South Africa rout England to level series by Jinu Sabastian

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Ground:	New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg
Scorecard:	South Africa v England
Player:	M Morkel, DW Steyn, PD Collingwood
Event:	England in South Africa 2009/10

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DateLine: 17th January 2010

 

Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel combined to rout England emphatically to help South Africa level the Test series. England lost the fourth and the final Test of the series when Sidebottom missed a straighter one from Duminy as the visitors crashed to an innings and 74 run defeat. Morkel claimed four wickets while Steyn, Parnell and Duminy returned with two wickets each. The draw was enough for the South African side to retain the Basil D'Oliveira Trophy.

 

England began the fourth day on 48 for 3 with an eye on the weather but the South African pacers - Steyn and Morkel - were all over the English batting line-up. Kevin Pietersen (12, 42 balls, 2x4) hung around for 10 overs in the first hour and seemed to be finding his range before Parnell removed the big fish. The left-arm seamer got one to swung away from the right-hander which the batsman nicked to Boucher behind the stumps to set off some wild celebrations in the South Africa camp. Soon England suffered a double-whammy that blew away the light of hope for the visitors. Bell (5, 17 balls, 1x4) who had established himself to on the tour to posses a steely temperament ran out of his reserves when he was forced to jab at a bullet from Morkel straight to Kallis at second slip. England Prior (0, 2 balls) was dropped first ball by Amla at short leg but did not survive long when he top-edged a pull which ballooned to first slip where Smith backpedaled to take a well judged catch.

 

Broad (1, 9 balls) found a well directed bouncer from Morkel too hot to handle as he fended it to Boucher and England slipped to 104 for 7 with defeat looming over the horizon. Swann (20, 17 balls, 3x4) added a rollicking eighth-wicket stand of 30 in 26 balls with Collingwood before Steyn ended the stand. Collingwood (71, 88 balls, 12x4, 1x6) meanwhile played an excellent innings that was a perfect mixture of caution and aggression as he was the lone man standing on the burning deck. He was finally dismissed when he pulled a long hop from Duminy straight to the throat of Morkel at deep square leg. Duminy then picked up the final wicket of Sidebottom (15, 17 balls, 2x4) to end the English innings and set off wild and raucous celebrations in the South African camp while a distraught English dressing room looked on. The draw was enough for the South Africans to retain the prestigious Basil D'Oliveira Trophy which they won during their previous tour to England.