Key events
Remember when (England v South Africa at Headingley department)
Never mind my half-arsed weather forecast, our media editor Jim Waterson is at Headingley.
Your on the ground weather forecast, as I work my way through my mum’s sandwiches on a family day out: fine damp mist of the sort that isn’t really rain but somehow gets right inside your bones and leaves everything a bit soggy.
“Grey skies in the direction of Roundhay, childhood home of future prime minister Liz Truss. Nothing is happening here any time soon, even though paradoxically it’s not exactly raining.
Weather update It doesn’t look great for the next few hours. The forecast is a lot better from around 4pm, so there should still be scope for a shorter game. Start swotting up on DLS.
Interlude
This is so good.
“A bullpen would be sensible,” says John Foster, “but surely even more sensible would be a kind of on-deck circle for the incoming batter in white-ball cricket. Just to feel bat on ball, and get in the groove, and similar cliches, rather than coming in stone cold with a bacon sandwich and few cups of tea weighing heavy in the belly. As a life-long baseball follower, I remain astonished that this hasn’t come into the game yet.”
I know the square root of bugger all about baseball – I really need to watch that Ken Burns series – so excuse what may well be a moronic question. Where are the bull-pens in baseball? Would there be any potential issues with people being timed out in cricket? (I’m also not sure how it would work for bowlers, given they have to field, even though I like the idea in theory.)
I’m off for a quick break, but will be back with weather updates as and when. I suspect it’ll be a stop-start game for the next few hours.
I’ll leave you with some fairly miserable lunchtime reading.
“Bull pen?” sniffs Gary Naylor. “Bull er… well, we’re not at the watershed yet. How often did Graeme Swann need a warm-up?”
Hmm, I know what you mean, but the excellence of a small group (Jimmy Anderson has tried to abolish the loosener over the past decade) doesn’t invalidate the idea.
The forecast is better from around 4pm, so we should still get a game, if not necessarily a full one.
Rain stops play
20.5 overs: South Africa 119-2 (de Kock 69, Markram 7) Ach, the rain is getting heavier and the umpires have decided to take the players off.
20th over: South Africa 114-2 (de Kock 68, Markram 5) The speed of de Kock’s scoring means the new batters can afford to take 10-15 balls to get their eye in. Curran’s fourth over is milked for six, none in boundaries.
19th over: South Africa 108-2 (de Kock 64, Markram 3) The crowd get excited when Rashid drops a return catch off Markram, but it was a bump ball. Markram has 3 from 9 balls, de Kock 64 from 59. If you’re just joining us, a) you’re dead to me and b) de Kock is batting delightfully.
“Clever wicket by Rashid – beat van der Dussen in the flight – but had a shocker in his first over: four long hops and a wide,” says Kevin Mitchell. “Cricket needs a bull-pen, as in baseball, for bowlers to warm up. No excuse for that filth at this level.”
That’s transported me back to 14 July 2019, and the sight of Jofra Archer turning his arm over by the boundary edge ahead of the Super Over. A bull-pen would have come in handy that day.
18th over: South Africa 104-2 (de Kock 61, Markram 2) It’s raining at Headingley, though it isn’t yet heavy enough for the players to come off. Another decent over from Curran, with the exception of an off-side wide.
“I would say Curran’s strongest suit is in one-day cricket,” says Colum Fordham. “He hasn’t got the speed for Test cricket but his variations are tailor-made for the shorter format and his batting is aggressive too.”
17th over: South Africa 101-2 (de Kock 60, Markram 1) “Hi Rob,” says Julian Menz. “I really wish Tanya’s article was open for comments, as I suspect even us club-level cricketers have suffered heat exhaustion at some point, and it is an extremely serious issue. She mentions the protective gear, and spending hours at the batting crease sweating in a helmet in 30C+ is nightmare-inducing.
“I realise the obvious differences (footballers run a lot more for one), but the football World Cup has been moved from the Qatar summer. A batter compiling a high score might spend many hours ensconsed in stifling clothing, exposed to the sun. As someone who suffers easily from heatstroke, it never ceases to amaze me how they don’t just pass out.”
WICKET! South Africa 99-2 (van der Dussen c Bairstow b Rashid 26)
The mid-innings wickettaker strikes again. van der Dussen sweeps Rashid straight to deep square leg, where Bairstow takes a simple catch. That’s a useful wicket for England given van der Dussen’s record.
16th over: South Africa 97-1 (de Kock 58, van der Dussen 25) No real movement for Curran, so he is mixing things up. A surprise short ball is eased majestically over Buttler’s head for a one-bounce four by de Kock, a shot that has Mike Atherton citing Brian Lara. There’s no higher praise for a left-hander.
15th over: South Africa 92-1 (de Kock 54, van der Dussen 24) Adil Rashid comes into the attack. He remains a crucial figure, who has taken more ODI wickets than anyone in the world since the 2015 World Cup, but at 34 it does feel like he is slightly on the wane. Don’t ask me who replaces him in the medium term, though England have the 17-year-old leggie Rehan Ahmed with the squad today.
de Kock glides his first ball for four and then clatters a filthy delivery to the cover boundary to bring up a high-class fifty from 39 balls. An unusually scruffy start from Rashid includes an off-side wide,. which makes it 11 from the over.
14th over: South Africa 81-1 (de Kock 45, van der Dussen 23) Sam Curran, the player of the match on Friday, replaces Topley (5-0-34-0). Four years on from his England debut, Curran remains a hard cricketer to judge – I’m not sure what his strongest suit is, or his strongest format, or whether he’s actually any good. But I do know that he’s very likeable.
His first over is a quiet one, culminating in an unsuccessful appeal for caught behind when van der Dussen misses a hook.
13th over: South Africa 78-1 (de Kock 43, van der Dussen 22) Only one wicketkeeper has made more ODI hundreds than de Kock, the phenomenal Kumar Snagakkara. Interesting to see Shai Hope so high on the list.
Meanwhile, van der Dussen reverse sweeps Moeen for a couple and then cracks a wide ball to the cover boundary. He has moved in his usual unobtrusive way to 22 from 25 balls.
12th over: South Africa 71-1 (de Kock 42, van der Dussen 16) More delightful batting from de Kock, who skims a fullish delivery from Topley past extra cover for four. He has timed the ball exquisitely this morning and already looks a decent bet for his 18th ODI hundred.
11th over: South Africa 65-1 (de Kock 37, van der Dussen 16) van der Dussen premeditates a lap for four off Moeen. Buttler knew what was coming and moved across to the leg side, but he ended up running past the ball.
The early signs are that South Africa will be looking for a score of at least 300.
10th over: South Africa 60-1 (de Kock 36, van der Dussen 12) Topley replaces Willey, and his first ball is timed classily to the cover boundary by de Kock. The placement was immaculate, straight between the men at point and short extra.
He opens the face at the last second to glide another boundary to third man, a difficult shot made to look offensively easy. He has raced to 36 from 28 balls.
“A childish person might frame this as a battle between Willey and de Kock,” says Matt Dony. “But we’re above that.”
9th over: South Africa 51-1 (de Kock 27, van der Dussen 12) Moeen has his first bowl at de Kock, who times a beautiful drive through extra cover for his fourth boundary. He’s looking good here, ominously so for England.
8th over: South Africa 44-1 (de Kock 20, van der Dussen 11) Consecutive boundaries for de Kock off Willey. The first was snicked through the slips after a mow across the line, the second ramped deftly round the corner from well outside off stump.
van der Dussen makes it three boundaries in four balls with an uppish drive through the covers. A good over for South Africa, 13 from it.
7th over: South Africa 31-1 (de Kock 12, van der Dussen 7) Moeen Ali is coming into the attack, a brave and interesting move given we’re still in the Powerplay.
His second ball is edged through the vacant slip area for four by van der Dussen, who then reverse sweeps a couple of runs to the same area.
6th over: South Africa 25-1 (de Kock 12, van der Dussen 1) The new batter is Rassie van der Dussen, the man with the highest average in ODI history (min 20 innings).
WICKET! South Africa 24-1 (Malan c Roy b Willey 11)
Malan has struggled to line up Willey this morning, and now he’s gone. He reached for a delivery angled across him, possibly with a scrambled seam, and sliced it straight to Roy at point.
5th over: South Africa 24-0 (Malan 11, de Kock 12) de Kock has started well but the right-handed Malan is still getting his eye in. After making 2 from 13 balls, he scrunches a half volley through mid-off for a relieving boundary.
He gets another boundary later in the over, walking down the track to slam a short ball over mid-off. Love-15.
4th over: South Africa 14-0 (Malan 2, de Kock 11) Too straight from Willey, and de Kock times the first boundary of the day through midwicket.
3rd over: South Africa 9-0 (Malan 2, de Kock 6) de Kock is beaten, driving at a tempting awayswinger from Topley. There’s a bit happening for the England bowlers, so Topley continues to pitch the ball up. de Kock leans into a nice push-drive through extra cover and comes back for three.
2nd over: South Africa 5-0 (Malan 2, de Kock 3) There’s a hint of swing for David Willey, and Janneman Malan is beaten by the one that doesn’t come back in. Willey starts with a good maiden.
1st over: South Africa 5-0 (Malan 2, de Kock 3) Reece Topley has taken 11 for 76 in his last three ODIs, many of them with the new ball. It takes him a few deliveries to find his range, but his last is a jaffa that straightens past the outside edge of Quinton de Kock.
The players are out, and the in-form Reece Topley will bowl the first over.
Cricket and climate change
This is another terrific piece from Tanya Aldred, who was one of the first, if not the first, to raise awareness of the subject.
It’s a pleasant, sunny morning in Headingley, which contradicts the forecast. There’s a chance of rain later, although you never really know with these things.
Team news
Both teams are unchanged. Next!
England Roy, Bairstow, Salt, Root, Buttler (c/wk), Livingstone, Ali, Curran, Willey, Rashid, Topley.
South Africa Malan, de Kock (wk), van der Dussen, Markram, Klaasen, Miller, Pretorious, Maharaj (c), Nortje, Ngidi, Shamsi.
South Africa win the toss and bat
So much for it being advantage to bowl. Keshav Maharaj says the pitch looks a bit dry, so South Africa want to give their spinners the best chance to take wickets.
Jos Buttler says England were “a bit 50/50” but would probably have bowled.
Some significant news from Scotland
BREAK: The board of Cricket Scotland has resigned with immediate effect. Follows ‘devastating’ review that found Scottish cricket to be ‘institutionally racist. Our report yesterday @SkyNews https://t.co/gTks8ZAFro via @YouTube
— James Matthews (@jamesmatthewsky) July 24, 2022
Ali Martin’s preview
Preamble
Sunday: the day of rest. And, in English cricket in July 2022, of resolution. For the second consecutive Sunday, England are involved in an ODI series decider. A week ago they bowed to the genius of Rishabh Pant at Old Trafford a week ago; today, they will hope for a better outcome against South Africa at Headingley.
Bilateral series tend not to tattoo themselves on the brain – if you don’t believe me, try naming the England XI for the first ODI against the Netherlands last month, and then try listing the Netherlands XI – but they occasionally find a home in the subconscious. This is a quietly important game for an England team who have suffered a crisis of confidence in the last few weeks.
In a world where perception increasingly trumps reality, the line between blip and terminal decline can be gossamer-thin. If England lose a third consecutive white-ball series, the end-of-an-era talk will be amplified. But if they win they will feel a whole lot better about their life going into the T20 series on Wednesday.
We haven’t said this too often over the last seven years, but England need more from their batters. They started the ODI summer by almost scoring 500 against the Netherlands; since then they haven’t reached 300.
Jos Buttler would also like a bit more luck with the toss. He lost important ones against India at the Oval and South Africa at Chester-le-Street. With a mixed forecast at Headingley, it will surely be a decent advantage to bowl first.
The match begins at 11am, with the toss at 10.30am.
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