A hiding, plain and simple . . . England just too good

A man needs nerve to wear green shoes to the premier of cricket’s biggest global event.

But there Faf du Plessis was, kryptonite boots and all, patrolling The Oval in the World Cup opener between England and South Africa yesterday.

He could do little wrong in his striking footwear, swooping here to deliver instructions, charging there to take up his position on the field, diving on the boundary, all the while supremely in charge.

And it worked. England were held to 311/8 in an innings studded with two century stands.

But when Du Plessis returned as a batter he wore the traditional white boots – and was out for seven in the midst of his team’s capitulation for 207.

Having done the hard work, South Africa were downed by opponents who are more than a powerful batting lineup: can bat, can bowl, can field.

The rub of the green? That had nothing to do with it. This was a hiding, plain and simple.

England’s total was their lowest in the first innings of an ODI in the four they have played since July 2018.

It was also the first time four of their players had scored half-centuries in the same World Cup match.

Such has been their rise as a batting powerhouse since the 2015 World Cup that even accounting for Jason Roy’s 54, Joe Root’s 51, Eoin Morgan’s 57 and Ben Stokes’ 79-ball 89, they will not consider their innings an unqualified success.

That was no accident. South Africa knew what they were in for, and countered the threat with canny tactics.

Of the seven bowlers Du Plessis used, only the first three – Imran Tahir, Lungi Ngidi and Kagiso Rabada – bowled all 10 of their overs.

The rest were a mixed bag of part-timers – JP Duminy and Aiden Markram – and genuine articles – Dwaine Pretorius and Andile Phehlukwayo – who went for 5.8 runs to the over collectively.

None of the seamers was overly concerned with hitting top gear.

Instead, they bowled within themselves and used variation to great effect.

Sometimes it did not work – Phehlukwayo’s knuckleball failed him three times in one over, each time sailing for wides – but it was unquestionably the right thing to do.

Effectively, SA starved England’s fire of fuel by refusing to bowl to their strengths.

That was clear from the outset, when Tahir took the new ball and had Jonny Bairstow caught behind with a sniping leg break.

But Roy and Root reeled in fears that the extra moisture in the pitch, because of an earlier start than usual, would lead to collapses.

Their stand endured into the 19th and yielded 106 runs.

It was ended by master schemer Phehlukwayo, who induced a top-edge swipe that flew to deep mid-off.

The breakthrough was a significant relief for the South Africans, but all it achieved was to bring Morgan to the crease to share another 106 with Root.

Morgan, Jos Buttler, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes and Stokes were dealt with for the addition of 83 runs as South Africa turned the screws.

Stokes kept England in it by being willing to venture out of his comfort zone and not try to hit everything out of the park: less than half his runs came in boundaries.

South Africa’s reply was rocked when Hashim Amla left the field in the fourth over having edged a bouncer from express bowler Jofra Archer into the grille of his helmet.

Amla returned in the 32nd, but by then his team had been reduced to 167/6. He was out caught behind, flapping at Liam Plunkett, for 13 in the 39th.

South Africa’s only stand of substance was the 85 that Quinton de Kock and Rassie van der Dussen shared for the third wicket. De Kock’s 68 came off 74 balls with six fours and two sixes, while Van der Dussen faced 61 balls and hit four fours and a six in his 50.

The overpowering Archer also had Markram taken at slip and Du Plessis at fine leg to finish with 3/27. South Africa will look to put some points on the table when they return to the same ground on Sunday to play Bangladesh.

Maybe Du Plessis should wear his green boots in both innings.