At the Diamond Oval in Kimberley on Wednesday, England defeated South Africa by a score of 59 runs thanks to centuries from Dawid Malan and skipper Jos Buttler. In an England total of 346 for seven, Malan made 118 and Buttler scored 131 runs. Fast bowler Jofra Archer took a career-high six for 40 as South Africa was bowled out for 287. Although England captain Jos Buttler stated Wednesday’s victory was a reward for the effort his men had put in over the brief series, South Africa had already won the series after winning the first two games.
“There’s been some really good stuff. The Guys getting hundreds and Jofra Archer was brilliant. We’ve got a good thing going. We’re building nicely,” said Buttler, who was named player of the match and player of the series. South African captain Temba Bavuma said the series win was important. “We came in under a lot of pressure. We’ve done ourselves justice and come closer to automatic qualification for the World Cup.”
Although Sri Lanka could yet pass them in an upcoming series against New Zealand, South Africa needs one victory in their final two games against the Netherlands to pass West Indies and move into one of the eight qualifying spots in the World Cup Super League. When their team was in difficulty at 14 for three in the sixth over, the left-handed Malan and his right-handed captain joined forces and recorded a fourth-wicket partnership of 232 off 211 balls. After a sluggish beginning, the duo quickly gained control of a slow pitch and unleashed a barrage of runs. Even after the two-century batsmen were gone, England continued to score quickly, scoring 217 runs in the final 20 overs of their innings.
Anrich Nortje and Kagiso Rabada, two of South Africa’s two fastest bowlers, decided not to play in the match, leaving them unable to control the scoring. After 30 overs of comparative scores, South Africa was 59 runs ahead when they started to bat. The key difference was that England had better strike power in the middle overs thanks to wickets taken by leg-spinner Adil Rashid (three for 68) and batsman Jofra Archer (three for 68). After a protracted injury layoff, Archer made his international comeback in the second game and bowled consistently at over 145 km/h (90mph).