5 takeaways from the South Africa-England ODI Series

After a rather one-sided Test Series, South Africa bounced back to win the ODI series in a grand fashion. It was only the fourth time in the ODI history that a side won the series after being 2-0 down. England looked all set to clinch the series and put an end to a supreme home winning streak of South Africa.But South Africa came back and played at their best to win the series 3-2.Both the teams put up a great show and all the matches were filled with plenty of twists and turns. Let's take a look at the 5 takeaways from the action packed series.

#5 Chris Morriss All-Round show

Morris might just be the all-rounder South Africa were looking for

After the retirement of the legend Jacques Kallis, South Africa has been struggling to find someone to fill in the all-rounder’s slot. Chris Morris might just have answered that call. In the fourth ODI, having to chase 263 for victory, the Proteas were tottering at one stage at 191-6 in the 38th over.

The match and the series were looking all lost at that point of time. But for Morris’s efforts, the match was far from over.

He smashed 62 runs off just 38 balls which included 3 fours and 4 massive sixes. He farmed the strike beautifully with Kyle Abbott at the other end and single-handedly took South Africa within touching distance. He would have loved to hit the winning runs, but that was not to be.

Adil Rashid accounted for his wicket when only a run was required. Imran Tahir hit the boundary off the first ball to take the team home.

Chris Morris literally stole the show and snatched the victory from the jaws of Englishmen. To go with this stunning effort with the bat, he also scalped 4 wickets in 3 innings which makes his point stronger to become the number one all-rounder in the team.

#4 Kagiso Rabadas impressive bowling

Rabada picked up nine wickets in the series

The young bowler made a mark on the previous tour to India when he bowled a tremendous last over against MS Dhoni and did not allow him to get under the ball. In the whole tour, he impressed one and all with the pace and consistency. Since then, he has been rated highly in the South African cricket.

He continued on his merry way against England too. He picked up 9 wickets in 4 matches at an average of just 19.89. The most impressive part was his economy rate of 4.73.

The modern day Cricket is highly dominated by the batsmen. The bats have gotten bigger, boundaries have become smaller and the rules favour the batsmen more than the bowlers. In such testing circumstances, an economy rate of fewer than 5 has to be commended a lot.

He also holds the best bowling figures of the series with 4 wickets for 45 runs in the 4th ODI. With the ace bowler Dale Steyn fading with age, the future of South African fast bowling looks secured with the upcoming of Kagiso Rabada.

#3 AB De Villierss return to form after a paltry test series

ABD's return to form will be crucial for South Africa's chances in the World T20

South Africa has had a torrid time in the Test Cricket after losses to India and England. This had much to do with the form of De Villiers. He had a few good scores in between but failed to score big on a consistent basis. In the last 3 Test innings, he got out for 3 consecutive ducks.

The Test captaincy was handed over to him after Hashim Amla stepped down. He did not have the best of starts and a quick turnaround was desperately required and that indeed happened in the ODI series. His century in the final ODI led South Africa to a much-needed series win.

He walked in when the team was in trouble at 22-3 chasing a mediocre total of 236 runs. He formed wonderful partnerships first with Amla and then David Wiese to take South Africa to the third win in a row. He scored 101 runs off 97 balls hitting 11 fours and 1 six and that too in a typical AB style. His return to form is extremely crucial for South Africa going into the ICC World T20.

#2 Joe Roots consistency

Root scored two centuries and a half-century in the series

Already been considered as a future legend for England, Joe Root has been acutely consistent across all 3 formats and that too all over the world. He has the technique to tackle both the pacers and the spinners on any surface. He showed his true class in this series too.

His scores in the series read 52, 38, 125, 109 and 27. He possesses the ability to consolidate the innings at number 3 and also press on the accelerator at the later stages. He ended up being the second-highest scorer in the series with a healthy average of 70.2.

His skills with the bat surely promise a hugely bright future. With what he has already achieved in a short international career, he can pile up huge numbers till the time he finishes.

#1 Alex Haless Brilliance

Hales was at his brilliant best in the series

For a long time, England was looking for a settled opener and now they certainly seem to have found one in Alex Hales. He was in the form of his life and got big runs in every single match. In the 5 innings, he notched up scores of 57, 99, 65, 50 and 112.

He was deservedly adjudged the Player of the Tournament. In total, he got 383 runs at a colossal average of 76.60 to go with a strike rate of 89.49. He was absolutely brilliant in each of the innings and provided sterling starts to the innings.

Although England lost the series at the end, but Hales’s performance was the biggest positive for them. In the limited overs format, it is crucial to have a settled opener and England certainly is in a big advantage prior to the ICC World T20.