Port Elizabeth: Speedster James Anderson created havoc at Port Elizabeth as the South African batting line up crumbled in front of the Anderson storm. Anderson finished with career-best figures of 5-23 as England won the fourth ODI by 7 wickets giving them a 2-1 lead in the 5-match series.

It was a perfect example of how inconsistent this England one-day team can be with one of their biggest wins coming within days of the humiliating loss they suffered in the third ODI. South Africa were bowled out for a paltry 119, their lowest total in one-day internationals in their own country, and England chased down the target comfortably in 31.2 overs for the loss of just 3 wickets. With this win, England ensured that they took a lead in the series and with just one match to go, which is to be played in Durban on Friday, England cannot lose the series from here.

It was an astounding performance from the same bowling line-up that conceded 354 runs in the last game when England lost the match by a huge margin of 112 runs.

South African skipper Graeme Smith won the toss and to the surprise of many, opted to bat first in overcast conditions and on a pitch which had more grass than one usually finds in Port Elizabeth. England struck the first blow when Smith was dismissed by Stuart Broad in just the second over and the Proteas could never really recover from there.

After the first wicket, it was time for Anderson show. The fast bowler bowled immaculate lines and lengths. He was also aided by some aggressive captaincy by Strauss. Anderson had figures of 2 for 17 in his first six overs and Strauss brought back his strike bowler as early as the 21^st over to take advantage of the conditions. And Anderson didn’t disappoint him, picking up three more wickets. By the time he finished his spell, South Africa were reeling at 85 for 7.

Alviro Petersen was the only Proteas batsman to show some resistance, scoring a fighting 51 off 79 balls before being the last man out. This was the youngster’s third consecutive fifty in the series.

Tim Bresnan provided able support to Anderson, returning with figures of 1 for 15 in his unbroken spell of 8 overs. Stuart Broad and Paul Collingwood picked up 2 wickets each.

Chasing 120 to win, England never got rattled by the South African attack. Strauss and Trott gave them a perfect start, adding 74 runs for the first wicket before Strauss was dismissed by off-spinner Johan Botha for 32. The Proteas then picked up two quick wickets with Pietersen (3) once again not firing. He chipped one straight to mid-wicket off Botha. Paul Collingwood was the next to go, failing in this series for the first time, caught by Boucher off the bowling of McLaren.

Eoin Morgan and Jonathan Trott came together and made sure that England didn’t face any more roadblocks, adding 38 unbeaten runs with Trott remaining unbeaten on 52 and Morgan returning undefeated on 28.

“Jimmy Anderson was outstanding in the way he created pressure but then bowled wicket-taking deliveries as well,” said England captain Andrew Strauss.

“It was probably a good toss to lose,” admitted Strauss. “But I was very pleased with the way the bowlers adapted to those conditions. We were very accurate today.”

Strauss said that after Friday’s heavy defeat the team had “a good chat”.

He said, “We wanted to clarify our plans against their batsmen, which we got pretty much spot on.”

The losing captain, Graeme Smith, said that they made a mistake in assessing the conditions. “We didn’t assess conditions well enough this morning,” said Smith.

“If we had got 220 or 240 it would have been a really good target to defend. It was a disappointing performance,” he added.

Brief Scores:

England 121 for 3 (Trott 52*) beat South Africa 119 (Petersen 51, Anderson 5-23) by seven wickets

Man of the Match: James Anderson

Tagged with: Alviro Petersen, Andrew Strauss, England, Graeme Smith, James Anderson, Jonathan Trott, Port Elizabeth, South Africa, Tim Bresnan

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