England squandered their big chance to complete a rare overseas Test and one-day series double here at Newlands yesterday when they crashed to their third successive defeat and allowed AB de Villiers to have the final 50-over word.
They only needed to win one of those last three games to secure a notable triumph but England’s inexperienced one-day side were simply unable to close the door on a South Africa team who just about maintained their formidable home record.
Not even a century from Alex Hales, following two in losing causes from Joe Root at Centurion and Johannesburg, could stop England throwing away what would have been the best achievement of their one-day transformation.
Instead the proven class of De Villiers, who finished unbeaten on 101, saw South Africa home after Reece Topley had given England hope with a three-wicket burst after they had fallen around 50 short of par on 236 all out.
England were left to bemoan missed opportunities, notably the dropped catches at the Wanderers on Friday, for their inability to become the first side since Australia in 2002 to defeat South Africa on their own patch in both Test and one-day cricket.
‘I’d say fielding was the difference between the sides,’ said England coach Trevor Bayliss. ‘I thought the batting and bowling was fairly even but they are simply a better fielding team than us.
‘It’s an attitude thing. You have to want the ball coming to you so you can prove you can field. At times some of our players don’t want the ball to go anywhere near them.’
The trouble with England’s positive approach, which has done so much to revitalise them as a one-day team, is that it can quickly descend into recklessness if it is executed as poorly as it was here.
No one had the nous to stay with Hales, who overcame a sticky start to play fluently for his 112, and England ended up wasting five overs by being bowled out far too rapidly. ‘Our aggressive approach has worked for the most part over the last 12 months, but to win series we’ve got to take a leaf out of De Villiers’s book in the way he paced his innings,’ said Bayliss. ‘He showed how to do it.’
No blame, though, could be attached to Hales, whose second one-day international century was almost nipped in the bud on 20 when he was given out caught behind by hapless umpire Johan Cloete. Technology showed he did not get anywhere near it.
England stayed on course until Kagiso Rabada, who will soon confirm he will join Kent for the first six weeks of the county season, changed the course of the game by bowling both Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler in the 28th over. Hales then desperately needed support but little was forthcoming, with Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes and Adil Rashid all throwing their wickets away, just as Eoin Morgan had done earlier, when it was not necessary for all guns to blaze.
Hales was clearly conscious about his two 99s as an England player, the latest in Port Elizabeth nine days ago, as he spent 17 balls in the 90s before he confidently drove Chris Morris for the boundary that took him to three figures. When Hales gave Rabada his third wicket any ambitions England had of posting a competitive total disappeared with him.
But it looked as though they might pull the series out of the fire when Topley underlined his potential with three quick wickets, dismissing Quinton de Kock, with the help of a review, and Faf du Plessis in successive balls.
When Topley then added Rilee Rossouw to leave South Africa at 22 for three England were back in the hunt but De Villiers and Amla settled South African nerves with a stand of 125.
Moeen claimed Amla and his fellow spinner Rashid added the wicket of Farhaan Behardien. Yet England could not shift De Villiers, who moved on to his 24th one-day hundred, as South Africa got home with fully 36 balls to spare.
It is a setback for England but when the dust settles they will remember that it was exactly a year ago they were being thrashed by Australia at the start of a World Cup that saw them exposed as a one-day embarrassment.
They have come a long way since then, but they can only blame themselves for wasting this chance to claim their best win yet.– Daily Mail