South Africa vs. England: Winners and Losers from T20I Series

South Africa completed a 2-0 series victory over England after winning the second T20 by a comprehensive nine-wicket margin.

Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers were in fine form as South Africa knocked off the runs needed with ease. With the ICC World Twenty20 just around the corner, South Africa’s preparations seem to be well on track.

Here are the winners and losers from the two-match jamboree. Add yours in the comments section.

Winner: South Africa’s Finishing

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In Chris Morris, South Africa have found themselves an iceman. At Newlands on Friday, while his teammates were crumbling around him, Morris kept his cool and helped guide South Africa to a thrilling win off the final ball.

He did it in the one-day series too, and he seems to fit in to the Lance Klusener mould for South Africa. Most impressive is he never looks panicked when under pressure. All his late assaults have been calculated rather than seeing him simply close his eyes and hope he connects.

Loser: South Africa’s Ability to Play Spin

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South Africa’s middle order of JP Duminy, Rilee Rossouw and David Miller looked ill at ease against the innocuous spin of Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali at Newlands on Friday. Instead of just seeing off the spinner and attacking the bad balls, they tried to play unnecessary shots and be clever by sweeping. It cost them their wickets.

On the subcontinent, where spinners will be king when the World T20 gets under way in March, this kind of irrational approach will only lead to disasters. South Africa need to make sure they address the problem now before it’s too late.

Loser: T20 Cricket as a Format

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Sure, T20 cricket is bucketloads of fun, but as a format that produces good cricket, its value remains questionable. At Newlands, both sides made mistake after mistake, and though there was a thrilling finish that went down to the last ball, when it comes to being an advert for how to play cricket, this certainly was not it.

The same can be said for the game at the Wanderers, where England bowled awfully and South Africa capitalised. Quality cricket does not always mean fun, and it’s something the World T20 will constantly battle with.

Winner: South Africa’s Selection Dilemmas

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Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers made for a thrilling combination at the top of the order at the Wanderers, with both scoring half-centuries to guide South Africa home. Quinton de Kock sat out of this series as a precautionary measure, and his return will mean South Africa have some interesting decisions to make.

De Villiers told SuperSport at the post-match presentation that he would “open for as long as the team wants him to” and that the plan is for him to open at the World Cup, which raises the question of how Amla and De Kock fit into the team.

There is also the return of Dale Steyn to consider. With Chris Morris the finisher and David Wiese the all-rounder, one of either Kyle Abbott or Kagiso Rabada might have to miss out. It’s not the worst conundrum to have, but it’s times like these you’re glad you’re not a selector.

All information obtained firsthand unless otherwise stated.