Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer were the stars as hosts England defeated South Africa by 104 runs in the opening match of the 2019 ICC World Cup.
Stokes top-scored with 89 in England’s 311/8, held a stunning catch in the outfield and took 2/12 to help his team earn a massive win. Archer did the early damage with the ball, the fast-bowler took 3/27 in seven overs.
Barbados-born Archer, who only qualified for England in March, made his presence felt even before he took his first wicket with a bouncer that beat Hashim Amla for pace and crashed into the grille of the helmet, with the veteran opener retiring hurt on five.
Archer then reduced the Proteas to 44/2. Aiden Markram edged to Joe Root at slip and South Africa captain Faf du Plessis fell for just five when he top-edged a hook to fine-leg.
However, Quinton de Kock kept the Proteas in the hunt, although the opener was lucky when on 25 he played a ball from leg-spinner Adil Rashid onto his stumps only for the bails to stay put. The left-hander went on to complete a 58-ball fifty but holed out off fast-bowler Liam Plunkett for 68.
Rassie van der Dussen then made exactly 50 without pressing on when he miscued Archer to mid-on. His exit saw Amla return with South Africa struggling at 167/6 in the 32nd over.
Stokes brilliance
The game was all but over for South Africa when a back-pedaling Stokes held a brilliant one-handed catch in the deep to dismiss Andile Phehlukwayo.
Amla’s brave effort to rescue the innings ended on 13 when he was caught behind off Plunkett’s slower-ball bouncer and Stokes finished the match when Imran Tahir edged him to Root.
Stokes was one of four England batsmen who got to 50 on a tricky surface, with captain Eoin Morgan [57], Jason Roy [54] and Root [51] all out soon after reaching the landmark.
England lost a wicket second ball before Roy and Root shared a stand of 106 that was equalled by Morgan and Stokes.
Du Plessis opted to field despite being without injured spearhead Dale Steyn and took the unorthodox decision to give leg-spinner Tahir the first over.
The 40-year-old, the oldest player in the tournament, struck second ball when Jonny Bairstow was caught behind by De Kock for a golden duck.
Roy and Root repaired the damage but were dismissed when well set as England lost two wickets for four runs in four balls to be 111/3.
Morgan, whose aggressive approach has been symbolic of England’s rise to the top of the one-day international rankings after their woeful first-round exit at the 2015 World Cup, struck the match’s first two sixes off successive balls from Lungi Ngidi before he too was caught in the deep.
Left-hander Stokes saw his 79-ball knock end in the penultimate over when caught at third man following a reverse hit off paceman Ngidi [3/66].
[Inputs from PTI]
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