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1st ODI, Mangaung Oval, Bloemfontein
South Africa
298/7 (50)
England
271/10 (44.2)
SA won by 27 runs.
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Player of the Match Sisanda Magala
3/46
Commentary
That brings us to the end of our coverage of a cracking One Day International contest. The two sides go up against each other on Sunday again, at the same venue. South Africa will look to seal the series, while England have a major point to prove going into a World Cup defence later this year. Plenty of cricketing action lined up for you tomorrow, though, so do keep an eye on our tabs! This is Rajarshi, signing off on behalf of myself and Pragadeesh. Good night!
Temba Bavuma, South Africa captain: It did change quickly. The man of the match, that's where the game kind of changed for us. He came in the middle, got the ball to tell, got a couple of wickets and got us some momentum, the guys after him rode on the momentum well. After Quinny went out, I thought it was a good wicket, I was thinking in excess of 300, Rassie, David, they assessed the wicket a bit differently. The wicket got a bit slower, the ball got soft as well. Still felt that we were a little bit below par, but I think at the end I guess it was enough. I think the way their partnership started, was similar to ours when the ball was coming on well. They did it for a longer period than Quinny and myself did. You still needed to have confidence in your bowlers at that point. Magala - haven't really seen much of him. I was expecting one of the bowlers to do something special for us. Everyone played their part, some part of the game. KG (Rabada) didn't start well, but then the way he came up, same with Anrich as well, but then Anrich showed his quality, showed his raw pace which is obviously a big advantage for him. Parny (Parnell) as well, he also played his role. And then of course Shamsi as well, not having a good day, but then coming in and cleaning it up for us. As I said in the presser, we are trying to shift focus from the result, but how we want to go about our cricket. I think the conversation we are going to have is if we are happy with our business, especially with the bat, and if we're happy then I'm happy, and if not, then we'll have the conversation. Obviously, we'll take the win, we needed it, we need the points, I think that's going to be the larger focus for us.
Sisanda Magala, Player of The Match: Very happy, considering the position we were in, with the start, to pull off that type of win was very good for us. I understood he (Bavuma) was trying to read and assess the situation and find where he could fit me, at a specific time. I was like the first change (chuckles), it is what it is, that's what the game, the situation needed at that time. My game plan in the middle was to bowl as straight as possible. Keep the length and put in a few change-ups, keeping it simple. Some of the guys who batted in the first innings, they said the bounce was a bit two paced, some would keep up and some would keep low. We tried to use it to our best and it worked for us today. 
Sisanda Magala is the Player of The Match
Jos Buttler (England Captain): Disappointed. We played excellent cricket for the majority of the game but it was disappointing to finish in this manner. Pretty happy with how we restricted them as it was a good batting wicket. We should keep going. Having that conviction and commitment have served us well over the years. It's not always about hitting fours and sixes. Credit to South Africa as they bowled really well. The best time to bat is with the new ball and once it gets older, it gets tough. Disappointed not to get the win
Match summary:
South Africa won the toss and opted to bat

South Africa 1st innings 298/7 (50 Overs)
Rassie van der Dussen 111(117) | Sam Curran 3/35 (9)

England 2nd innings 271 all out (44.2 Overs)
Jason Roy 113(91) | Anrich Nortje 4/62 (10)

South Africa win by 27 runs and lead the 3-match ODI series 1-0

We need games like this for the sake of One Day International cricket. We need games like this for South African cricket and its die-hard supporters. The 3-match One Day International series is being played right between a riveting domestic T20 competition in South Africa, and there was a desperate need for the series to have some hype. Well, we sure did get that today - both the cricket and the atmosphere were top-notch, and at the end of the day, the hosts came back from the dead and took the game right from under the noses of the visitors!

Spare a thought for Jason Roy, who returned among the runs with a blistering hundred which would have been good enough on any other day, just not today. He and Dawid Malan got England off to an absolute flyer in the first 10 overs, capitalizing on some ordinary stuff from Wayne Parnell and Kagiso Rabada in the first 10 overs. While the South African opening bowling pair did get it right on a few occasions, they dished out far too many boundary balls and the runs were flowing for the visitors.

Both the batters got to fifties after the powerplay. Jason Roy then got on to the driver's seat, and Malan began playing second fiddle. Tabraiz Shamsi was introduced and moved out of the attack quite swiftly, after being carted to all parts of the ground. The manner in which England were going, closing in on a 150-run opening partnership, no one, absolutely no one would have anticipated the mayhem that was to follow in the next couple of hours or so.

Sisanda Magala proved to be South Africa's trump card, as he found some steep bounce, got Malan to pull at one which he should not have, and that was how South Africa broke through the first time today. It was then time for Anrich Nortje to make a comeback having been hit to all parts in his opening spell, he snuffed out Ben Duckett with a length delivery just outside off stump. Magala then trapped ODI debutant Harry Brook right in front, and suddenly, South Africa were in a with a mild sniff. 

Jos Buttler then joined Roy, and for the next 10 overs or so, it seemed like England were off the cuff with the kind of assurance the duo presented. South Africa kept rotating their bowlers, but Buttler and Roy seemed to be in command of proceedings. That was until Rabada dug one in short, Roy looked to pull him into the stands at deep mid-wicket and holed out. Moeen Ali joined Buttler, he was starting to assert his dominance over Magala by clearing the ropes at long-on, but then, he, too pulled one down the throat of the fielder in the deep.

It was then a contest between South Africa's fast bowlers against Jos Buttler. It lasted for three more overs before Buttler nicked one that seamed a meter off the deck from Nortje behind to Quinton de Kock. That was where the tide turned, and South Africa felt like they were the favourites for the first time in the chase. Sam Curran and David Willey tried to counter-attack for a bit, but Willey chose the wrong bowler to do so - trying to pull a pacy short delivery outside off from Nortje, he was pouched by David Miller and had to depart. 

Nortje proceeded to close out his spell by accounting for Jofra Archer. Adil Rashid tried his best to put up a fight with last man Olly Stone, but Tabraiz Shamsi, who was due for a redemption as well from earlier, got in among the wickets at the very end, inducing a leading edge from Stone and taking a catch off his own bowling, sparking wild celebrations all across the ground! And with that, South Africa take a 1-0 lead in the series in the most dramatic fashion!
Shamsi with the final say! Like most of the South African bowlers, he was carted to all parts in his initial spell, but like every one of them, he comes back to strike a telling blow! The crowd goes bonkers, the South African camp is chuffed, Shamsi maniacally runs about having taken the catch off his own bowling, closely surrounded by his teammates! What a win for South Africa, surely, this is an all-time classic!
44.2 Tabraiz Shamsi to Olly Stone, OUT! Shamsi runs in delight and his teammates follow him. SOUTH AFRICA GO 1-0 UP IN THE SERIES! Heartbreak for the visitors and look at their faces as everyone look helpless including Buttler. But South Africa never gave up and pulled off a massive win. On a good length angling on middle and leg-stump, Stone gets a leading edge and spoons it to the right of the bowler, Shamsi reacts quickly, juggles at the first attempt and pouches it eventually.

Olly Stone c & b Tabraiz Shamsi 1 (5b 0x4 0x6)
44.1 Tabraiz Shamsi to Olly Stone, blocks the length delivery to the off-side. No run
Tabraiz Shamsi (5-0-55-0) is back into the attack
Interesting from Stone to take that single off the last ball. You'd think with Rashid's reputation with the bat, he'd look to keep the strike to himself, but it seems like he has enough trust in his number 11 to knock it around.
44
overs
271 /9 score
2
0
0
1
0
1
runs
cricket bat icon Olly Stone *
1 (3)
cricket bat icon Adil Rashid
14 (17)
cricket ball icon Sisanda Magala
3 /46
43.6 Sisanda Magala to Olly Stone, back of a length angling in, Stone tucks it to deep square leg. Rashid takes a run this time
43.5 Sisanda Magala to Olly Stone, APPEAL...NOT GIVEN! This one is sliding down the leg-side. On a good length tailing in from leg-stump to strike his front pad
43.4 Sisanda Magala to Adil Rashid, short delivery, Rashid controls the pull and it rolls to deep square leg for a single
43.3 Sisanda Magala to Adil Rashid, good length in the fourth stump channel, Rashid punches it to short extra cover
43.2 Sisanda Magala to Adil Rashid, back of a length outside off-stump, Rashid swings away from the body but gets beaten
43.1 Sisanda Magala to Adil Rashid, short of a length outside off-stump, Rashid slices it wide of backward point and gets a couple
Sisanda Magala (8-0-42-3) is back into the attack
He doesn't get that 5-for, but he has played his part in breaking this menacing England batting line-up in tandem with Magala and Rabada! What a turnaround, what a One Day International we have had at the Mangaung Oval!