SA beat England in first ODI, Van der Dussen dazzles
South Africa thrashed England by 27 runs in the opening ODI, earning a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. The contest panned out like a rollercoaster as the visitors seemed on the right track for the major part while chasing 299. However, SA's brilliant death bowling restricted them to 271. Rassie van der Dussen starred with the ton. Here are the key stats.
How did the contest pan out?
Van der Dussen (111) and David Miller (53) powered the hosts to 298/7 while batting first at the Mangaung Oval in Bloemfontein. In reply, openers Jason Roy and Dawid Malan got England off to a flying start. The former even scored a ton. However, Anrich Nortje and Sisanda Magala's brilliant bowling helped SA stage a comeback and register a win.
4th ODI ton for Van der Dussen
Van der Dussen blasted a 117-ball 111, a knock studded with six fours and a maximum. It was his fourth ton in ODIs and a second against England. The batter's exploits raced him past 1,000 runs at home in ODI cricket. He now owns 1,006 runs across 21 home ODIs at a monstrous average of 100.60. The tally includes three tons and seven half-centuries.
Second-highest batting average (minimum 1,000 runs)
Van der Dussen has so far amassed 1,636 runs across 39 ODIs at a strike rate of at 90.23. His average of 71.13 is only second to India's Shubman Gill (73.76) among batters with at least 1,000 runs in the format. Besides four tons, he has smashed 11 ODI fifties, with his best score being 134 (vs England).
Half-century for David Miller
Meanwhile, Miller smashed a timely 56-ball 53, helping SA garner some crucial runs in the death overs. He smashed four boundaries and a maximum. The southpaw, who was standing in his 150th ODI, slammed his 19th fifty in the format (100s: 5). He now owns 3,709 ODI runs at 41.67. 101.48 reads his strike rate in the format.
Jason Roy musters much-needed ton
As mentioned, Roy led England's chase with his 11th ODI ton. He also owns 21 fifties. This was indeed a much-needed century for Roy as he hadn't crossed the 50-run mark in his last 14 international outings. During the course of his knock, Roy also became the 12th English player to complete 4,000 ODI runs. He now owns 4,106 in 111 games at 40.25.
Fifty for Dawid Malan
Roy's opening partner Dawid Malan smashed his third ODI fifty. He scored 59 off just 55 balls with the help of nine fours. The left-handed batter has now scored 514 runs in 13 ODIs at an incredible average of 51.4 (100s: 2).
Nortje, Magala make the ball talk
As England openers added 146 runs for the first wicket, SA looked down and out. However, Nortje and Magala's stellar spells brought the hosts back in the hunt. While the former returned with 4/62 in his 10 overs, Magala registered 3/46 in nine overs. Nortje has raced to 32 wickets in 18 ODIs at 25.31. Magala owns five wickets in four ODIs at 35.8.
