CAPE TOWN: An excellent knock from Joe Denly has dragged England out of trouble and lifted them to a respectable total in the first ODI against South Africa at Newlands.
England doled out caps at opposite ends of the spectrum, handing debuts to Tom Banton and Matt Parkinson and marking Chris Woakes’ 100th ODI. But it was their team-mate with a curious mix of age and ODI inexperience who played the innings England needed after falling to 83 for 4 and then 131 for 6 as they battled the spin of Tabraiz Shamsi.
Denly scored his third ODI half-century and his first in the eight innings he has played since his previous fifty, against Australia in September 2009, bearing in mind that he played just four more ODIs – all in South Africa that month – before a hiatus lasting almost a decade, only returning to the scene against Ireland last May.
After being overlooked for the World Cup, Denly was given the chance to establish himself as a limited-overs player when he was awarded his first white-ball contract at the end of last summer. If his first innings since is any gauge, Denly has set himself on course to do so, with a fine 87 off 103 balls to help England set South Africa 259 to win, which would be a record chase at Newlands, when a much smaller target had looked likely earlier.
After losing the toss, England were five balls into their innings when they recorded their first ODI run since their World Cup triumph at Lord’s on July 14 with Jason Roy working Beuran Hendricks towards short midwicket. After facing five more deliveries, Roy hit his stride, punishing Hendricks with three consecutive fours through long-on, long-off and extra cover.
Having not played international cricket since the World Cup final and no cricket at all since injuring his shoulder while playing in the Mzansi Super League in late November, Roy received a life on 24 when he sent a Lungi Ngidi delivery to short midwicket where Andile Phehlukwayo grassed the catch.
Another near-miss sent Rassie van der Dussen hobbling off the ground after landing awkwardly as he lept in vain trying to pull down a ball Roy struck just high enough to clear short midwicket.
After nine overs England reached 50 without loss off 54 balls via Roy and Jonny Bairstow. But it was another spinner, the batting allrounder Jon-Jon Smuts on debut, who did for Roy, who lofted Smuts down the ground but failed to clear long on, Reeza Hendricks taking a straightforward catch to send him on his way for 32 off as many balls.
Bairstow didn’t hang around much longer. Having contributed 19 runs to a 51-run stand with Roy, Bairstow followed his opening partner back to the pavilion after crashing a drive off Phehlukwayo straight to Lutho Sipamla at mid-off.
A brilliant piece of fielding from van der Dussen, who returned showing no ill effects from his earlier tumble, broke a third-wicket stand worth 30 runs between Eoin Morgan and Joe Root. Morgan swept Tabraiz Shamsi but van der Dussen was sharp with so sharp with his diving intercept at backward square he had all the time in the world to rise to his knees and take middle stump out of the ground with a throw fired in from nearly 30 metres away, as a sprawling Root was found well short of his ground.
Shamsi removed Morgan just three balls later, edging to Temba Bavuma who took a strong slips catch diving low to his left.
Banton reeled off three fours on his way to 18 off 23 balls but he was found wanting when he dropped to his knee looking to slog sweep Shamsi and was struck high on his back thigh and given out lbw, failing to have the decision overturned on review when replays showed the ball was headed for the top of off stump.
Denly and Sam Curran kept the run rate ticking at just over four an over, as South Africa brought debutant quick Sipamla into the attack. It was Shamsi who struck again, however, in the next over, bowling Curran round his legs.
Woakes slipped into the void and he and Denly steadied the innings, reaching their 50 partnership off 67 balls with a four from Denly, cracking Phehlukwayo over the covers. Denly sent the next ball to the boundary as well with beautiful placement through long-off.
Denly brought up his fifty a short time later, off 72 balls. He put on a 91-run partnership with Woakes, who added a valuable 40 before he became Sipamla’s maiden ODI wicket, caught by David Miller at mid-off.
With Tom Curran opposite him, Denly accelerated in the closing overs, clubbing Lungi Ngidi some 87 metres over cow corner for six – the first maximum of England’s innings. Denly dealt out more of the same in Ngidi’s next over with a scornful smash over the fence at long-off.
Denly was finally brought undone when he sent Beuran Hendricks to Reeza Hendricks in the deep with four balls remaining.
