South Africa keep the series alive

Amla and de Kock put Root in the shade

England will have to wait if they want to complete a Test and ODI series double after suffering a seven-wicket defeat in the third rubber in Centurion.

At Supersport Park, the home side romped to victory as they made a target of 319 look like a stroll in the park, crossing the winning line with a relatively whopping 22 deliveries to spare.

Centuries from Quinton de Kock and Hashim Amla – the 10^th for the former and 22^nd for the latter – in an opening stand of 239 broke the back of the chase and it was left to Faf du Plessis, with a brisk unbeaten 33, to apply the finishing touches.

All in all the result will have provided the tourists with something of a reality check after their successes in Bloemfontein and Port Elizabeth.

The batting has little wrong with it but if any criticism is to be directed at Eoin Morgan’s side then the bowling should come under the microscope.

With no swing, Reece Topley and David Willey were rendered innocuous and both Moeen Ali and Chris Jordan expensive which meant next to no control.

But praise should really be directed towards de Kock and Amla rather than put England’s effort down as the cause for the loss.

Quite simply they were superb. The left-hander, who had reeled off a three-figure score in the opener, did pretty much as he pleased, leaving his senior partner to chug along in serene fashion and when Adil Rashid finally ended the partnership, the game was as good as over..

Earlier in the piece, while the 50-over game in 2016 is all about the power and, seemingly, seeing how many deliveries can be launched into the punters, there is still room for the more traditional elements of batsmanship.

This is not suggesting that Root is all touch, hard running and a lack of force, but among England’s top six he possesses a game more in tune with the longer formats.

What he does have in an enviable ability to score at a good rate without appearing to change gears and at Supersport Park he gave an outstanding display.

Given that the surface was a touch on the two-paced side and not the easiest for those new to the crease, Root’s career-best score was a lesson in working your way through any sticky patches, sticking to what you do well and taking full advantage of any loose stuff served up.

The highest ODI score by an England batsman was in his sights when a mix-up with Ben Stokes saw him depart with seven overs still to be used but that can hardly be classed as a negative.

With Alex Hales’ (65) resurrection in the form stakes continuing and Stokes further highlighting his fondness for South African conditions with a muscular half-century, the tourists posted a better than average 318 for 8.

It could have been better had Root stayed in given he and Stokes had added 82 in nine overs and were really motoring but they would’ve still thought it more than defendable.

They were wrong.