Moeen, Morgan star in big England win

As it was, England did not need Stokes’ bowling as South Africa lost seven wickets for 85 runs having been 145 for 1 in pursuit of the home side’s total of 339 for 6. Morgan’s 107, his eleventh in ODIs, and a belligerent half-century from Ali powered England to a winning score when they had been tottering at 198 for 5. It showed the value of England’s long batting line up and squashed any suggestions that Jonny Bairstow will bat at number seven for England in the Champions Trophy. That spot is now firmly Moeen Ali’s.

The total proved too much for the visitors. The dangerous Quinton de Kock was removed early, a high, spiralling catch well taken by Jos Buttler off Chris Woakes’ bowling, after England had deliberately bowled full at him to avoid feeding his favoured back foot shots. His frustration was evident in the preceding deliveries and he paid for it with an injudicious shot off England’s returning all-rounder.

Hashim Amla by contrast started serenely at the other end hitting the expensive Mark Wood for two boundaries in the second over of the innings and then three more in the fourth as the Durham pacer tore in in search of early wickets. While Woakes was proving miserly at the other end, Wood was taken out of the attack early after conceding 27 from his first three overs.

He was replaced by Liam Plunkett, the pick of the bowlers on either side, whose back of a length style caused Amla and du Plessis some problems. His first four overs cost just 15 runs but South Africa continued to punish the bad balls, of which there were a few from Adil Rashid and Stokes, and tick the scoreboard over. Amla’s half-century came off just 49 balls and it was followed quickly by du Plessis’ own fifty which came two balls quicker.

It was the reintroduction of Wood which got the breakthrough, pinning Amla on the crease to have him given out LBW after Morgan had reviewed Rod Tucker’s original not-out decision. The partnership had been worth 112 off just over 18 overs but just four runs later, du Plessis, South Africa’s Test captain, was caught behind off a lovely delivery from Plunkett which nipped away as the batsman looked to play through the leg-side.

From then on, it was a procession. JP Duminy was caught at deep midwicket off a Rashid long hop, David Miller holed out to deep square leg off Woakes and Chris Morris was caught behind, top edging an attempted reverse sweep off Moeen Ali. It was a run of dismissals which ultimately cost South Africa the game and, despite some valiant hitting from de Villiers, who hit Woakes for successive fours in the 37th over, they had given themselves too much to do and were bowled out with five overs remaining. Woakes ended up with 4 for 38 and there were two wickets apiece for Ali and Rashid.

AB de Villier’s men may have been chasing far less had it not been for a partnership of 117 in 13.3 overs between Morgan and Ali for England’s sixth wicket. They came together when England had lost two wickets for just eight runs and were looking at a score much less than what was necessary on a flat and true Headingley surface and a lightening quick outfield.

England had started shakily after being asked to bat by de Villiers with Jason Roy, who has just one fifty in his last eleven innings, caught behind chasing a wide ball off Wayne Parnell in the second over. Alex Hales, who Kasigo Rabada cut in half with a beauty that nipped back through the gate in the third over, looked largely assured aside from that and wristily clipped Parnell through mid-wicket twice in the opening overs.

After Roy’s dismissal, Joe Root was up and running quickly, punching the ball sweetly through the covers, and England’s 50 came off just 7.3 overs as Rabada struggled with his run-up. He bowled three no-balls in his first five overs, although two of the resulting free-hits were dots and his nine overs ended up costing 63 runs in all. The partnership between Hales and Root was worth 98 before Hales, who reached his half-century off 52 balls and then clubbed Parnell over long-on for six, nicked a loosener from Andile Phehlukwayo’s first ball when on 61.

Root followed shortly after, mistiming a pull shot off Phehlukwayo to Amla at midwicket for 37. Morgan took his time to get going before launching the same bowler over long-on for six, seemingly out of nowhere, off his fourteenth ball. Two wristy drives over cover off Imran Tahir, introduced early by de Villiers, were shots of the highest class and a punch off the back foot through extra cover off the same bowler brought up the captain’s fifty from just 44 balls.

At the other end, Ben Stokes crunched Rabada for six down the ground before picking Miller out on the square-leg boundary off the same bowler when on 25 and then Buttler was out soon after, clipping Morris straight to short fine leg, the man having been placed there just the ball before for that exact shot. At 198 for five, England were looking at a score of 250 rather than the 300 plus score they knew they required.

Ali joined Morgan with nearly 16 overs of the innings remaining. He took twenty balls to get to 12 before scoring 39 off the next fifteen balls. It had obviously been South Africa’s plan to bowl at Ali’s hip but it did not work as the left-hander struck five sixes, three over the leg side, and five fours in all. While Ali was plastering the South African bowling all over the field, Morgan’s hundred almost went unnoticed until he reached the milestone with a massive six over fine leg. It was his eleventh century in ODI cricket and had taken just 90 balls. It was a fine innings under pressure.

England scored 102 runs, including seven sixes and four boundaries, in the last ten overs which was, in the end, the major difference between the two sides. Where South Africa collapsed, Morgan and Ali powered England on. In part, that was due to South Africa’s bowling which looked rusty – they conceded 18 extras – and Tahir, their main wicket-taking option in the middle overs, was not allowed to settle, going wicketless and at over seven and a half runs an over.