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RSA won by 62 runs

That's it that's the game for South Africa as they beat the hosts England by a comfortable margin of 62 runs in the opening of this series. It was a great all-around performance from the Proteas which helped them to notch up a win here at Chester-le-Street. Ben Stokes who was playing his last ODI game failed to make an impact with the bat as well as the ball. But what a career he had in this format. Take a bow, Ben Stokes...

Chasing 334 on the dryer surface of Chester le Street the English side started off pretty slowly as they played against their natural game as the ball wasn't coming onto the bat nicely. But both the openers had put on a solid partnership of 102 runs. Jason Roy was the first one who got out as he chipped that one straight into the hands of Miller in the deep. Afterward, Bairstow completed his fifty and perished on the score of 63.

The man who was in limelight for the last couple of days came out to bat at number 4 for the one last time in one-day international cricket but he failed to make a mark in his last ODI as he was trapped in front of wickets on the score of 5. While on the other end Joe Root kept his innings without any turbulences. Skipper Jos Buttler got out in a very unfortunate way as he got the inside edge of the bat and it ricochets on the pads and it went straight into the hands of Shamsi on the followthrough.

Livingston then ended up chopping that one in the woods and lost a wicket on the score of 10. Moeen Ali was then undone by the spin of Shamsi. Joe Root kept the one of England solidly strong lost his wicket on the score of 86 as the slower ball from Nortje did the trick for the visitors. The rest of the tail-enders couldn't add more to the tally and South Africa registered the victory by 62 runs in the opening game of this series.

Anrich Nortje was the stand-out bowler for the visitors as he picked up 4 wickets in his 9 overs. The spinners Shamsi and Markram also picked up a couple of wickets each and broke the momentum of the chase. Earlier in the day, it was Rassie van der Dussen who notched up another century in this format and took his team past that 330 mark. So all and all it was a great performance from the South African side...

Jos Buttler (England Captain): "The wicket got slower and lower as the game progressed and we didn't put enough pressure on South Africa with the ball in hand! I thought they were smart in the way they bowled and we just couldn't build big partnership!! Root played well but there was no support provided to him. Ofcourse we'll miss the experience of the big players at the same time we have some fantastic youngsters waiting in the wings!! Everything stokes has done in the last few years has been brilliant for us!! We'll miss his a lot!!"  

Keshav Maharaj (South Africa Skipper): "The bowlers adhered to their strategies after Rassie set the tone. All praise goes to the group. The heatwave in England surprised us, but it seemed somewhat familiar. Fortunately, despite the extreme heat, there were no injuries on the field. He didn't realize how big I was! The foundation was laid by Quinny and Janneman, while Rassie played a memorable inning. Collaborations were essential. We all are aware of Markram's versatility. His bowling is not well known. He is aware of his responsibilities and adheres to his routine."

Rassie van der Dussen (Man of the Match): "Quite a scorching day. We're used to the heat, but the conditions were challenging because it was so dry. Their fielders battled in the heat despite a good toss to win. We knew going into this tour that we would have to play good cricket. There is a sizable outfield. To hit the spaces hard was the game plan. Although we didn't hit a six, altogether, our batting performance was quite strong. Janneman was first to arrive, followed by Aiden, and all the men displayed good intentions. It was going to be a difficult tour, and we knew that after 10 productive days of preparation. We'll have fun tonight."

So that brings us to the end of the coverage of this match between England and South Africa. I hope that you have enjoyed all the action here at our network and do join us for all the upcoming matches from all around the globe. For now, This is me Ajay Ahire signing it off along with my co-commentators Tugral Azmi and Ovaise Shariff with our scorer/analyst Yogesh. Until then stay safe and stay cool...