On Wednesday England and South Africa played the third and final match of their ODI series in South Africa. South Africa had already won the series having won the first two matches.
ENGLAND 14-3 AND THEN…
South Africa won the toss and put England into bat. In the early stages they would have had few doubts about the correctness of this decision as England were 14-3 early on. Then Jos Buttler joined Dawid Malan and England began to fight back. At the 30 over mark England were 149-3. Overs 31-40 yielded a further 90 runs, and both set batters were still there. England’s hopes of a really substantial total suffered a setback in the 41st over, when Dawid Malan was out, to end an England all time record ODI 4th wicket stand. In the event dome bright hitting from the lower middle order batters boosted the England total a a mightily impressive 346-7.
ARCHER FINDS HIS MARK
Much of the interest in England’s defence of their total centred on Jofra Archer, in the side in place of Olly Stone and hoping to demonstrate that injury woes that no so long ago seemed to have put his international career in jeopardy were behind him. Archer bowled magnificently, being consistently the quickest bowler on either side and making a number of crucial interventions. When Markram and Klaasen were threatening he dismissed Klaasen, and then followed up by dislodging the dangerous David Miller cheaply. Similarly when Klaasen and Jansen looked threatening it was once again Archer who broke the stand. It was only fitting that the delivery early in the 42nd over of the South African innings that claimed their last wicket was bowled by Archer. South Africa were all out for 287, beaten by 59 runs, and Archer, just into the last of his 10 allotted overs, had claimed 6-40 on his return to international action.
A TERRIBLE PLAYER OF THE MATCH AWARD DECISION
In a match in which 633 runs were scored in just over 91 overs a bowler taking six cheap wickets, including removing several batters just as they were starting to look dangerous, should be a sh00-in for the Player of the Match award. However, cricket is a batter’s game, and Jos Buttler’s century allied to three catches behind the stumps got him the award. The simple fact is that without Archer’s bowling Buttler’s runs would have counted for nothing – it was only the fact that largely due to Archer SA were bowled out that prevented England’s total from being overhauled – SA were up with the rate almost all the way through their innings, and never dangerously far adrift of it.
BOOSTING THE PHOTO GALLERY
I already had quite a few photos to share from earlier in the week, and today, although the weather was not as pleasant for walking as it had been on Tuesday and Wednesday yielded plenty more. I had decided that today was the day to put in a repeat prescription form, which meant there was one fixed point on my travels, but otherwise I could pick out my own route. I set off from the back door of my home, headed past the two ponds close to it, then along the Gaywood where it flows past the Kettlewell Lane trees, across Littleport Street, down past Highgate Methodist Chapel, across another section of the Gaywood and on past the station and an ASLEF picket line, and through the walks to where I had to drop off the prescription request. I then headed for the Broad Walk, which I followed through the Guanock Gate before diverging through the Vancouver Garden and then along the path that cuts diagonally across the Recreation Field before joining St John’s Walk where the latter meets Tennyson Avenue. I crossed Tennyson Avenue and walked along the path that runs between the grounds of King Edward VII Academy on one side and the King’s Lynn Academy on the other and then crossed Gaywood Road, and continued on past Lynn Sport until I reached Bawsey Drain, which I then followed to its junction with Columbia Way, before walking about half of the next section and then turning back. I followed Columbia Way as far as Greenpark Avenue and then headed down that road and walked a tiny section of the Gaywood River Path before heading back home by way of the Discovery Centre. In total I was out and about for approximately two hours, and got some decent photographs.
PHOTOGRAPHS
Time for my usual sign off…
aspiblog 