England take 2-0 series lead with five-wicket win in Port Elizabeth...
Saturday 6 February 2016 17:41, UK
Nasser Hussain says England's latest one-day international win in South Africa will give them as much pleasure as any of their most recent successes.
England won by five wickets in Port Elizabeth, chasing down 263, to win their fifth-straight ODI - their best record since 2012 - and take a 2-0 lead in their series against South Africa.
Reece Topley was the standout performer with ball-in-hand, taking an ODI-best 4-50, while Alex Hales struck 99 with the bat, and Jos Buttler followed up his hundred in the first ODI with an unbeaten 48 from 28 balls to see England home.
"That win will give England just as much pleasure, if not more, as some of their previous wins in the last year, when they've blasted 390, 400," said Hussain.
"They had to adapt their game, adapt to conditions. Hales in particular had to adapt the way he plays, Topley the way he bowls.
"The ball Topley bowled to dismiss Hashim Amla - one of the great players of world cricket - set the tone.
"Topley will have grown up watching Amla smash every side around the world, and to bowl a delivery like that with the new ball set the tone.
"South Africa's opening bowlers in the first game didn't set the tone, England's did here. Then Topley came into his own towards the end of the innings with his cutters and wide yorkers.
"They weren't bossing the game at that stage, with South Africa 205-3 after 40 overs, they could have easily got hit for 280, 290, and then England would have been struggling.
"So a lot of credit has to go to the side, not only the skill they showed, but they had to dig deep as well.
"Hales changed his tempo depending on who was at the other end. He sat in and realised he didn't have to get a run-a-ball hundred.
"He is a really good one-day player, and he already has more runs after two matches in this series than he had in the Test series.
"When he is playing one-day cricket, he is always looking to attack, looking to be positive, and so in defence he is also positive.
"That is twice now Hales has been out for 99 - he was out for the same score in a T20I at Trent Bridge - but he will have taken that when he went out to bat.
"And even when he was out and England lost a couple of wickets, Eoin Morgan comes, in, Moeen Ali comes in, and the freak that is Buttler, who smashes it and takes the game away. It was great to watch."
Will England secure the series in Centurion on Tuesday? Find out from 11am on Sky Sports 2.
