley, was missing for nan visitors aft an overnight illness. Saqib Mahmood successful for Sonny Baker besides meant much acquisition for nan hosts.

South Africa were unperturbed by each this, their imposing 330 for 8 built connected different agleam commencement from Aiden Markram, 49, and a fourth-wicket guidelines from Matthew Breetzke, 85, and Tristan Stubbs, 58, that put connected 147 successful conscionable 126 balls. Dewald Brevis past lit nan afterburners, nan 22-year-old smoking 42 from 20 to underline his singular hand-eye talent.

Archer ran though his variations for 4 wickets but, not for nan first time, nan standout bowler was Adil Rashid. Sending down 10 overs for 33 runs – and deed for conscionable 1 bound – nan leg-spinner tickled Temba Bavuma’s extracurricular separator pinch a beauty and removed Markram pinch a crisp return catch. In a parallel universe, this would augur good for nan Ashes.

Will Jacks deed 39 runs earlier losing his wicket to Nandre Burger. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian

As dreamily arsenic Rashid bowled, however, location was nary evident request for South Africa to return him on. One of nan hallmarks of Brook’s captaincy has been to battalion nan batting and winkle retired 10 overs utilizing part-time spin. Bethell did snuff retired Brevis pinch his left-arm darts but, sending down 5 overs apiece, he and Jacks were taken for a mixed 112 runs.

Breetzke was among those to return advantage, returning from a hamstring niggle to go nan first man successful ODI history to walk 50 successful each of his first 5 innings. The right-hander moved done nan gears here, unfurling immoderate eye-catching shots including 1 silky inside-out six disconnected Bethell, only to beryllium mugged by a slower shot yorker from Archer for a plumb lbw.

South Africa went into nan past 10 overs connected 240 for four, a useful level from which to accelerate, only for nan group Stubbs to beryllium tally retired 2 overs later aft a calamitous mix-up pinch Brevis. The youngster atoned astatine least, his precocious flurry of 3 fours and 3 sixes – positive a useful 32 from Corbin Bosch – tasking England pinch breaking a record.

Their commencement could scarcely person been worse, Jamie Smith pushing difficult astatine an inswinger from Nandre Burger first shot and feathering an wrong separator behind. Ben Duckett besides lacked immoderate fluency, penned successful for a 33-ball 14 and bowled by Maharaj trying to manufacture a reverse sweep.

At 66 for 2 successful nan 13th came Bethell, elevated supra Brook to proceed a right-left operation pinch Root and uncovering immoderate shape astatine nan extremity of a personally challenging summer. Taking 19 runs disconnected an complete from Maharaj, Bethell gave nan innings momentum only to slash Bosch to backward point.

When Root followed soon after, Maharaj reasserting himself, England’s chances hinged connected 1 of Brook, Buttler aliases Jacks seeing things done to nan end. But contempt nan improved conditions for batting nan Proteas kept chipping away, Muthusamy removing Brook for 33 via a starring separator and conscionable astir keeping Archer astatine bay travel nan end.