England vs South Africa – 4th ODI – Toss Report and Match Update
South Africa made a cautious start to the 4th ODI after being sent into bat by England skipper, Alastair Cook, posting 28 for no loss at the end of 9 overs, at Lord’s, September 2, 2012.
Following an insipid batting display at Oval, which handed the home team their first victory of the series, the Proteas skipper, AB de Villiers, had stated that his side did not play well enough and will need to make amends in the coming ODIs by capitalizing on solid starts.
To bolster their batting resources, the tourists left out pacer, Morne Morkel and opted to play all-rounder Ryan Mclaren, with Albie Morkel still struggling to get back to full fitness. The change was a surprising one, given Morne Morkel’s impressive form throughout the tour and the poor outing of Lonwabo Tsotsobe in the previous game.
Fatigue could be a possible factor, with the management keen to keep the pacer fresh for the remainder of the tour and the upcoming World T20.
The Poms made no change to their lineup, which finally got a much-needed win under their belt. Jade Dernbach and James Tredwell both earned praise from their skipper, and will be eager to put in a similar shift.
There was still no place for all-rounder, Chris Woakes, despite the favourable conditions, while Ravi Bopara again got the nod over crowd favourite Jonny Bairstow. Samit Patel also retained his place despite failing to get a bowl at the Oval.
"The extra seamer did cross our minds but it was a pretty straightforward choice," said Cook. The decision to bowl first seemed a straight forward one, considering the overcast conditions, with the pitch expected to do a bit in the morning hour of play.
For now, the visitors have made a solid start through Graeme Smith and Hashim Amla, both of whom seemed intent on seeing out the new ball. The former opened his account with a leg-side clip for four off Steven Finn, while the latter started off by hitting James Anderson through the cover region.
An accumulation period then followed, with both batters inclined to defend and also avoiding any risky play. England further lost a review in the 9th over in an attempt to get Amla out cheaply.
Tags: