Despite Jason Roy’s century in Bloemfontein, England suffered a 27-run defeat in the first one-day international against South Africa.
On a day when Jofra Archer returned from injury, opener Roy smashed a 79-ball century to seemingly put his side on course for a comfortable victory in their chase of 299.
He took England to 146-0 inside 20 overs and 196-3 in the 30th over before he was caught on the boundary for 113 off 91 balls.
But after four overs Moeen Ali’s wicket for 49 runs started the demolition of six wickets which came in front of fast bowling.
Enrich Noortje took 3-13 in his four-over spell and England were bowled out for 271 in 5.4 overs.
Rassie van der Dusen had earlier scored 111 off 117 balls in South Africa’s 298-7.
The hosts seemed unable to capitalize on being 75-1 after 10 overs and 167-3 after 30, with Sam Curran leading England’s fightback with 3-35.
In his first England appearance for almost two years, Archer struggled at times to finish with figures of 1-81 in 10 overs – his most expensive ODI figures.
The win gives South Africa a 1-0 lead in the three-match series ahead of the second ODI on Sunday and the hosts’ bid to automatically qualify for this year’s 50-over World Cup. There is an increase.
England threw away the win.
On the face of it this appears to be a low-key series, rescheduled for 2020 after originally being canceled due to Covid-19, but it is not without its significance.
It marks the first of 13 ODIs that serve as England’s build-up to the defense of their 50-over World Cup title in India in October.
For so long it looked like they would make a dominant start, easing their way back into a format that chased, and achieved, a World Cup win in the 20-over game.
England should never have lost from the position of needing 103 off 125 balls with six wickets remaining when Roy was dismissed.
Moeen pulled pacer Sesinda Magala, who took 3-46, before Noortje edged Jos Buttler with a fine delivery to remove the England captain for 36 off 42 balls.
Run-rate was never an issue but Nortje, one of the fastest bowlers in the world, bounced off David Willey and Archer to finish with 4-62, while Curran edged Kagiso Rabada’s last delivery of a set of 10. Showed laxity. held back depart.
South Africa are in a precarious position in terms of securing an automatic place at the World Cup, sitting 11th in the standings with the top eight qualifying.
They need two more wins from their last four matches – two against England and then two more against Holland – to have any chance.
Roy’s return to form
The defeat ended a much-needed return to form for Roy – a key contributor to the 2019 World Cup win.
His form – no half-centuries in his last 14 international innings – resulted in him being dropped from the T20 squad and raising serious questions about his place in the squad going forward. .
After being gifted a fast start by the South African bowling, he looked to dominate, hitting 11 fours and four sixes in an opening stand with David Mullan, who scored 59 runs.
Milan Magala and Ben Duckett and ODI debutant Harry Brook, two recent stars of Ben Stokes’ Test team, fell quickly with three and nothing respectively.
Roy continued, sweeping Shamsi for a six and pulling Naratje for a four to reach three figures.
He then roared in celebration before looking up at the sky, an innings mixed with frustration, joy and relief. He was eventually caught out on the square-leg boundary off Rabada – a wicket that proved unexpectedly crucial.
Testing returns for Archer
Archer’s last match for England was in March 2021. He has since had two elbow surgeries and a stress fracture in his back.
It would be hard to call his much-anticipated return a reality check. Instead it was a reflection of how he rated himself before the game – at “about 80%” of his best form.
He took the new ball and, bowling less than his previous pace of around 86 mph, was played expertly by opener Quinton de Kock, who dropped down the ground and pulled a crack at square leg for six. What did
After a first spell of 0-41 in five overs, Archer returned later in the innings when the rust was more evident. His ninth over cost 20 which included a front-foot and waist-high nine ball – van der Dusen free-hitting for a six, only for the right-hander to gather in an otherwise quiet innings. Cleared the ropes.
With Archer leaking runs, Curran was the pick of England’s bowlers. The left-armer combined his pace to slow down the scoring and had de Kock caught off a surprise bouncer for 37.
In the final over Archer ensured his comeback was not without a wicket, outfoxing Wayne Parnell with the trademark silver ball – the left-hander offering a catch at backward point.
The performance showed that even a bowler of Archer’s undeniable ability needs patience as he makes his comeback.
