It was an exceptionally disappointing way for England and South Africa’s ODI series to end on Sunday. With the three-match contest locked at 1-1, all eyes were on Headingley for the third and final clash. However, the British weather once again decided to intervene.
Rain stopped and started play more times than boundaries were hit, with the contest cut down from 50 overs before eventually being abandoned altogether.
A 1-1 series draw was a disappointing result for both sides, with South Africa and England both hammering the other in different matches. The visiting side brushed England aside in a 62-run win in the first ODI before the home team romped to a 118-run win in a match cut to 29 overs.
Clearly, there were both positives and negatives for the sides, with the two trading blows across the series. Across this ODI battle, leading betting sites had indicated that it could have gone either way, a number of South African players were really able to stand out from the rest, and they will hope that they have done enough to really cement their place in the team for years to come.
Below, we have chosen our best two South African players from the series.
Rassie van der Dussen
A score of 333/5 in the first ODI always looked like a solid one from a South African side that was looking to really feel their way into the series. This total was underpinned by a supreme century from Rassie van der Dussen.
The number three came in with the tourists in a decent position at 35/1 and he then powered on with his score of 134 coming with a strike rate of 114.53, with the batsman keeping things ticking over nicely. This was important in a game in which it was clearly tough to come in and bat on the surface in which runs did not flow too freely.
His assured performance kept England on the backfoot and ensured the home team could not get on a roll. Departing in the 46th over, van der Dussen had already done enough to ensure that South Africa were at least competitive in the game, and this is what was so important about his innings, with other players able to come in and play around him.
Quinton de Kock
A lot is made of Quinton de Kock as the wicketkeeper-batsman is a figure that divides opinion. Some say he is a genius of a cricketer that does a supreme job of juggling being an explosive batsman with being an incredibly talented wicketkeeper. Others feel he is overrated, with runs not flowing as freely as some would like. However, in the third ODI has was able to display just how important he is to South Africa.
The first ODI saw de Kock struggle as he only managed 19 from 22 balls, while he fell for five runs from nine in the second. However, with the pressure on, de Kock came to the party in a big way in the third and final ODI, working his way to 92 not out from 76 balls.
What was most impressive about this performance was that he did not ever really look to be in trouble. Some players are too keen to accelerate and end up giving their wicket away. De Kock decided to work the ball into space as he recorded 13 fours in his score of 92.
