CENTURION, South Africa: Quinton de Kock and Hashim Amla hit hundreds and shared a double century opening partnership as South Africa kept the series against England alive by winning the third one-day international by seven wickets at SuperSport Park on Tuesday.
Joe Root made a career-best 125 as England posted a competitive 318 for eight after winning the toss.
England captain Eoin Morgan admitted: “I certainly thought at half-time that we would win the game.”
But De Kock and Amla made the target look easy as they put on 239 for the first wicket.
De Kock in particular was in majestic form as he made 135 off 117 balls, with 16 fours and four sixes before he hit leg-spinner Adil Rashid, England’s best bowler, to Root at mid-off.
Amla went on to make 127 before flashing at a wide ball from Chris Jordan to be caught behind with just eight runs needed.
South Africa won with 22 balls to spare. England lead the five-match series 2-1, with matches in Johannesburg and Cape Town to come.
South African captain AB de Villiers praised an “unbelievable” effort by De Kock and Amla but said he was always confident South Africa could win.
“We were up for it today,” said De Villiers.
“There was urgency in the field and a bit of hunger. I would have bowled first. Quite a few of us come from here and we know it is difficult to defend here at night.”
Root made his 125 off 113 balls with ten fours and five sixes, scarcely playing a false stroke.
He shared a second wicket partnership of 125 with Alex Hales, who made 65 off 73 balls, and 82 for the fifth wicket with Ben Stokes, who slammed 53 off 37 balls.
A mix-up with Stokes caused Root to be run out and South Africa came back into the match by taking another three wickets, including that of Stokes, in quick succession.
David Willey and Adil Rashid scored 27 runs off the last 15 balls of the innings as England finished strongly
With lightning flashing around the ground early in the South African innings, De Kock and Amla were soon ahead of the required run rate should play have been stopped. But the weather cleared and they batted on serenely.
De Kock, at the age of 23, became the youngest player to score ten one-day international centuries, reaching the mark off 96 balls, while Amla scored his 22nd one-day hundred off 109 deliveries.
Morgan paid tribute to “an incredible opening partnership” by the South African pair but added: “We didn’t string together enough balls in the right areas to put pressure on them.”
De Kock, Amla centuries sink England
De Kock, Amla centuries sink England
Marmoush, Salah strike as Egypt edge out holders Ivory Coast in quarter-final
- Egypt wasted little time in taking the lead as Marmoush scored in the fourth minute
- That set up a siege of the Egyptian goal in the final 15 minutes but they held out to advance
AGADIR, Morocco: Omar Marmoush netted the opener and Mohamed Salah scored the decisive goal as Egypt ended Ivory Coast’s reign with a narrow 3-2 triumph in Saturday’s Africa Cup of Nations quarter-final.
Center back Rami Rabia was the other scorer for the Egyptians, who had little possession at the Grande Stade Agadir but took their chances with clinical precision and held on grimly to book a semifinal meeting with Senegal on Wednesday.
An own goal from Ahmed Fatouh and a late effort by Guela Doue proved insufficient for the Ivory Coast, winners of the tournament on home soil two years ago but now deposed as African champions.
Egypt, who have won a record seven Cup of Nations titles, wasted little time in taking the lead as Marmoush scored in the fourth minute after Hamdi Fathy pinched the ball from Franck Kessie in the midfield, allowing Emam Ashour to thread a pinpoint ball to the sprinting Marmoush. He still needed to shrug off the attentions of defender Odilon Kossounou before slotting home.
But it quickly became clear the Ivorians were going to dominate possession, showing much more physical strength on the ball but without setting up clear chances.
Egypt went 2-0 up in the 32nd minute when Rabia rose above the defenders to head his side further ahead from a corner.
The Ivory Coast, who had 70 percent of possession in the first half, reduced the deficit eight minutes later when teenager Yann Diomande’s freekick near the corner took a slight brush off Kossounou’s head and ricocheted off the knee of full back Fatouh and into the net.
SALAH FINISHED OFF CLEVER MOVE
The Ivorians had come from 2-0 down to beat Gabon 3-2 earlier in the tournament but hopes of turning the scoreline around soon after the re-start were stymied by a simply created, but superbly finished, goal for Salah seven minutes after the break.
Rabia was well inside his own half when he chipped the ball over the top of the Ivorian defensive line, allowing Ashour to run onto it and hit an accurate pass with the outside of his right boot into the path of Salah to score.
An Ivorian comeback was still on when Doue touched home at the end of a goalmouth scramble in the 73rd minute.
That set up a siege of the Egyptian goal in the final 15 minutes but they held out to advance.
Earlier on Saturday, Nigeria overpowered Algeria 2-0 in Marrakech and will take on hosts Morocco in the other semifinal.
