LONDON: England moved to a 4-0 lead in their five-match one-day series against South Africa when they won a rain-hit game by seven wickets at Lord’s yesterday.
England restricted the tourists to 183 for six from 32.1 overs and when their target was eventually adjusted to 137 off 20 overs, they reached it for the loss of three wickets with two overs to spare.
After Matt Prior and Ian Bell had fallen cheaply in a sluggish start to their response, England took charge. The key partnership was between captain Kevin Pietersen (40) and Owais Shah, who put on 74 in nine overs, including 20 off the only over bowled by Jacques Kallis.
Shah ended on 44 not out, with Andrew Flintoff hitting the winning runs to finish unbeaten on 31.
After being put in, South Africa made a bright start, with Herschelle Gibbs and Hashim Amla adding 66 for the first wicket from 9.1 overs.
Gibbs looked in prime form with three boundaries from a James Anderson over and Amla took a brace off Stuart Broad. Amla then turned his attention to Steve Harmison with three fours from four deliveries through the off-side.
Pietersen called up Flintoff to impose some control and was rewarded with a wicket from the all-rounder’s first ball when Amla was run out for 34 by a direct hit at the batsman’s end by Shah from mid-on. In Flintoff’s second over, acting captain Kallis was caught behind by Matt Prior for one. Kallis, deputizing for the injured Graeme Smith, looked outraged at the decision from Australian umpire Simon Taufel, who checked with the third umpire to see if the ball had carried to Prior. AB de Villiers fell for 14 and JP Duminy 20 after striking Patel for a six and four. Gibbs batted skilfully for 74 from 75 balls with nine boundaries but was bowled by Broad as the South Africans tried to force the pace.
The fifth and final match is in Cardiff on Wednesday.
