Cricket: Rampant England give South Africa a 10-wicket mauling

Blackleaf

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Oct 9, 2004
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Rampant England yesterday destroyed South Africa, beating them by a maximum 10 wickets. South Africa scored just 83 (no score in double figures is good in cricket), and England won the game even before the scheduled mid-innings interval.

England's bowlers were phenomenal. Stuart Broad took 5-23.

However, the real star of the England fielding was Prior, who equalled Alec Stewart's one-day record for England with 6 catches.

South Africa's top-scoring batsman was Nel, who scored a paltry 13.

England lead the Series 2-0 with South Africa needing to win all the remaining games to win the Series.

England surge to 10-wicket rout

By Jamie Lillywhite
BBC Sport

2nd One Day International, at Trent Bridge, Nottingham

South Africa: 83
England: 85-0

England win by the maximum 10 wickets.
England lead 5-match Series 2-0

England: Bell, Prior, Shah, Pietersen, Flintoff, Collingwood, Patel, Wright, Broad, Anderson, S Harmison

South Africa: Smith, Gibbs, Kallis, de Villiers, Duminy, Boucher, A Morkel, Botha, Nel, Steyn, Ntini


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Broad takes the plaudits after a superb spell on his home ground

England built a commanding 2-0 lead in the five-match one-day international series with an emphatic 10-wicket win against South Africa at Trent Bridge.

Stuart Broad claimed a maiden one-day five-wicket haul, destroying the top order with a spell of 4-9 in 16 balls.

Matt Prior took six catches, equalling Alec Stewart's England one-day record, and Andrew Flintoff ended the innings in the 23rd over with his third wicket.

Prior added 45 as England won before the scheduled mid-innings interval.

It was South Africa's shortest one-day innings and only the second time in 406 matches they have been bowled out for less than 100, as they barely scraped past their record low of 69 against Australia at Sydney in 1993.

Graeme Smith chose to bat with the theory that batting under lights against the new ball would be more difficult, but the match was over before the switches were pressed.

There are sure to be questions about whether it was reckless batting, inspired bowling or a sporting surface.

There were elements of all three, but England will be very happy with another superb performance under the new captaincy of Kevin Pietersen, his third successive victory since taking charge.

From the moment Smith pushed a kamikaze single in the first over of the match and was only reprieved by Ian Bell missing the target from around five yards, the South African innings looked in trouble.

Broad, his boyish face sporting some Andrew Flintoff-like whiskers, took the first wicket in the fourth over when Herschelle Gibbs tried to step down the wicket and got an inside edge to Prior.

Flintoff and James Anderson were quicker, both bowling well in excess of 90mph, but Broad, in the high 80s, bowled a consistently probing back-of-a-length line.

He was superbly supported in the field, Prior's catch to dismiss Smith, when he took off to his left and snared the edge one-handed in front of first slip, a memorable moment for the Sussex man, who was out of the England set-up at the start of the season.


Flintoff savours the moment as the South Africa innings ends on 83

One sight the South Africans did not want to see at 36-4 after 10 overs was that of Flintoff charging in.

The Lancashire all-rounder was the perfect candidate to maintain the pressure and his typically accurate hostility quickly brought him two wickets.

The surreal situation was summed up by number nine Andre Nel, who swiped three fours in four balls off Broad and promptly became the highest scorer of the innings.

Harmison is unlikely to have ever begun a spell with the opposition at 68-7 after 21 overs, but he soon joined in the fun by taking two wickets in the solitary over he was required to bowl.

Nel's brief flurry of runs ended when he skied Harmison's first delivery and Luke Wright took a well-judged catch at mid-wicket.

Flintoff's fine yorker gave him a third wicket and there was an air of stunned silence as England began their reply an hour before the scheduled mid-innings interval.

The misery continued for the tourists, any top-edges or mis-timed strokes evading the fielders, and subdued bowlers firing a succession of wides and no-balls.

Prior's fine match continued, however, with some bold strokeplay. He launched Makhaya Ntini straight down the ground for a six which stayed airborne for several seconds before pitching just beyond the boundary.

The gloveman pulled a boundary for the winning runs off the first ball of the 15th over, barely three hours after the start of the match at 1430 BST.

Bell hit some pleasing shots too in his unbeaten 28, but a number of England players were virtually unemployed - notably Paul Collingwood, whose four-match ban had ended.


South Africa choose to bat first in the second one-day international, but Stuart Broad removes Herschelle Gibbs early on


Captain Graeme Smith also departs to Broad, with Matt Prior diving in front of first slip to collect a fine catch


Things only get worse for South Africa - and better for Broad - as Jacques Kallis edges to slip, Owais Shah taking the catch


Broad can't stop taking wickets; JP Duminy is the next to go - to another Prior catch - and South Africa are in the mire at 36-4


The rout continues, Andrew Flintoff getting in on the act when he wins an lbw appeal against AB de Villiers


It's all too easy as the sixth wicket falls with the score on 50, and South Africa seem to have no answer


Broad takes his fifth wicket, finishing with wonderful figures of 5-23, as Johan Botha gives Prior another catch


Steve Harmison has the luxury of beginning his spell with only the tailenders to bowl at, and he grabs two wickets in his only over


Dale Steyn is bowled by Flintoff with the last ball of the 23rd over, and unbelievably South Africa have been bowled out for 83


Faced with the most straightforward of tasks, Prior and Ian Bell use up just 14.1 overs as South Africa are crushed by 10 wickets


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