Stuart Broad deflected the praise after bowling England to a 10-wicket win over South Africa in the second one-day international at Trent Bridge.
The paceman produced his best ever figures of 5-23 from 10 overs as the tourists were bowled out for 83 in 23 overs and England chased down their target with 35.5 overs to spare to take a 2-0 lead in the five-match series heading into the third game at the Oval tomorrow.
Matt Prior (45 not out) and Ian Bell (28 not out) knocked the runs off with the minimum of fuss as England recorded a 10-wicket win for only the third time in one-dayers.
Prior also equaled the world record for the number of dismissals in an innings, claiming six catches as South Africa tumbled to their lowest ever one-day score against England and the second-lowest in their history.
Prior joins Adam Gilchrist, Alec Stewart and Mark Boucher as the only wicketkeepers to take six catches in an innings in a one-day international.
“Being part of a bowling unit it does not really matter who takes the wickets,” Broad said. “We have also got the knowledge and experience of Andrew Flintoff and Steve Harmison and they are always passing it on. We are all bowling for each other and the fielding has been fantastic which only gives the bowlers confidence. Hopefully we can seal the series on Friday.”
England captain Kevin Pietersen said his side’s attention to detail has helped him get off to a winning start since taking over from Michael Vaughan three weeks ago.
“We are doing everything well at the moment. We are turning up on time, turning up on form and hammering the training sessions. The recipe for success is hard work and the boys are doing the simple things better than the other team. But I am not going to go overboard — we have not won the series yet,” Pietersen said.
South African captain Graeme Smith, an injury doubt for the Oval, was jeered by a Nottingham crowd angry at the early finish.
“We can only apologize for a very poor performance. People were rightly angry that they did not get a proper game,” Smith said.
The South African batsmen looked disinterested at the end of a long tour as Broad and Flintoff, who took 3-25, used their height and bounce to reduce the tourists to 53-7.
The highest scorer was Andre Nel, coming in at No. 9, who slogged three boundaries, and only two of the top six made it to double figures.
Broad’s figures comfortably eclipse his previous best of 4-51, which he took against India at Old Trafford last year.
If it had not been for Nel’s cameo, South Africa would have been in danger of recording the lowest score in their one-day international history but the all-rounder got them past the 69 they made against Australia at Sydney in 1993.
Their previous lowest against England was the 107 they scored in the triangular series final at Lord’s in 2003.
On his home ground Broad, 22, started with the wicket of Herschelle Gibbs, who edged a lifting delivery to give keeper Prior the first of his six catches and also dismissed Graeme Smith also with Prior’s assistance.
By now Broad had his tail up and induced an edge from Jacques Kallis which Owais Shah took comfortably.
J-P Duminy edged another one to Prior to give Broad his fourth wicket and the South Africans then had to contend with Flintoff, who replaced the wicketless James Anderson in the 11th over.
The big all-rounder soon had AB de Villiers leg for five and Mark Boucher caught behind and Harmison was not introduced until the 22nd over.
As is the way with Pietersen’s captaincy at the moment Harmison got a wicket with his first ball as Andre Nel slogged him high up in the air to Luke Wright at mid-on.
Openers Bell and Prior brought up England’s 50 in 8.5 overs as they cruised to victory in just over three hours.
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