sport news Jos Buttler and Dawid Malan hit centuries as England beat South Africa by 59 ... trends now
Jos Buttler and Dawid Malan hit defiant and destructive twin hundreds and Jofra Archer showed England what they have been missing for the past two years in a dramatic turnaround win over South Africa.
In a city known for its diamonds, Archer proved England’s jewel with the ball defending their seven-runs-per-over target, taking wickets in each of his three spells in just his second game back from a 22-month injury absence, terrorising the home batting with his consistent 90-mile-per-hour pace.
Archer finished with career-best figures of six for 40, sealing a 59-run victory by castling South Africa number 11 Tabraiz Shamsi.
The 232-run stand between Buttler and Malan, the biggest ever for an England pair against South Africa in one-day internationals, provided an attack featuring several returnees from lay-offs plenty to work with on a ground which favours chasing - 11 of the previous 14 ODIs were won by teams batting second.
It was the cornerstone of England’s highest score of the series, surpassing the 342 they posted in Sunday’s second match in Bloemfontein, and significantly reduce the chances of them being consigned to a whitewash and six consecutive defeats for the first time since 2009.
Captain Jos Buttler scored a superb century as England beat South Africa by 59 runs
At 20 for three in the 11th over, such a proposition appeared absurd but powered by 19 sixes, the most in a one-day international innings in South Africa, they got there in the final over.
Buttler and Malan both played with ice in their veins despite the searing heat of the Northern Cape, coming together following Lungi Ngidi’s triple strike with the new ball. Such was the pressure the South African attack exerted after Temba Bavuma made it a hat-trick of winning tosses, that they failed to score a run off the bat for 22 deliveries at one stage.
Questioning his limited opportunities last year, Malan told incoming coach Matthew Mott that 50-over cricket was his best format, as he had multiple gears.
Yesterday, he backed up the claim, moving serenely through them once he had stabilised things in the face of home dominance.
Twice South African fielders got hands to chances before Malan reached a half-century from 79 balls,
