Tweet
South Africa 211 (Amla 43, Elgar 42, Anderson 4-44, Dernbach 3-44) v England
Jade Dernbach celebrates with familiar abandon after bowling Hashim Amla © PA Photos
Jade Dernbach's opportunities for England in limited-overs cricket this summer have extended no further than south London, but he made an impact in front of his home crowd with three wickets as South Africa had to put in a workmanlike performance to post a competitive total.
Just to point to the dismissal of Hashim Amla made it an influential day for Dernbach because Amla has been the scourge of England all summer. After his 150 in the second ODI in Southampton, he made unflustered progress to 43 from 51 balls before Dernbach took advantage of limited footwork in his first over to bowl him between bat and pad. After his departure, South Africa's last eight wickets fell for 91.
Dernbach, whose only other one-day appearance came against Australia , also on his home ground, was given an opportunity after England left out Tim Bresnan and overlooked the man who might have been viewed as his most like-for-like replacement, Chris Woakes. Dernbach has twice the forearms - as muscular and tattooed as a coal miner - but he is not twice the bowler. Away from The Oval, it would have been a debatable choice.
On a sedate Oval pitch, once one of the quickest in England, Dernbach did not stop at Amla. He bowled Dean Elgar for 42, an innings that never really took shape. His mix-it-up method was suited to the surface and a delivery bowled out of the back of the hand bowled Elgar through the gate. He later had Wayne Parnell caught at the wicket in an over when the batsman had twice nicked him for boundaries through the vacant slip cordon.
Ravi Bopara also put in a decent shift and completed a full 10-overs spell for only the second time - the other was against Bangladesh at Edgbaston two years ago. He had been lightly used in the second ODI, but his ability to fill in with a few overs has made him an attractive option in England's top six and on pitches like this he is liable to bowl more than a few.
It has been a fraught period for Bopara, his cricketing summer affected by domestic issues, and to come out with figures of 1 for 31 will have helped to persuade him that much of his England career, especially at one-day level, remains ahead of him. His wicket was that of Faf du Plessis who was only facing his fourth ball when he adjusted to the off side to try to manufacture something or other and was bowled around his legs.
Amla has had a draining effect on England throughout the tour, batting with tranquillity and purpose, cruising along much as he pleased. He is the sort of batsman whose score creeps up on you; his runs advance unnoticed like a night-time tide.
James Anderson was encouraged by an early miscued hook shot, but Amla was soon helping himself to boundaries: a drilled off drive, a dismissive drive through the covers and a whip behind square so wristy that you could swear he played it with the back of the bat.
With 50 raised by the ninth over, there seemed little need for excess, but Graeme Smith charged down the pitch at Anderson to try to milk the square-leg region once more and was bowled as the ball flicked the leg bail.
As the ball softened, South Africa had to labour. Six players in all were bowled, emphasising that this was a pitch that rewarded a wicket-to-wicket attack. JP Duminy held things together until he fell at long-off as he went big against the offspin of James Tredwell, who had also accounted for AB de Villiers as he sought out his favourite flick to deep midwicket.
With Parnell on the card at No. 7, recovery was always liable to be painstaking for South Africa and they never broke free, Anderson wrapping up the innings with the last three wickets in seven balls. After their successful summer, it would be foolish to discount South Africa, but they had a demanding task to prevent England drawing level in the series.
Jade Dernbach celebrates with familiar abandon after bowling Hashim Amla © PA Photos
Jade Dernbach's opportunities for England in limited-overs cricket this summer have extended no further than south London, but he made an impact in front of his home crowd with three wickets as South Africa had to put in a workmanlike performance to post a competitive total.
Just to point to the dismissal of Hashim Amla made it an influential day for Dernbach because Amla has been the scourge of England all summer. After his 150 in the second ODI in Southampton, he made unflustered progress to 43 from 51 balls before Dernbach took advantage of limited footwork in his first over to bowl him between bat and pad. After his departure, South Africa's last eight wickets fell for 91.
Dernbach, whose only other one-day appearance came against Australia , also on his home ground, was given an opportunity after England left out Tim Bresnan and overlooked the man who might have been viewed as his most like-for-like replacement, Chris Woakes. Dernbach has twice the forearms - as muscular and tattooed as a coal miner - but he is not twice the bowler. Away from The Oval, it would have been a debatable choice.
On a sedate Oval pitch, once one of the quickest in England, Dernbach did not stop at Amla. He bowled Dean Elgar for 42, an innings that never really took shape. His mix-it-up method was suited to the surface and a delivery bowled out of the back of the hand bowled Elgar through the gate. He later had Wayne Parnell caught at the wicket in an over when the batsman had twice nicked him for boundaries through the vacant slip cordon.
Ravi Bopara also put in a decent shift and completed a full 10-overs spell for only the second time - the other was against Bangladesh at Edgbaston two years ago. He had been lightly used in the second ODI, but his ability to fill in with a few overs has made him an attractive option in England's top six and on pitches like this he is liable to bowl more than a few.
It has been a fraught period for Bopara, his cricketing summer affected by domestic issues, and to come out with figures of 1 for 31 will have helped to persuade him that much of his England career, especially at one-day level, remains ahead of him. His wicket was that of Faf du Plessis who was only facing his fourth ball when he adjusted to the off side to try to manufacture something or other and was bowled around his legs.
Amla has had a draining effect on England throughout the tour, batting with tranquillity and purpose, cruising along much as he pleased. He is the sort of batsman whose score creeps up on you; his runs advance unnoticed like a night-time tide.
James Anderson was encouraged by an early miscued hook shot, but Amla was soon helping himself to boundaries: a drilled off drive, a dismissive drive through the covers and a whip behind square so wristy that you could swear he played it with the back of the bat.
With 50 raised by the ninth over, there seemed little need for excess, but Graeme Smith charged down the pitch at Anderson to try to milk the square-leg region once more and was bowled as the ball flicked the leg bail.
As the ball softened, South Africa had to labour. Six players in all were bowled, emphasising that this was a pitch that rewarded a wicket-to-wicket attack. JP Duminy held things together until he fell at long-off as he went big against the offspin of James Tredwell, who had also accounted for AB de Villiers as he sought out his favourite flick to deep midwicket.
With Parnell on the card at No. 7, recovery was always liable to be painstaking for South Africa and they never broke free, Anderson wrapping up the innings with the last three wickets in seven balls. After their successful summer, it would be foolish to discount South Africa, but they had a demanding task to prevent England drawing level in the series.