Magic England Hammer Proteas

Prior to the match, England announced one change from the side that was embarrassed by Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge on Thursday, with commentators' calls for an extra bowler being answered as Rikki Clarke was - to the delight of everyone north of the Watford Gap - dropped for James Anderson, returning after being rested against the Zimbabweans. Minutes before the toss, however, England skipper Michael Vaughan withdrew as a "precautionary measure" due to a back spasm, leaving Marcus Trescothick to captain the side in his absence. South Africa named a side with plenty of all-rounders, batting all the way down to number nine.

As the summer sun beat down upon London, Graeme Smith won the toss and unsurprisingly decided to bat first, to face up to young tyro James Anderson and veteran Darren Gough. The first over went the way of England, as Anderson sent down a maiden before Herschelle Gibbs got in the first blow for the visitors, bludgeoning Anderson over the midwicket ropes for a one-bounce four. Two balls later, it was Anderson who delivered a knock-out, as Gibbs (5) picked the wrong length and saw his furniture re-arranged. First blood...

A similar chain of events came to pass in the ninth over, with captain Smith (15) crashing a short one from the Lancastrian to the cover boundary before his attempt to repeat the shot resulted in an inside edge, removal of bails, and a walk back to the pavilion. 34/2. The control of the game then edged back and forth up until drinks as esquisite stroke play from Jacques Rudolph and in particular the returning Jacques Kallis, countered by good, accurate bowling from Richard Johnson brought the visitors to 65 at the drinks break.

Johnson then revived memories of Andy Bichel at the World Cup with a superb turn and throw to run out Rudolph (20) after Kallis sent him back after initially calling for a single. At 72/3, England were back in command - but could they keep themselves there, or would, as has happened so many times before, they let their opponents off the hook. Sadly for England, it was the latter. Ashley Giles - STILL going over the wicket and creating as much danger for the batsman as Rikki Clarke would to Glenn McGrath's bowling average - proceeded to give South Africa the initiative back on a silver plate with all the trimmings, and several desserts. A brief spell from Anthony McGrath did not relieve the hosts' burden as Trescothick turned to Darren Gough to try and wrest the grip of the game from Jacques Kallis' hands.

It wasn't to be. The returns of Andy Flintoff and James Anderson brought the same degree of success as Boucher brought up his fifty by thumping Anderson over mid-on for four, before Flintoff finally struck with a well-disguised yorker off his slower ball, rearranging Boucher's stumps for 55. Cue Jacques Kallis, up until now measured and conservative, to take the bull by the horns - and how. Anderson's final over went for twelve, including a sumptuous cover drive, before fellow England quicks Johnson and Gough suffered similar fates.

It wasn't until Flintoff once more returned to the attack that van Jaarsveld (13) fell, playing across the line to another yorker to make it four down for 221, and all four bowled. Kallis (107) then brought up a fine century, dedicating it to his father, marked by the number 65 on his shirt, by squeezing Gough past cover point. Shaun Pollock then joined the fun by hammering Gough high into the stands at long-on, before Flintoff delivered another yorker to Kallis, with the same result as the previous two wickets. 243/6 off 49 and England had the best of it. That was until Andy Hall got hold of Darren Gough. FOUR through the covers, FOUR behind square leg, FOUR back over the bowler's head, FOUR swept to long leg, FOUR chinese cut to fine leg, and a single to mid on to finish with. 21 off the final over, and Hall (23* off 8 balls) and Pollock (12* off 7) had brought the game back into the balance, with South Africa 264/6. With a couple of early wickets, exposing England's weak middle order to the pace trio of Makhaya Ntini, Pollock and Kallis, the Proteas began the afternoon session as warm favourites.

However, their bowlers appeared to think that it was a good idea to take wickets by bowling short and wide on a track that most batsmen would want to roll up and carry around with them, and England's openers belied the national reputation for not hitting many of their runs in boundaries. Marcus Trescothick, and in particular Vikram Solanki, butchered the South African bowling as the variation in line and length was feasted upon by two batsmen of contrasting style, but - for South Africa, anyway - unhappily similar results. Four, after Four, after Four, after Four. Boucher caught Solanki of a Shaun Pollock no-ball, but that was as close as South Africa came to a breakthrough for a 32-over masterclass from the England openers. Twenty-seven fours - 17 of them from the blade of the Rajasthan-born right hander Solanki - came in England's record ODI Opening Partnership of 200, and Sourav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar's record of 258 was under threat when Solanki (106) slashed Ntini to Jacques Kallis at cover - but the game was as good as over by then, anyway.

Robert Key then made his very own contribution to the drama, compliantly edging Ntini to Mark Boucher off his very first ball, boosting the argument for those who feel that he should never be allowed near an England One-Day International shirt ever again, before Anthony McGrath provided Boucher with some more catching practice off Jacques Kallis. Enter Andrew Flintoff, exit South Africa's smouldering hopes of an improbable victory, smashing two sixes either side of Trescothick driving Pollock past point to record his sixth ODI ton - in a rampant 32 off 21 balls before missing a full ball from Andy Hall and ending on the receiving end of the treatment he had dished out hours before.

It was Jamie Troughton (5*) who was there at the close with Trescothick (114*) as England made their target with 25 balls to spare, a convincing win on the day that Vikram Solanki came of age as an International cricketer. South Africa must bounce back tomorrow against Zimbabwe at Canterbury, whilst England resume on Tuesday, looking for revenge against Zimbabwe where Michael Vaughan should return to the fold at Headingley, before these two lock horns again under the Old Trafford floodlights on Thursday. Graeme Smith has got a lot of work to do...

SOUTH AFRICA 264/6 (JH Kallis 107, MV Boucher 55, A Flintoff 3/46)

ENGLAND 265/4 (ME Trescothick 114*, VS Solanki 106)

England won by 6 wickets

Points: England 5, South Africa 1

CricketWeb Player of the Match: Vikram Solanki (England) - 106 (108b, 17x4)

Posted by Neil