James Anderson to stay with England in new role as fast bowling mentor

James Anderson will remain in England’s Test set-up this summer after agreeing to join their backroom staff following his valedictory international appearance at Lord’s next week.

The 41-year-old is set for an emotional farewell in the first Test of the home summer against the West Indies, starting next Wednesday, after being informed England are looking to build towards the future.

While England are ready to move on from Anderson on the field, the vast experience he has accrued across 187 Tests in which he has taken 700 wickets – both a record for non-spinners – means they are reluctant to cut the cord altogether.

James Anderson, centre, has taken 700 wickets in 187 Tests (Mike Egerton/PA)

Anderson, who has yet to decide whether he will continue playing county cricket for Lancashire, will therefore step into a newly-created role as England’s fast bowling mentor for the last two Tests against the Windies and a three-match series versus Sri Lanka that follows.

“He’s got so much to offer English cricket, we don’t want to see that go,” said Rob Key, the managing director of England men’s cricket.

“He’s going to be with us all summer. It’s something that he’s very keen to do as well. He hasn’t done loads and loads of it, but we’ve got no question about his knowledge and experience with bowling.

“We have a great opportunity for the rest of the summer to find out just how much he enjoys it or doesn’t enjoy it. What he does with Lancashire, we’ll probably work out after the Lord’s Test.

“Someone like Jimmy Anderson is going to have lots of options. I think English cricket would be very lucky if he chooses to stay in our game.”

Rob Key, left, and Brendon McCullum are reshaping their England squad (Mike Egerton/PA)

England have had a significant shake-up of their squad for the first two Tests to face the Windies, with no room for Jonny Bairstow, Ben Foakes, Jack Leach or Ollie Robinson.

Bairstow is the most high-profile casualty just a few months on from his 100th Test appearance in the 4-1 series defeat in India, where a top score of 38 in 10 innings left his position vulnerable.

The Yorkshireman lit the touchpaper for the ‘Bazball’ era with six Test centuries in 2022 but he has struggled to hit the heights since suffering a horrific leg break at the back end of that summer.

“Jonny just needs to get back to what he was a couple of years ago,” Key said. “Generally, his form, in all formats, has just been going slightly in the wrong direction.”

Jonny Bairstow did not reach 40 in the recent tour of India (Adam Davy/PA)

While Bairstow and Foakes have engaged in a long-term tug-of-war for the wicketkeeping spot, Jamie Smith has supplanted both and will take the gloves at the home of cricket. He is joined in the squad by two other uncapped players in fast bowlers Dillon Pennington and Gus Atkinson, while Shoaib Bashir has been selected ahead of fellow Somerset spinner Jack Leach.

Smith is a specialist bat and wicketkeeping understudy to Foakes at Surrey but Key, who rejected suggestions of a “Bazball reset” for this series, is a long-term admirer of a player averaging in excess of 50 in this year’s Vitality County Championship.

“We’ve been watching Jamie Smith for quite some time,” said Key. “You just see players who are rare talents and he looks like that.

“There’s a lot made of us just wanting someone who can go out there and play shots and that’s not the case. We want someone who can not only up the ante when they’re batting with the tail but soak up pressure when they need to as well and we feel Jamie Smith can do that.

“Often you’re not making judgements on what they’ve done. You’re making judgements on what they’re going to do.”

Matthew Mott, right, and Jos Buttler led England to the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup (Andrew Matthews/PA)

Key was speaking just a few days after England’s semi-final defeat by eventual champions India in the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean.

While they reached the last four, England beat just one of the four Test nations they faced, with captain Jos Buttler and head coach Matthew Mott already under pressure after an abysmal 50-over World Cup last year.

Asked whether the pair will be in situ for England’s next white-ball assignment against Australia later this summer, Key added: “We’ll let the dust settle and move forward from there.

“I’m not going to rush anything. I don’t think it’s a bad sign when you get to a semi-final. At times I thought we showed how good we were in that. And at times we were inconsistent.”

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Bigger is better but England need rebuild – what we learned from T20 World Cup

The T20 World Cup is over, with India walking away as champions after a memorable final against South Africa.

Here, the PA news agency looks at some the most striking conclusions from the tournament.

It’s the end of an era for England

Matthew Mott has presided over the loss of England’s white-ball trophies (Mike Egerton/PA)

As recently as September England were the double world champions, having won the 50-over crown in 2019 and the 20-over title in 2022. Now, they find themselves well off the pace as a limited-overs unit. Having made a fearful mess of their ODI defence in India they had a chance to prove it was just a blip and that they could still be trailblazers. But despite reaching the final four, they never looked a threat. Three heavy wins over associate nations cannot paper over three defeats from four games against their peers and their exit against the eventual champions showed just how far they had fallen. A rebuild is needed and it seems clear the leadership team of head coach Matthew Mott and captain Jos Buttler is not working.

Bigger is better for World Cup cricket

Nepal are holding their heads high after a riveting performance in St Vincent 🇳🇵#T20WorldCup #SAvNEPhttps://t.co/7xOWrjQ7Ey

— T20 World Cup (@T20WorldCup) June 15, 2024

After receiving plenty of criticism for making the 50-over World Cup a closed shop of 10 teams, it was good to see the shorter format open its arms wider. The field was expanded to 20 teams and the growth paid off with some memorable moments. The United States carried the flag for the associates by storming into the Super 8 stage courtesy of a shock victory over Pakistan, while there were other underdog moments to cheer. Uganda suffered heavy defeats but also tasted victory for the first time at this level, Nepal pushed runners-up South Africa to the wire and Namibia and Oman battled to a nailbiting super over. The argument has been won.

The old guard are making way

Virat Kohli is one of many high-profile departures (PA)

Global tournaments are often a watershed moment for ageing players but the cohort of departing names is a significant one this time. Virat Kohli, the sport’s biggest star, announced his retirement from T20s before he had even left the field following India’s long-awaited win. He was followed by the format’s record run-scorer Rohit Sharma and later by all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja. Elsewhere, Australia’s David Warner wore green and gold for the final time and one of New Zealand’s finest ever bowlers, Trent Boult, called time. Plenty more who did not announce their departures will have the decision made for them, clearing the way for new stars to emerge.

Afghanistan mean business but their women need help

Afghanistan lit up the tournament but bigger issues remain unresolved (PA)

Afghanistan have been on a rapid upward trajectory for several years but, even so, their charge to the final four was a stunning achievement. They qualified ahead of New Zealand in the first round and Australia in the second, with head coach Jonathan Trott adding steeliness to an already talented playing squad. That Rahmanullah Gurbaz finished as the tournament’s top scorer and Fazalhaq Farooqi was joint leading wicket-taker shows they have strong foundations. But the ongoing issue of their women’s team being outlawed by the country’s Taliban rulers cannot be ignored any longer. The ICC must find a way to support them in exile and the successes of their male counterparts only go to prove it.

The American experiment has legs

Tied second-most sixes (10) in a Men’s #T20WorldCup innings 🔥

USA’s Aaron Jones was unstoppable in Dallas.

Innings highlights ➡️ https://t.co/y4iQztozUR pic.twitter.com/zx8z1Iroe7

— T20 World Cup (@T20WorldCup) June 2, 2024

It is not hard to see the attraction of the USA to cricket administrators but handing them co-host status at a World Cup was still a gamble. There were setbacks along the way – including the under-prepared pitch in New York and the relentless rain in Lauderhill – but it was a qualified success. The performance of the United States team was a huge boost in terms of raising awareness and there was good buy-in from the existing cricket-lovers and ex-pats. Breaking into the conversation among the wider population is a bigger ask but with Major League Cricket attracting the likes of Pat Cummins and the sport returning at the Los Angeles Olympics, it is not impossible.

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England new boy Jamie Smith makes hundred for Surrey on testing day for batters

Jamie Smith produced the perfect dress rehearsal for his England debut on day one of Surrey’s top-of-the-table Vitality County Championship clash with Essex.

Named on Sunday morning as the only wicketkeeper in England’s 14-man squad for the first Test against the West Indies a week on Wednesday, Smith struck his second century of the season.

The 23-year-old made exactly 100 with two sixes and 14 fours as the hosts reached 248 for eight on a rain-shortened day at The Oval.

Tweets by CountyChamp

Keaton Jennings’ fourth hundred of the campaign steered Lancashire to 344 for eight against Nottinghamshire at Southport.

The England batter made an unbeaten 183 off 258 balls after the visitors had threatened to take charge following lunch.

Lyndon James shone with three for 53 as a sell-out crowd were denied the opportunity of seeing James Anderson in action for Lancashire one more time.

Hampshire skipper James Vince made his second century in a week against Kent at Utilita Bowl.

Vince followed up an unbeaten 166 against Warwickshire last week with 149 not out as Hampshire recovered from 56 for three to end the day 310 for three.

Back to back at Southport for @JetJennings! 😮‍💨💯

🌹 #RedRoseTogether https://t.co/ux9zTJyL0n pic.twitter.com/euPymhwrCu

— Lancashire Cricket (@lancscricket) June 30, 2024

Wicketkeeper-batter Ben Brown also reached three figures late in the day to finish on an unbeaten 106.

Warwickshire fought back against Somerset at Taunton with Michael Burgess’ century taking them to 373 for eight.

Number eight batter Burgess made an unbeaten 126 from 167 balls as the Bears recovered from 40 for four and 145 for six.

Chris Woakes contributed 39 to an eighth-wicket stand of 110 after Somerset seamer Migael Pretorius had taken four for 72.

Wickets clattered at Chester-le-Street as Durham were dismissed for 190, England’s Test captain Ben Stokes top scoring with 56.

England captain Ben Stokes top scored with 56 in Durham’s first innings against Worcestershire (Tim Markland/PA)

Stokes then took one for 23 from eight overs as Worcestershire were bowled out for 112 in reply. Matthew Potts (four for 29) and Ben Raine (three for 33) took the plaudits.

Durham reached 33 for three at the close to carve out a lead of 111.

In Division Two, Sussex’s Ollie Robinson bounced back from being overlooked for England’s Test squad against Northamptonshire.

Robinson claimed four for 42 as the hosts were dismissed for 97 on an eventful day at Northampton.

On a day which saw 22 wickets fall, Sussex had themselves been bowled out for 143 – Jack White taking four for 23 as the visitors lost six wickets for 47 in 19 overs – and closed at 83 for two and a lead of 129.

An absolutely ludicrous take

Ollie Robinson bowls Ben Sanderson and John Simpson takes a one-handed catch off the stumps pic.twitter.com/99FZfVPH5K

— Vitality County Championship (@CountyChamp) June 30, 2024

Yorkshire’s Sri Lanka pace bowler Vishwa Fernando helped skittle Derbyshire for 76 at Chesterfield.

Fernando took five for 30 and Jordan Thompson claimed four for 31 as Derbyshire subsided on a challenging surface in less than 28 overs.

Yorkshire turned the screw with James Wharton racing to a maiden first-class hundred from only 101 balls.

When bad light ended play, Wharton was 116 not out and Johnny Tattersall unbeaten on 41 with Yorkshire 283 for five, a commanding lead of 207.

Ben Mike’s career-best spell of five for 22 enabled Leicestershire to dismiss Middlesex for 86.

Leicestershire’s Ben Mike returned career-best figures of five for 22 against Middlesex (Zac Goodwin/PA)

Loan signing Ben Green also returned personal-best figures of four for 28, with only Leus Du Plooy (28) and Sam Robson (10) reaching double figures.

Leicestershire had earlier made 179 – Lewis Goldsworthy top scoring with 41 – and reached stumps at 40 for one in their second innings, 133 ahead.

Gloucestershire recovered from 88 for eight at lunch to post 179 in their first innings against Glamorgan at Cheltenham.

Marchant de Lange (46 not out) shared a record-breaking last-wicket stand of 75 with Ajeet Singh Dale (32) as Glamorgan’s Timm van der Gugten returned season-best figures of five for 59.

Glamorgan finished an astonishing day 133 for seven, with Gloucestershire’s overseas all-rounder Beau Webster enjoying a three-wicket burst in 12 balls.

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So special – Maia Bouchier revels in maiden hundred as England seal ODI series

Maia Bouchier spoke of her “special” England hundred after scoring the first century of her professional career.

Bouchier made an unbeaten 100 from 88 balls as England took an unassailable 2-0 lead in their three-match ODI series against New Zealand with an eight-wicket win at Worcester.

“The relief was there, I’ve put a lot of work to get to that point,” player-of-the-match Bouchier told Sky Sports after building on her 50-ball 67 in the opening nine-wicket victory at Chester-le-Street.

What a moment for Maia Bouchier! 👑

First international century, pure class 🙌#EnglandCricket pic.twitter.com/MwI0uX2XtQ

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) June 30, 2024

“It was great to play in front of this crowd and to get my hundred for England was so special.

“It’s taken time to get my processes right and make sure I’m not getting too ahead of myself.

“The hundred was just a number, I kept saying that to myself and work on that process.”

Bouchier, 25, was helped to her hundred by Nat Sciver-Brunt reining in her renowned attacking instincts.

Sciver-Brunt made an unbeaten two from 12 balls and went into full blocking mode, with Bouchier just having enough runs on her side as New Zealand’s paltry 141 was overtaken in just 24.3 overs.

Maia Bouchier celebrates after reaching her century with Natalie Sciver-Brunt, who played a key role in the landmark hundred (Nigel French/PA)

“I was just hoping she would (not score) at the other end,” said Bouchier.

“She played well and it was great to have her in the middle. A calm person to keep me in check, saying ‘one ball at a time’ and ‘always watch and react to the ball’.

“That was key for me getting the hundred, to watch and react. This will give me so much confidence going into ODI cricket.

“I’ve worked behind the scenes on my 50-over game, and coming into this ODI series I was hoping to get that opportunity to play those full amount of overs.

No words left to describe Sophie Ecclestone 🤯#EnglandCricket pic.twitter.com/ZYEcZxZCy7

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) June 30, 2024

“Such an important part of batting is taking your time and realising you have more time than you think, especially in 50-over cricket. I’m so proud of myself.”

New Zealand lost seven wickets for 27 runs in collapsing from 114 for three to 141 all out, and England will be expected to complete a series whitewash at Bristol on Wednesday.

Spinner Sophie Ecclestone did most of the damage by taking five wickets for 25 from nine overs.

England captain Heather Knight said: “She’s great to chuck the ball to. She was a bit annoyed when I took her off after the first spell actually.

England bowler Lauren Filer celebrates the wicket of New Zealand’s Suzie Bates with teammates (Nigel French/PA)

“She loves taking wickets and sometimes I have to do funky things with the field because she gets a little bit bored. I have to keep her engaged.

“We held our length, managed to put pressure on the Kiwis, and got a couple up front.

“When we were on top I loved the way we kept going and trying to hunt for wickets.

“The spinners did what they do. They got a bit out of it and made it look a very tough surface.”

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England shake up Test squad with three uncapped players for West Indies series

England have unveiled a radical shake-up of their Test side, axeing Jonny Bairstow, Ben Foakes and Jack Leach, and calling up three uncapped players.

Wicketkeeper-batter Jamie Smith is joined by two new seamers, Gus Atkinson and Dillon Pennington, for the forthcoming series against the West Indies, while spinner Shoaib Bashir has been preferred to his Somerset team-mate Leach in a changing of the guard.

In what appears to a watershed moment for the team, and the first stage of Bazball 2.0, head coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes have carried out major surgery on their squad.

England captain Ben Stokes, left, and head coach Brendon McCullum have shaken up their Test squad (Mike Egerton/PA)

Having already decided to call time on the illustrious career of record wicket-taker James Anderson after the first Test at Lord’s, a hard call taken with one eye trained firmly on rebuilding the team for the 2025/26 Ashes, they have now gone even further.

Bairstow is the most high-profile casualty, dropped on exactly 100 caps, with the highly-rated Smith beating off a crowded field to take the keeper’s spot. Smith, who made his ODI bow against Ireland last September, has long been one of the most exciting prospects in the domestic game but his selection behind the stumps will attract scrutiny given he is not even first-choice gloveman for his county.

Foakes does that job for the Brown Caps, and also featured in all five games of the winter tour in India, but he has also been cut. A 4-1 defeat in that series seems to have been a catalyst for change, with Bairstow’s top score of 38 in 10 innings placing him in the firing line.

Durham’s Ollie Robinson, another attack-minded keeper who averages 82 in the Division One for Durham this season, can consider himself unlucky.

Jonny Bairstow is the highest-profile casualty to be dropped by England (Mike Egerton/PA)

The selection panel, chaired by director of cricket Rob Key, have also had to restructure the bowling group. With Stuart Broad retiring at the end of last summer and Anderson following close behind, they need to fill the gap left by two greats who boast a combined 1,304 Test wickets.

Chris Woakes, returning for the first time since being named player of the series in last summer’s Ashes, will take on the mantle of leader of the attack in the short term, but the real interest is in the fresher faces.

The field has been thinned by fitness problems with the likes of Sam Cook, Josh Tongue, Jamie Overton and Saqib Mahmood, but Sussex seamer Ollie Robinson has still been overlooked.

He has had several warning shots about his fitness and conditioning, and faces a long road back after an unimpressive stint in India and the ignominy of being hit for a record 43 in an over by Leicestershire’s Louis Kimber earlier this week.

England’s pace attack faces a huge void left by Stuart Broad, left, and Jimmy Anderson (David Davies/PA)

Instead, England go back to Durham’s Matthew Potts, a gutsy seamer who made a strong start to his England career in 2022 and has 23 wickets at 29.26 in his six caps. Atkinson, who impressed with his pace last year and was an unused squad member in India, steps up as does Nottinghamshire’s Pennington.

Tipped as one to watch by Key earlier this year, he has progressed well since moving to Trent Bridge this season.

The decision to back 20-year-old off-spinner Bashir over Leach is perhaps surprising. Stokes has shown great loyalty to the left-armer, but it was his injury that allowed Bashir to earn a fast-track debut in India. He took 17 wickets in three Tests, including five-fors in Ranchi and Dharamsala.

Even so, he has not overtaken Leach at Taunton and was forced to go out on loan to Worcestershire in June seeking first-team cricket. Having been unable to displace Leach in the Somerset side, he has been handed his Test shirt instead.

England squad for the first two Tests against the West Indies: B Stokes (c), J Anderson (first Test only), G Atkinson, S Bashir, H Brook, Z Crawley, B Duckett, D Lawrence, D Pennington, O Pope, M Potts, J Root, J Smith, C Woakes.

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Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma retire from format after India’s T20 World Cup win

India captain Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli helped end their country’s decade-long hunt for silverware with victory over South Africa in the T20 World Cup final then immediately announced their retirement from the format.

The duo are the two top run-scorers in the history of T20 internationals, both boasting over 4,000 runs, and they picked their moment of shared triumph to leave the stage.

Kohli top-scored with 76 from 59 balls in a gripping seven-run victory over the Proteas in Barbados, while Sharma finally got his hands back on a trophy he first won as a youngster in 2007.

Kohli, 35, and Sharma, 37, both shed tears at the end of the game, overcome by the emotion of a long-awaited triumph and by the realisation that they would soon be saying farewell.

Just two modern-day legends posing with the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Trophy #T20WorldCup | #TeamIndia | #SAvIND | @ImRo45 | @imVkohli pic.twitter.com/AGmPsR7pAK

— BCCI (@BCCI) June 29, 2024

Kohli, still the sport’s most bankable star, was first to go as he confirmed his departure at the post-match presentation.

“This was a now-or-never situation. This is my last T20 game playing for India, my last World Cup, so I wanted to make the most of it,” he said.

“This was an open secret. It’s time for the next generation to take the T20 game forward.

“It’s been a long wait for us, waiting to win an ICC tournament. We wanted to win that cup. It’s been difficult to hold things back and I think it’s going to sink in later. It’s been an amazing day and I’m thankful.”

Virat Kohli celebrates after India’s win is confirmed (Ricardo Mazalan/AP)

Sharma kept his cards closer to his chest, getting through the formalities, the initial dressing room celebrations and the vast majority of his press conference before finally springing his surprise.

“This was my last game as well,” he said.

“There’s no better time to say goodbye to this format. I’ve loved every moment of this.

“I started my India career in T20 and this is what I wanted to do. I wanted to win the cup and say goodbye.”

For an India side who have finished as runners-up five times in ICC finals in the past decade, spanning all three formats, this was a moment of catharsis.

Jasprit Bumrah’s superb bowling has earned him the @Aramco POTT Award #T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/61zPP4XsKX

— ICC (@ICC) June 29, 2024

“It’s hard to sum up what we’ve been through… a lot of high-pressure games that we’ve been on the wrong side of,” said Sharma.

“Guys understand when the pressure is on what needs to be done and today was a perfect example. We stuck together with our backs to the wall. We wanted this really badly.”

Sharma failed to leave his own mark on the final, dismissed for just nine, but was thankful for Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah, who took two for 18 and changed the game at the death.

“Come the occasion, big players stand up. No one was in doubt about Virat, he’s been on top of his game for the last 15 years. Jasprit? I don’t know how he does it. It’s just a masterclass. Class act.”

South Africa were playing in their first World Cup final in Barbados (Ricardo Mazalan/AP)

Proteas skipper Aiden Markram, whose side were chasing a first ever World Cup win and failed to get over the line despite needing only 30 runs from the last 30 balls.

“It’s gut-wrenching… the way this game went only adds to the emotions,” he said.

“I’d like to think we’re one step closer to getting that first win. It hurts quite a bit but I’m incredibly proud.

“South Africans are competitive, respectful and will go down with a fight. This is still a proud moment for us.”

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Jasprit Bumrah’s fine spell helps India beat South Africa in T20 World Cup final

India’s decade-long trophy drought is over after a stunning spell from Jasprit Bumrah and a sensational late catch from Suryakumar Yadav carried them to a thrilling seven-run T20 World Cup final victory against South Africa.

The two sides, both unbeaten on their way to the showpiece, served up a see-saw classic at the Kensington Oval with India only sure of their first piece of silverware since 2013 in the last over of this month-long competition.

A furious knock of 52 from 27 balls from Heinrich Klaasen had put the Proteas in sight of their first ever global title but their unwanted tag as tournament ‘chokers’ will not go away after they failed to get over the line from the winning position he created.

Emotion. Elation. Joy. 🇮🇳😍#T20WorldCup | #SAvIND pic.twitter.com/n5yFaQVrmV

— T20 World Cup (@T20WorldCup) June 29, 2024

Chasing 177, they needed just 30 runs from 30 balls with five wickets in hand but fell apart under pressure at the death to finish 168 for eight.

Bumrah was the architect of their downfall, re-entering the attack with his side seemingly on the floor at the start of the 16th. Already an undisputed master of his craft, he only raised his reputation as he gave up just six runs from his next two overs and added the wicket of Marco Jansen to finish with two for 18.

It was a jaw-dropping display of menace and control from the best bowler in the world and left South Africa flailing from a position of strength. Remarkably, they might still have won it despite needing 16 off the 20th over.

David Miller clubbed the first ball from Hardik Pandya down the ground and would have had six had it not been for some amazingly deft work from Yadav, whose safe hands were complimented by brilliant footwork as he danced around the boundary rope and pulled off a one-man relay catch.

India had earlier relied on Virat Kohli’s 76 to get them to 176 for seven, the highest score in a T20 World Cup final.

Heinrich Klaasen’s big hitting had put South Africa on course (Ricardo Mazalan/AP)

Kohli, little more than a passenger in the campaign so far, played a long and at times conservative innings but in the end must be commended for correctly delivering a winning score.

He started brightly with three fours off Jansen in the opening over but that early onslaught proved something of a red herring. Instead, when South Africa picked up three huge wickets in the powerplay, he shifted down the gears and did not score a single boundary between the fourth over and the 18th.

He watched from the other end while Keshav Maharaj dismissed in-form captain Rohit Sharma and Rishabh Pant in the space of three balls, both perishing to the sweep, then saw Yadav caught off Kagiso Rabada.

He was the junior partner in a stand of 72 with the pinch-hitting Axar Patel and only caught fire in the latter stages as he heaved two sixes and two fours in a long-awaited charge.

The total looked a steep one and things got not easier when Bumrah bowled Reeza Hendricks with a gem, angling in then snaking past the outside edge before hitting off stump. It was a masterful moment worthy of the stage.

King Kohli reigns supreme 👑

Virat Kohli is awarded the @Aramco POTM after his 76 off 59, played a pivotal role in India lifting the #T20WorldCup trophy 🏆#SAvIND pic.twitter.com/Lgiat14xm6

— ICC (@ICC) June 29, 2024

Proteas skipper Aiden Markram lasted just five balls but Quinton de Kock (39) and Tristan Stubbs (31) kept the contest alive with a half-century partnership.

It was not until Klaasen got into the game that the mood really changed. They needed 107 of 67 balls when he emerged at number five and, after failing to score from his first four balls, he began taking huge chunks out of the target.

Three of his next seven deliveries disappeared for six, Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav all going the distance. Even De Kock’s departure, holing out to Arshdeep with 71 needed, seemed a minor distraction.

He hit the button in the 15th over, blazing 24 off Patel including one monster hit into the roof of the stand. The task now looked simple but Bumrah had other ideas. After he shut the scoring down, Klaasen edged Pandya behind, before Bumrah cranked the pressure even higher. In the 18th he gave away just two singles and took Jansen’s leg stump for a souvenir.

Miller’s presence gave South Africa an outsider’s chance but Yadav’s super take on the ropes at long-on ended them for good.

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