South Africa Smash Records En Route to Victory

A masterclass of clean hitting from Graeme Smith and Loots Bosman gave South Africa a colossal 84 run victory in the final Pro20 match at Centurian.

With Collingwood and Swann added to the injury list England brought in Rashid and (ahead of schedule) Kevin Pieterson, offering Alistair Cook the opportunity to captain his country for the first time. As a result England took to the field with only 2 players boasting 10 or more international Pro20 caps and the inexperience told under the pressure of the Proteas attack. England looked a little frenetic and void of ideas in the face of such clean hitting and looked devoid of ideas once the initial game plan was swiftly undone.

That said, there are few sides that would not look a little fraught under the pressure applied by Bosman and his captain in a record stand of 170. The two hit fifteen maximums between them, equalling the previous record for a Pro20 inside 16 overs before Albie Morkel and de Villiers added one apiece as South Africa posted an intimidating 241 for 6.

Although the class of the batting in undeniable, England will have been frustrated by their inability to apply the lessons learnt from the first Pro20, serving up a mixture of full tosses, half volleys and long hops. The bowling, perhaps understandably had an air of desperation, as England seemed more concerned about finding a magic delivery than bowling disciplined length and (in particular) line. With the exception of Jimmy Anderson they all erred, and many will need to improve their basic disciplines if they wish to oust Onions, Broad, or Swann once they return from injury.

England's response looked somewhat lacklustre as they looked to surpass such a monumental total, but although the decision to open with the more circumspect Denly and Cook in favour of Luke Wright seemed to deny the task facing them 154 is actually an above par score for that ground. Jonathon Trott looked assured once more as he amassed an impressive half century, while Kevin Pieterson looked in good touch and (more importantly) fit. With Morgan and Prior to back them up and Collingwood and Strauss to slot in England's batting order has a sense of both solidity and flair.

Whilst the only selection headache in the batting lineup is whether to open with Denly or Cook, the bowling department may select itself for a different reason. With Swann joining Broad on the sidelines and Anderson not 100% fit, the selectors face a difficult task, as the majority of the bowling attack failed to cover itself in glory in either Pro20 outings.

As noted in the previous articule, these two matches have failed to give either side any particular advantage before the more serious aspects of the tour start in earnest. Both are capable of playing scintilating cricket, but I would expect the South African's to triumph. In all aspects of the game England are capable of producing brilliance, and their bullish new attitude in terms of batting is a clear step in the right direction. However, as they showed at Centurion, Graeme Smith's men are equally capable and to my mind are more likely to show this level consistantly. As a result I would expect the Proteas to triumph in the seven match series, although don't be shocked if England let them have it all their own way.