England fight back in field to level South Africa series

The tourists fell to 83 all out after England had once again been bowled out inside their allotted overs

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Old Trafford (29 overs): England 201, South Africa 83 - England win by 118 runs

Scorecard

England ran through South Africa's batting line-up in a match reduced to 29 overs per side by rain to square the three-match ODI series.

The home side were once again bowled out inside their allotted overs but had their blushes spared by a fine bowling and fielding display, led by their three left-arm seamers and two spinners as the tourists subsided to 83 all out, chasing 202 for victory.

Batting first, England lost Jason Roy inside three overs, picking out Dwaine Pretorius at short midwicket off Anrich Nortje.

Phil Salt made a promising start, finding the boundary on three occasions in 10 balls before also locating the fielder at short midwicket, Pretorius the bowler on this occasion with David Miller just getting his fingers under the ball.

And from there the innings deteriorated, with Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow and Moeen Ali departing in quick succession as England collapsed from 52 for 1 to 72 for 5 in the space of five overs.

Jos Buttler and Liam Livingstone steadied things with a 29-run sixth-wicket stand and the latter later had the Old Trafford crowd on their feet with a run of three sixes and a four against Nortje. It was, however, short-lived with the Lancashire allrounder holing out to a slower ball to depart for 38.

Sam Curran (35) played in a similar fashion, striking a six through the open door of the press box and dispatching Tabraiz Shamsi for a flurry of boundaries. But he met the same fate as Livingstone, picking out a fielder off a slower ball.

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Jos Buttler did brilliantly to run out Aiden Markram (Gareth Copley/Getty Images)

By this stage England were 167 for 8 and in serious danger of failing to complete their allocation once again. And they met their unwelcome fate with five balls to spare, David Willey falling victim to Pretorius in the 27th and Adil Rashid run out by Heinrich Klaasen with five balls remaining: England 201 all out

In reply, South Africa were in disarray inside four overs, losing four quick wickets to find themselves 6 for 4.

Janneman Malan chipped Reece Topley to Sam Curran at mid-on in the third over and Rassie van der Dussen followed four balls later, edging through to Buttler to depart for a four-ball duck.

Willey made it two in two for England, removing Quinton de Kock (5) with the first ball of the fourth over, before Aiden Markram was smartly run out by Buttler without facing a ball.

And it only got worse for South Africa, with David Miller bowled by Curran for 12 in the ninth over: 27 for 5.

Klaasen, however, saved his side from complete collapse, scoring 33 runs from 40 balls and sharing a face-saving 39-run stand with Pretorius.

But when the former ran past a delivery from Mooen that went on with the arm to be stumped by Buttler, the end was nigh. Keshav Maharaj was bowled by Rashid, who had Pretorius caught in his next over and caught Lungi Ngidi off his own bowling in the over after that.

Nortje was the last man to go as England returned to winning ways, bringing the series level ahead of the decider on Sunday.

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