Awesome Anderson sets up easy England win
It was Anderson's first five-wicket haul in ODI cricket.
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Sunday, 29, Nov 2009 01:31
By Will Haine.
England went 2-1 up with one to play in the ODI series with South Africa after an emphatic seven wicket win in Port Elizabeth.
The sublime James Anderson took his first five-wicket haul in international 50 over cricket as England laid to rest the ghost of Cape Town on Friday by skittling the hosts out for a pathetic 119 inside 37 overs. Off-spinner Graeme Swann was not even needed as England's seamers ran riot, with Stuart Broad (2-30), Paul Collingwood (2-20) and Tim Bresnan (1-15) all making important contributions.
Alviro Petersen hit his third half-century in as many matches, but he was never ably supported, with AB de Villiers the only other batsman to make it into the twenties.
England lost Andrew Strauss, Kevin Pietersen and Paul Collingwood in their run chase, but Jonathan Trott (52) hit a composed half-century and Eoin Morgan chipped in with 28 as they got home with 18.4 overs to spare.
The tourists named an un-changed side after the drubbing in Cape Town, but South Africa made two changes as Charl Langevelt came in for the injured Dale Steyn and Johan Botha was preferred to Roelof van der Merwe in the spin department.
Graeme Smith won the toss and elected to bat and was quickly made to rue his decision when Stuart Broad had him out lbw in just the second over of the morning. Broad was erratic at best with the new-ball on Friday but found his length straight away with a ball that just pitched on leg-stump, and Hawk-Eye showed it would have held its line and clipped the leg-bail.
It was the perfect start for England and they quickly began to put the South African batsmen under pressure. It all got too much for Hashim Alma (11), who after a period of dot balls, flicked an Anderson delivery straight into the hands of Swann at short mid-wicket.
JP Duminy (6) then came and went in bizarre fashion, as he miss-timed a hook shot off the bowling of Anderson with the ball hitting the back of his bat and looping to Matt Prior, who took the simple catch behind the stumps to leave South Africa 35-3.
The score soon became 55-4 with the dismissal of de Villiers, who hit four boundaries in a breezy 22, when he was adjudged lbw to the economical Tim Bresnan. It was another tight decision, but Hawk-Eye again proved that umpire Rod Tucker had made the correct call.
England were really beginning to the turn the screw and Mark Boucher hit 13 before he had his off-stump ripped out of the ground by an absolute gem of a delivery from Anderson.
Anderson then had Ryan McLaren caught for a duck by Collingwood at point and the hosts were reeling on 78-6. And it wasn't long after that Anderson completed his five-for when Botha feathered a catch through to Prior from a beautiful rising delivery. The Lancastrian fast-bowler finished his sensational spell with 5-23 from his ten overs.
Collingwood then claimed the wicket of Wayne Parnell (1) thanks to an impressive diving catch by Strauss in the gully. It was England's most capped player's 100th ODI scalp and left South Africa on 92-8.
The batsmen then decided to take their batting power play, and Morne Morkel (7) hit a sweet straight drive to the fence before Collingwood trapped him in-front.
Petersen (51) then passed his half-century with a crashing pull-shot, but went for one attacking shot too many when he looped the ball over the head of Luke Wright at mid-on, with the Sussex man managing to pluck a stunning one-handed catch to end the innings.
It was a fabulous display with the ball from England, sending South Africa crashing to their lowest ever ODI score at home.
Strauss and Trott then shared 12 boundaries in a fluent opening stand of 74, but Strauss (32) fell leg-before to off-spinner Botha in his first over. Pietersen (3) soon followed when he chipped to de Villiers off the bowling of Botha, having been dropped by Morkel in the previous over. Collingwood made just a couple when he nicked a McLaren delivery behind but Trott and Morgan comfortably wrapped up the win.
The teams now head to Durban for the series finale on December 4th.