England overcome late wobble to square ODI series
England lose four wickets for 20 runs then edge over line after Rashid and Moeen tie South Africa down
England lose four wickets for 20 runs then edge over line after Rashid and Moeen tie South Africa down
Scorer: Chandan Duorah | Commentator: Alan Gardner
6.15pm: Right, there we go, then. There were fears we wouldn't get much of a game today - in the end, we got more than we bargained for. Firdose's report should be your next port of call, and then stick around for further reaction. Thanks from myself, Matt and Chandon, we'll be back for more with the start of the T20I series on Wednesday. Ta ra!
Oh, and Bangladesh have just won the U19 World Cup, too. #SCENES!!
6pm: Presentations time, starting with Man of the Match, Adil Rashid: "I felt good today, been a while since I played, getting out there I was eager to play and it came out well. [Googly?] Some days it's easy to pick, today it was more difficult. Some days you bowl your variations better than others. Nice to come on a bit of spicy wicket with a bit of bounce, and me and Mo bowled well in tandem."
South Africa captain Quinton de Kock, who is also named Player of the Series: "We thought it was getting tight, we had a bit of a sniff, but it's still a loss at the end of the day. Cool to make it tough for the English guys. It takes some getting used to, different in quite a lot of ways, but the guys help me on and off the field, I'm just there to make the final decisions. [Positives signs?] Energy has stood out, we've got a young team but they had a lot of energy on the field and I enjoyed that."
England captain Eoin Morgan: [Development aside, nice to win?] "Yeah, of course, I thought we bowled well today. Adil and Mo coming in and showing their value, Adil with the control and variation he has was outstanding. Thought the chase was well within our grasp, disappointing to limp over the line. Thought we should have done it four or five down with the partnerships we had. [Positives?] Tom Banton showed promise, Joe Denly's two knocks have been really, really good, Saqib [Mahmood] came in today and bowled beautifully up front, likewise Parky [Matt Parkinson] in the first game. So lots there. Prob our best performance in the field and with the ball, nice to come back and play like that. On a wicket that exposes our weaknesses [with the bat], we need to get better at that."
5.50pm: England grab a share of the series, even as it threatened to squirm out of their grasp. It seemed like they were cruising with Joe Denly and Tom Banton at the crease, needing 25 with six wickets standing - only for the chase to nearly turn pear-shaped. Luckily, the famously doughty Moeen Ali, back in the side after several months of watching from the outside, was there to drag them to their target. South Africa scrapped hard, and they'll take plenty from these two-and-a-bit games, but it ends honours even, ahead of three T20Is next week.
"I think there should be a super over to decide who wins the series," parps Vyshakh. Now now
"Welcome back Moeen!" cheers James. "Very tidy 10 overs and sees England home."
Meanwhile, a few clicks down the highway in Potchefstroom, Bangladesh are on the verge of a sensational, maiden U19 World Cup win - ahead against India on DLS with the rain now coming down.
"Any scope for a Super Over today?" I don't think so, Peter Morley. But we may be about to find out...
There'll be some pink faces if England don't manage to get over the line here
Here's Chris Jordan, who knows which end of the bat to hold. England have lost 4 for 20 and the crowd getting into this again...
At Newlands, de Kock and Bavuma briefly took watchers back to a golden age of South African cricket
Coach believes new captain can rise to the workload of opening and keeping wicket as well
Umpiring confusion leads to bizarre passage of play in third ODI between South Africa and England
England lose four wickets for 20 runs then edge over line after Rashid and Moeen tie South Africa down
Hosts sitting on 1-0 lead with another poor forecast for pink ODI in Johannesburg