On a wet evening in Cardiff, South Africa have managed to capitalise on England’s unfortunate collapse to take an early lead in their series against them. Notable performances came from Jacques Kallis and Dale Steyn among others, a result that was clearly reflected in the South Africa National Cricket Team vs England Cricket Team Match Scorecard.
Markram strikes for 22 in Wood’s second over, including an extraordinary six that flew miles over square leg and onto a hotel balcony.
| Innings | Runs | Overs | Details (with Source) |
|---|---|---|---|
| England (1st Innings) | 304/2 | 20.0 | England scored 304/2 with Phil Salt 141 & Jos Buttler 83 — England won by 146 runs (ESPN) (Business Standard) |
| South Africa (2nd Innings) | 158/10 | 16.1 | South Africa all out for 158 in reply (ESPN) (Business Standard) |
| Result | — | — | England won by 146 runs |
The rivalry
The England vs South Africa rivalry is one of the greatest contests in international cricket. These two sides share a lengthy and rich history dating back more than 100 years, from Test matches and World Cup encounters to current T20 battles and T20 playoffs. Their match-up has produced records, ability, politics and drama which has defined cricket history and given rise to some unforgettable moments in this contest.
Rivalry between South Africa and England began in 1889, yet only became prominent with South Africa’s tour of England in 1994. This tour marked the first time since apartheid had ended that England players visited South Africa after apartheid ended – the England players were welcomed with great fanfare by Rainbow Nation members, with Nelson Mandela calling this momentous occasion “crucial for his vision of an united country”.
From its inception, this match was an intense encounter. South African skipper Graeme Smith won the toss and elected to field, hoping that his pace attack would quickly penetrate England’s vulnerable batting lineup. South Africa delivered on their promise with Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel particularly causing trouble to English batsmen.
England found themselves struggling against South African attacks, but were helped by a flat pitch which gave little assistance to spinners. Kevin Pietersen and Ian Bell both showed their determination by not surrendering to South African bowlers – both batsmen passing three figures during their innings.
England finished Day 3 on 203/3 and were in control of their innings, led by Jos Buttler’s two sixes and Phil Salt’s century (his fourth for England in this format and second highest score by an Englishman).
But then the rain came. Play was suspended at 19:00, and ultimately abandoned for the day. Play resumed the fourth and final day but again became bogged down with rain – eventually leading to it being declared a draw; leaving England comfortably placed while South Africa needed over 200 runs to win their series.
The history
The England vs South Africa rivalry is one of the longest-standing and most genuine contests in international cricket, dating back more than 100 years. From legendary performances to political interferences, this rivalry boasts a long and distinguished history that spans several generations.
South Africa’s post-apartheid team was an extraordinary blend of talent and ambition that set out to put South African sport on the world map. Comprised of older veterans like Gary Kirsten and Darryl Cullinan as well as younger, rising stars Jacques Kallis and Shaun Pollock; plus the signing of former English captain Allan Donald helped solidify their strength.
Even at their young age, the Proteas were not easy opponents to beat. Although their early Test record was dismal–ten defeats and one draw in eleven tests–they quickly learned and experienced enough to compete with some of the finest sides worldwide.
On ODI cricket, India have also proven themselves highly successful, typically being considered strong contenders at World Cups despite not winning one yet. They even made it as far as reaching the semifinals before losing out against New Zealand in 2011.
This match was an intense contest. England appeared to be well in control after day two with an innings total of 334/6; however, South African batsmen staged an amazing comeback – led by AB de Villiers’ triple century to put South Africa back in contention and close out day three on 358/6.
Although England attempted their best, eventually succumbing to a powerful South African onslaught and being bowled out for 285. Jofra Archer managed to take out Aiden Markram and send the match into a tiebreaker; with series tied at 2-2 it should prove an entertaining contest! The last ODI will take place this Sunday in Nottingham – stay tuned!
The match
England claimed control of an intense three-match series with a stunning win during a rain-affected contest. Jofra Archer’s early wicket reduced South Africa to 3-64; even though Aiden Markram hit 41 off 20 balls he wasn’t enough.
England set an unprecedented score of 2-304 during their T20 international match with Australia at Headingley on September 10, with Jos Buttler making 83 and Phil Salt unbeaten 141 helping England post an unprecedented total. They made this remarkable effort under difficult conditions that saw it rain nearly non-stop throughout and with balls occasionally skidding past for runs.
Kagiso Rabada had an astonishingly expensive over, conceding 70 runs – his most costly T20 bowling performance to date. Overstepping twice and bowling a no-ball that Markram hit straight down for six allowed him to surpass his own record for most runs scored against an opponent and break it – now standing at 217 runs scored against them now standing at 217.5
The scorecard
The South Africa national cricket team, commonly referred to as the Proteas after their national flower, is a professional sports team representing South Africa internationally in cricket. The Proteas compete in Test matches, One-Day Internationals and Twenty20 Internationals; boasts one of the strongest teams worldwide despite never winning the World Cup (second in Test rankings and fifth in ODI rankings respectively). Since being reinstated as full members of ICC after apartheid ended in 1991 they have established themselves as a dominant force across all formats of play – Test, One-Day Internationals or Twenty20 Internationals
England sent England into bat at Lord’s, where the Proteas managed to score 344 before losing two wickets: Phil Salt was caught at fine leg off Luke Wood and Jos Buttler bowled by Jofra Archer. South Africa struggled in its chase of this total; only Salt and captain Harry Brook managed more than one run per over in their chase attempts.
However, they eventually collapsed to 169-6 in the 17th over and were all out for 158 runs – sending this three-match series into a tiebreaker on Sunday in Nottingham.
As it poured rain on an already sodden night, much of the outfield was washed away and made conditions difficult for batters. England were better at adapting and quickly found themselves leading when they reached 76-1 in nine overs – Jos Buttler hit an outstanding 57 off 25 balls including three sixes but other batsmen couldn’t keep pace with his run rate.
The Proteas feature high-profile players like AB de Villiers and Jacques Kallis on their team, as well as top spinners such as Dale Steyn and Allan Donald. Macron produces their kits which feature the iconic King Protea emblem on their jerseys as well as sun caps with flag colors representing South Africa. Although not in use anymore, there can still be seen logos representing United Cricket Board from before 1996 which represented South African cricket before that point on caps used by this national cricket team.