Series set for pulsating decider in fifth ODI
After both sides split the first four matches, England and South Africa will face off in a high-pressure series decider in the fifth and final One-Day International in Cape Town on Sunday (February 14).
Both teams fought till the end in a dramatic and thrilling fourth ODI at the Wanderers in Johannesburg on Friday, and the home team’s win means the series is tied at 2-2, setting up a perfect finale.
England had been carried to 262 on the back of Joe Root’s 124-ball 109, and would have fancied its chances of closing out the fourth ODI with the cream of South Africa's batting back in the hut at 143 for 5, but the lower order refused to go down without a fight.
When South Africa found itself staring down the barrel at 210 for 8, with 53 runs required off 51 balls, Chris Morris bludgeoned his way to 62 off 38 balls to help the side reach the target of 263 with 16 deliveries to spare.
Morris had been brought in to replace Morne Morkel at the Wanderers, and the move paid off,
For South Africa, Quinton de Kock has led the charge with the bat in the series, but it is the return to form of Hashim Amla that benefitted the side the most in the third ODI in Centurion. It will also be looking to AB de Villiers, the captain, to come forth with a blazing knock. He did score 73 in the second game, but it wasn't a characteristic de Villiers innings.
South Africa has an imposing record at Newlands, having won 25 of its 30 ODIs at the venue. Considering that it is a day game, the seamers would be required to bowl tight lines, with the conditions favouring them. With Dale Steyn absent, Kyle Abbott and Kagiso Rabada have held their own and performed well.
On the other hand, England has taken big strides as an ODI unit since the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, and will be looking to pick itself up from back-to-back losses.
England’s batting has relied mainly on Root, who has been quite sensational in the series. The visiting side bats deep though, so if the top order fails, there is back-up. However, having a solid platform is always useful and that's what Root has provided very ably.
"Ultimately it is a final and we want to play in as many finals as we can,” said Eoin Morgan, the England captain. “We are really looking forward to Cape Town and hopefully produce a good performance. I think the high of playing in a series decider overrides anything that has happened previously. For our younger guys we want the experience of playing in a one-off match because we don't have the privilege of playing in a lot of tri-series so having a one-off match and a must-win game is really good.”
With two consecutive wins, South Africa has momentum on its side, but England showed through the first two matches, and even in the fourth ODI, that getting past it is not going to be easy.
Teams (from):South Africa: AB de Villiers (capt), Kyle Abbott, Hashim Amla, Farhaan Behardien, Quinton de Kock (wk), Marchant de Lange, JP Duminy, Faf du Plessis, Imran Tahir, David Miller, Morne Morkel, Chris Morris, Kagiso Rabada, Rilee Rossouw, David Wiese.
England: Eoin Morgan (capt), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Jos Buttler (wk), Alex Hales, Chris Jordan, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, James Taylor, Reece Topley, David Willey, Chris Woakes.