Brilliant Bavuma leads Proteas to ODI win and series triumph

South Africa’s captain, Temba Bavuma, struck a magnificent 109 in 102 balls to lead his team to a superb five-wicket victory over England in the second Betway ODI at a raucous Mangaung Oval in Bloemfontein on Sunday.

The win ensures the Proteas a winning 2-0 lead in the three-match series. It's their first ODI series win over England in seven years and it's England's fifth consecutive ODI defeat.

If Bavuma was the architect of the win, it was the world’s best finisher, David Miller, who provided the icing on the cake. The Pietermaritzburg-born left-hander struck a composed unbeaten 58 in 37 balls (2x4s, 3x6s), finishing the match in appropriate style off the first ball of the final over as he serenely drove Chris Woakes for six over long-off. The left-hander, who completed his second successive half-century in the series, added 65 in 47 balls with Marcus Jansen who has been a revelation with the bat in white-ball cricket this season.

For a man who has come in for his fair share of criticism for his white-ball form, Bavuma came up with all the answers in front of his adoring fans yesterday. Facing a tough target of 343 for victory, the South Africans kept ahead of the run-rate from the off. The victory target achieved was also the biggest by some distance in Bloemfontein. Only twice before have South Africa scored more runs to win an ODI with the famous 438 win against Australia at the Wanderers in March 2006 top of the tree.

It was Bavuma’s third hundred in his 22nd ODI and who knows whether he would have batted even deeper into the innings if he hadn’t been struck down by cramp shortly before the halfway mark in the innings. After lengthy treatment, Bavuma cover-drove Adil Rashid for four to reach the mark, punching the name on his shirt and Protea badge as he celebrated his achievement.

But it was clear that his normal ability to sprint ones and twos between the wickets was no longer available to him and he played a low per centage shot, playing on against Sam Curran shortly after reaching his hundred.

Still, he had lit the fire for his team, smashing 14 fours and a six in his 102-ball 109, and his fellow batsmen didn’t let him down on a pitch that was at its best for batting for the team batting second.

Bavuma had kick-started the innings with Quinton de Kock who had earlier caused his team some concern when he hurt his thumb and was forced to leave the field midway through the England innings. However, an x-ray established no break and he was passed fit to open the innings.

Bavuma began his task with such alacrity that he scored 30 of the first 33 on the board. But the wicketkeeper then warmed to his task, cracking four fours and a pulled six in his 31 in 28 balls before a mistimed pull saw him fall to a fine catch by Ben Duckett at deep square leg.

Partnered now with the prolific Rassie van der Dussen, South Africa’s centurion in the first ODI, the two men motored along to such an extent that they added 97 in 91 balls for the second wicket before Bavuma’s demise.

South Africa were well up with the run-rate, but they may have felt a glimmer of concern when Van der Dussen fell four runs later, mishitting a reverse sweep off Rashid to backward point.

But Klaasen and Aiden Markram maintained the required run-rate with ease, cracking 55 in 38 balls for the fourth wicket before Jos Buttler caught a blinder to dispose of Klaasen (27 in 19) to give England’s best bowler, Olly Stone, his second wicket.

Markram was aggressive and sure in his strokeplay, falling for 49 to a superb googly from Rashid, but Miller and Jansen ensured there would be the happiest of endings for the boisterous Bloemfontein crowd.

Earlier, England’s explosive middle-order, led by Harry Brook (80), Jos Buttler (94*), Moeen Ali (51) and Sam Curran (28), enabled the tourists to flourish after a stumbling start to reach a formidable 342 for seven after they had been put in to bat by Bavuma.

The skipper’s decision was correct, as the surface had received overnight moisture and was initially tacky, offering the home team’s pacemen movement in the air and off the pitch during the first power play.

England only managed 42 for two wickets in the first 10 overs with Lungi Ngidi and Wayne Parnell skilfully exploiting the conditions, the ball seaming and swinging and sometimes bouncing off a length.

England’s century-maker on Friday, Jason Roy, was bowled neck and crop through the gate by a superb Ngidi delivery while Dawid Malan was trapped leg before by Parnell. Ben Duckett looked vulnerable initially, but just when he had begun to settle down, he tried to loft his first ball from Keshav Maharaj only to hole out tamely to long-on.

This brought Harry Brook and his captain, Buttler, together with the sun beginning to bake the pitch and flatten it out. Brook, who made a duck in his ODI debut on Friday, almost immediately took charge, playing a succession of fine shots all around the wicket. He was particularly harsh on (barely) short-pitched deliveries, pulling sixes through the midwicket area with Kesh Maharaj a particular victim.

It’s rare that a batsman outshines Buttler, but the England captain was happy to watch Brook dominate their fourth-wicket stand of 73 in 65 balls before Brook mistimed a lofted off-drive that skewed off his bat to deep point. His 80 in 75 balls included seven fours and four sixes as he announced his presence on the world ODI stage.

This partnership set the foundations for the most damaging partnership between Buttler and Moeen Ali with the latter leading the way in a surge of runs against a tiring Proteas’ attack that realised 101 in 85 balls. Ali timed the ball beautifully to strike 51 in 45, including six fours and a six before he played on to Nortje.

Buttler, who had reached his 23rd ODI half-century in the 35th over, was then deprived of the strike as Sam Curran blazed away at the other end, the pair blitzing 54 off 34 balls for the seventh wicket.

The pair enabled England to add 60 runs off the last four overs (300 came off the last 40) with Ngidi conceding 38 off his last two overs. Buttler finished unbeaten on 94 in 82 balls (8x4s, 3x6s) as he took his team to a formidable total.

Speaking afterwards a jubilant Bavuma said: “That win was very special. Playing against England is always a tough ask, and today was a good opportunity to test our way of playing. Chasing 340 like that gives us a lot of confidence.” Describing his hundred he said it was a “very enjoyable century. It’s also good to remind myself how to count to 100 too. It was a lovely crowd; to see all the people in the stands was magnificent. We're looking forward to Kimberley, it will be another opportunity to execute our plan."

South Africa had made three changes to their team from Friday, with Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi and Sisanda Magala making way for Jansen, Ngidi and Maharaj.

England made two changes with David Willey and Jofra Archer replaced by Topley and Woakes.

The final match in the series takes place in Kimberley on Wednesday.

SOUTH AFRICA: Quinton de Kock (wk), Temba Bavuma (capt), Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Wayne Parnell, Marco Jansen, Anrich Nortje, Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi

ENGLAND: Jason Roy, Dawid Malan, Ben Duckett, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler (capt & wk), Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, Chris Woakes, Adil Rashid, Olly Stone, Reece Topley.