England commenced their home season on a high, as they comprehensively defeated the world’s number one ranked ODI outfit, South Africa, with utmost ease.
For England, getting into the groove with the all important ICC Champions Trophy at home was the utmost priority, as being the hosts, there is an immense spotlight on the aggressive outfit to do well.
Known for their explosive batting prowess off late, England piled up a colossal 339-6 on board, as skipper Eoin Morgan got to a fine century. After being at 198-5 at one stage, Moeen Ali and Morgan turned it on in the last 10 overs, as more than 100 runs were scored in the same period.
In response, South Africa was off to a good start with Hashim Amla and Faf du Plessis put on a rapid century stand for the second wicket while piling up their half-centuries. However, once Amla was out, the chase went nowhere and the Proteas were dismissed for 267.
Post the loss, skipper AB de Villiers admitted that his side should have batted better.
“England played phenomenally well with the bat in hand. Credit to Morgs for the way he played. Probably they got 20-30 runs above par. We couldn’t get the partnerships going tonight. Two more games to go, a lot to look forward to,” said de Villiers.
Citing the wickets of Amla and du Plessis as the game-changing events, he added,
“Losing Faf and Hash in quick succession stopped us a little bit, but we should have got a lot closer. England outplayed us. They played better tonight and hopefully will be the better side in the next game.”
England captain Eoin Morgan showered praises on Moeen Ali and spoke highly of the all-rounder.
“Very pleasing effort,” Morgan said. “Pretty good day at the office for us. We weren’t sure of what would be a score on this surface after losing the toss. I thought that the partnerships that we built helped us get that score. It’s a nice feeling to continue to get runs. If Moeen didn’t get any runs or wicket, I would still pick him. I have that much confidence in the guy. He had a fantastic day. Batting at No. 7 is never easy. They have a very strong batting line-up. We managed to get regular wickets.”
For a rapid half-century and two crucial wickets, Moeen Ali was named the Man of the Match.
“I had a good hit with Paul Farbrace indoors and it was a nice feeling. Today I tried to give myself a bit more time. I have been in that situation before and given away my wicket. It’s a good pitch to bat. Good bounce in it. The ball spun when the length was short,” Moeen said.