Sonny Baker has horror debut as woeful England given hiding by South Africa

Sonny Baker endured a torrid debut as England’s latest hunch pick was taught a brutal lesson about the step-up to international cricket.

Everything that could go wrong, did go wrong for the hosts in the opening ODI: their batting was woeful and it set up Ashes hopeful Baker for a hiding as he recorded the most expensive figures for an England ODI debutant. A game billed as a day-night match was over long before anyone thought of switching on the floodlights

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Baker was mauled, leaking 76 from seven overs as a 22-year-old with barely any professional cricket to his name floundered against Aiden Markram, man of the match in the recent World Test Championship final at Lord’s.

Markram smacked a half century from just 23 balls and finished with 86 from 55, falling with South Africa 11 short of victory. They won by seven wickets, Adil Rashid giving his home crowd a crumb with two wickets in two balls, but it was over so quickly this felt like an extension of the Hundred.

Baker’s first over cost 14, and he was not helped by Harry Brook opening with him first rather than Jofra Archer and giving him time to take a deep breath. His first four-over spell cost four 56. His next three from the Kirkstall Lane End were slightly better, conceding 20, but by then South Africa had long been in cruise mode.

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To cap it all for Baker, who also made a golden duck, the contrast at the other end made obvious his travails: Archer conceded eight in his five overs, Brydon Carse 12 in his first three.

“Sonny Baker got a bit of tap at the start but the way he kept trucking in and giving 100 per cent was awesome to see,” said Brook after his first defeat in charge of the side. “Nobody wants to watch a game like that.”

Credit to Baker in that he never let his head drop or shoulders sag. He kept smiling and running in with a hop, skip and jump at the top of his mark giving the impression of the eager young lad desperate to make an impression.

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His pace was up to around 87mph but he was wayward and appeared to be confused as to what ball to bowl to a player of Markram’s class. Baker, who had not played 50-over cricket for three years, looked even greener than Josh Hull did on his Test debut last year.

Jamie Overton’s shock retirement on Monday pushed Baker close to a place on this winter’s Ashes tour. Baker may well recover if he plays at Lord’s on Thursday and England put a score on the board but as a bustling, skiddy bowler he does not automatically look suited to the pitches in Australia regardless of his experience.

He has white-ball series against South Africa and Ireland to prove this was just a one-off and it will tell a lot about his character how he bounces back. If any England set-up can make him feel good about himself, it is this one with its uber positivity.

Regardless of Baker’s struggles, England’s batting was to blame, not the wildcard quick. Baker could only do so much with a low score to defend on a good pitch and razor-sharp outfield.

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England made just 131, bowled out in 24.3 overs with the next highest score after Jamie Smith’s 54, Jos Buttler’s 15 from 24 balls as left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj cleaned up with four for 22 without turning the ball.

No one outside the top five reached double figures and England lost their last eight for 49. Jacob Bethell’s thin summer continued with a wild slash to slip for one and the problem with a lack of cricket is that it puts pressure on him to perform every time. Selection policy this summer has done him no favours.

Wiaan Mulder nipped the ball around and was accurate enough to capitalise on some sluggish England footwork and South Africa caught every chance offered. A smart run out of Brook, sent back by Smith going for a second, completed a polished South Africa performance just days after arriving from a white-ball tour to Australia.

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This was England’s first-choice batting line-up, a top six they are building the 2027 World Cup campaign around. There were no excuses for a showing as poor as this but it was hardly a surprise given the preparation.

There were only a handful of players at training in Leeds on Sunday and on Monday five were commuting from London after the Hundred final.

There was just not enough time to switch on from a Hundred competition that is an extreme version of T20 to 50 overs, which in this era is closer to Test cricket than the shorter formats of the white-ball game.

Fans deserve better for high ticket prices

England just looked frazzled. It was like watching an end-of-tour game after a mauling in Australia when everyone just wants to go home.

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There were long queues at Trent Bridge on Tuesday as tickets went on sale for next summer’s Test series against New Zealand which is great news and a sign of the longest format’s enduring popularity. The Hundred will fly now with its new owners and big salaries but expect more squeezing of everything else.

The Hundred started 24 hours after the India series, which was crammed in and counted Ben Stokes as one of its casualties. There were less than 48 hours between the Hundred men’s final and the start of this game. The players are earning more money than ever so have to lump it but the supporters are paying high ticket prices and deserve better. Hammerings happen, but the game is not being given a chance to breathe.

Harry Brook speaks to Sky Sports

Everybody will hold their hands up and say they’ve had a bad day apart from Smudge [Jamie Smith] who batted really nicely. It’s just one of those days. We couldn’t get a partnership going.

It held in the pitch a bit more than usual but I don’t want to get into the detail, it was a bad day and we have to move on as quickly as possible. They bowled really nicely and bowled us out cheaply.

[How do you want your team to play?] We’d go out there and bang it and then take wickets cheaply as quickly as possible. Take wickets throughout and look to put pressure on their bowlers.

I thought we bowled nicely. Sonny Baker took some tap at the start but the way he kept trucking in and giving his hundred per cent was awesome to see and just what we expect from our bowlers.

We almost used it as a practice session at the end when the game was kind of dead so it was good to see lads putting their skills to practice out there.

We have to put that performance behind us and crack on when we get down to London.

Mark Butcher on England’s failings

OVER 20.5: SA 137/3 (Rickelton 31 Brevis 6)

The hat-trick ball is a leg-break that Brevis pats back then pastes the next ball down the ground for six to win by seven wickets with 175 balls to spare.

South Africa win by seven wickets.

Wicket!

Stubbs b Rashid 0 An even louder roar when Stubbs falls for a golden duck, reverse-sweeping and playing on. Rashid is on a hat-trick and the tie is still on! FOW 131/3

Wicket!

Bavuma c Jacks b Rashid 6 England’s great leg-spinner gives his home crowd the opportunity to roar more loudly than at any other point of the match. Bavuma, looking to finish it with a big hit, spoons an inside-out drive to extra-cover. FOW 131/3

OVER 20: SA 131/1 (Rickelton 31 Bavuma 6)

Great commitment by Brook saves one when he hares after Rickelton’s cover drive and, with a headlong sprawl, claws the ball in from the rope to stop the boundary. The scores are level.

OVER 19: SA 125/1 (Rickelton 28 Bavuma 4)

Should be two wickets for Rashid but Bethell slipped having run back to catch Bavuma’s plinked lofted drive towards long-on. Bethell misjudged the flight, slammed on the brakes and skidded before losing his balance and watching helplessly on his backside as the ball fell to earth 3ft away from him.

Wicket!

Markram c Smith b Rashid 86 Stunning, one-handed snatch at cover, diving to his right. Told you he had good hands with or without the gloves. The third umpire checks it again and again but he rolled his wrist as he hit the ground, palm facing upwards to ensure the ball ws not grounded. FOW 121/1

OVER 18: SA 121/0 (Markram 86 Rickelton 28)

Markram pulls Carse for four and swats two through cover with a tennis stroke.

OVER 17: SA 114/0 (Markram 79 Rickelton 28)

Markram looks like a man in a hurry. Beaten by a leg-break he nonetheless gets it away for four off a thick edge. The next ball is dragged down and Markram bludgeons it off the back foot through cover for four more. Not so much ‘Start the car’ for South Africa as ‘Clamp the car and tow it away’ for England.

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The crowd, a sell-out, is thinning by the minute.

OVER 16: SA 103/0 (Markram 69 Rickelton 27)

Baker’s cross-seam short ball sits up invitingly and Markram is in like Flynn to pivot and cart it over square leg for four. That brings up the hundred and takes the young lad above 75 for his seven overs.

Time for drinks. Ten pints of hemlock and a pint of hemlock shandy for the kid.

OVER 15: SA 95/0 (Markram 63 Rickelton 26)

Adil Rashid is brought on and rips his first ball, a big leg-break. Markram shuffles back to glide it through gully for three, Archer having to make a lot of ground. Two further singles come off the over as Rashid strives for turn.

OVER 14: SA 90/0 (Markram 59 Rickelton 25)

Baker certainly is game and keeps running in for his captain. And he refuses to be cagey. Rickelton takes on the bouncer and, although never on control, top edges it over Buttler for four. He chops a slower ball down to third man for a single and Markram reads the next ball, cross-seam, also with pace off, and pastes it uppishly for fout through point.

OVER 13: SA 80/0 (Markram 54 Rickelton 20)

Carse also keeps them down to a couple of singles. Brook has continued to smile as if the whole day has been absurd. The crowd has certainly been more forgiving than the Leeds ones of my boyhood.

OVER 12: SA 78/0 (Markram 53 Rickelton 19)

A change of ends for Baker and he clearly prefers the Kirkstall Lane End, using the hill to pick up momentum instead of slogging uphill from t’Rhinos’ End. And he yields only a single and a wide, backed full throatedly by the crowd.

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Earlier, though:

OVER 11: SA 76/0 (Markram 52 Rickelton 19)

Rickelton clobbers Carse’s back of a length delivery for four through midwicket, Harrow drives off a thick inside edge for two, tickles a single off a no-ball that puts Markram on strike for the free hit which he cloths down Baker’s throat at mid-on and strolls a single.

OVER 10: SA 67/0 (Markram 51 Rickelton 12)

Archer continues for a fifth over on the spin and has Rickelton fishing outside off, beaten on line. With more of a total to defend, you could easily imagine Archer being able to build pressure with his accuracy and pace but they just have to sit on him even during the Powerplay with such a paltry target and with such inexperience at the other end.

OVER 9: SA 63/0 (Markram 50 Rickelton 11)

Carse replaces Baker and dowses the explosive run rate from the Football Stand End, conceding only a single off the bat, tapped to mid-on, and a leg-bye when his slower ball pins Markram on the pad as he had a flick at it, beaten by the lack of pace.

OVER 8: SA 63/0 (Markram 50 Rickelton 10)

Archer is flirting with 90mph and bowling a very tight line to the left-handed Rickelton. Smith, fielding at square leg, makes a smart stop. Gloves or no gloves he has got good hands. Archer tempts Markram into an expansive drive before the ball tails away from his blade.

OVER 7: SA 62/0 (Markram 50 Rickelton 9)

Brook continues with Baker as if thinking a baptism of fire will do him good. I hope so. Not everyone’s as resilient as Brook or McCullum. Markram marmalises him for three boundaries, two through cover off front and then back foot, one rifled back between bowler in his followthrough and the stumps.

OVER 6: SA 50/0 (Markram 38 Rickelton 9)

Just the single off Archer’s over. The contrast at each end is stark. South Africa are also wary of Archer and brutally dismissive of the rookie, looking to lay down a marker for the series.

OVER 5: SA 49/0 (Markram 37 Rickelton 9)

Full and wide to Rickelton who gets off the mark with a drive pinged through extra-cover for four. An ironic cheer from the short-changed Yorkshire crowd when Baker racks up a dot ball and a sincere one when he then finds the edge but Rickelton’s soft hands drop it in front of Root. Another straight one is manna from heaven for Rickelton and he flicks it sweetly for four.

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Brutal start for Baker: 3-0-44-0

OVER 4: SA 39/0 (Markram 36 Rickelton 0)

Rickelton gets away from Archer off his 10th ball with a leg-bye round the corner. It’s the difference between facing a world-class bowler at one end and a greenhorn at the other.

Having said that, Markram works his first ball from Archer away through midwicket for four with a stir of the right wrist.

Brook will persevere with Baker, giving him a crack at the left-hander.

OVER 3: SA 34/0 (Markram 32 Rickelton 0)

Baker resumes with a pair of wides angling down leg and then Markram takes him to school, pumping a straight one down the ground for four, swinging hard to swipe six over point, plinking two off the toe over mid-on and, finally, pulled for six over square leg. A tiny touch of solace for Baker when he nips the last ball into Markram’s box but the big, tough Saffer barely notices, never mind winces.

Live I thought that Archer lbw pitched well outside leg stump but it was three reds! Turning into a nightmare day for England, especially with baker struggling a little early on. I would have thought it would have made sense to let him stand at mid-off and watch Archer for the first over, but England are a bit more macho than that so he took the first over.

OVER 2: SA 14/0 (Markram 14 Rickelton 0)

Brook doesn’t stand at slip in white-ball games so Root and Jacks make up the cordon for Archer’s first over to Rickelton. Archer is superb against left-handers and ends the over with a maiden. After surviving the review for the slip ‘catch, Rickelton is pinned by the nip-backer but they decide not to review… in error. Had they reviewed it that would have been given out. The ball was hitting leg stump fairly flush.

This is taking an age

They’ve got the zoom on the image now and the foreshortening effect comes into play. The umpire Sharfuddoula decides that the ball did kiss the ground and the commentators agree with him.

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Not out.

Umpire review

Rickelton c Root b Archer Did it carry to slip? Root thinks so. He seemed to jam his fingers underneath the ball. I think it landed on the ring finger of his left hand before he closed his fingers round it.

OVER 1: SA 14/0 (Markram 14 Rickelton 0)

Baker’s second ball is sprayed on to Markram’s hip and he clips it fine, 3ft beyond Buttler’s range even with a headlong dive, for four. Baker’s pace is good, cranking up to 88mph but he’s bowling against two fine white-ball batsmen and Markram leans back to smash a back-foot drive over cover for four then follows that with a crunching, orthodox, front-foot drive for four more.

The teams are out and Sonny Baker has the new ball

A free hit for the debutant given the batting.

A very early tea will be taken now

The innings break comes two hours earlier than normal.

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England will try to defend 131 after the interval.

England innings’ verdicts

Woeful from England but not exactly a surprise given the workload. Still no excuse because this is a decent pitch. South Africa bowled well and caught everything. They look a tidy, well drilled team. England look shot after a long summer.

Wow, what a collapse in the space of about 40 minutes. Some England players turned up on for training on Sunday, a couple more joined yesterday, and the Hundred finalists went in without training at all. It wasn’t like England were outrageously reckless. They just looked muddled and tired.

England facing humiliation

I’ve seen some farcical collapses in my time but that has to take the digestive. Maharaj finishes with four for 22, Mulder three for 33, the captain, Brook, kebabbed himself and given how much my fellow Yorkshiremen treasure value for money, I would imagine they will can England off after such a dreadfully careless innings with only Smith’s half-century to commend it.

Wicket!

Baker b Maharaj 0 Another golden duck. England’s debutant No 11 is beaten by the slider on the inside edge as his bat scissored down from second slip. England have lost seven wickets for 29. FOW 131 all out

Wicket!

Rashid lbw b Maharaj 9  Arced in from round the wicket, pitched on middle and off and was sliding on to hit the top of leg stump. His only hope was an inside edge but he missed it.  FOW 131/9 

ENG review

Rashid lbw b Maharaj  Looked out

OVER 23: ENG 131/8 (Carse 3 Rashid 9)

Carse square drives for a single, Rashid slashes two down to third man and ends the over with a flappy pull off Mulder over midwicket for a single.

OVER 23: ENG 127/8 (Carse 2 Rashid 6)

Maharaj gives his fellow spinner a gift-wrapped golden ticket to the buffet with a drag down. Rashid leans back and pulls it through midwicket for four. The wristy former all-rounder who now barely bats works a single off his toes and Carse farms the strike with a clumpy drive through long on for a single.

OVER 22: ENG 121/8 (Carse 1 Rashid 1)

Huge cheer when Rashid keeps out the hat-trick ball and there’s an encore next ball when he clumps a single behind point off the toe of the bat.

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It’s September, there are plenty of clouds and Maharaj is a terrific white-ball spinner. But even so. England’s faces ought to be redder than Henry Blofeld’s trousers.

Wicket!

Archer c Markram b Mulder 0  It’s a procession now. A funeral procession. Fine delivery, angling in and straightening and a finer catch at first slip, diving low to his left. Golden duck. Mulder is on a hat-trick.  FOW 119/8

Wicket!

Buttler c Rickelton b Mulder 15 Stunned silence at Headingley as Buttler is caught behind off the inside edge, pushing his hands, without conviction or any foot movement, down the wrong line. FOW 119/7

OVER 21: ENG 119/6 (Buttler 15 Carse 1)

South Africa have bowled fairly well but England, not for the first or last time, have shot themselves in the foot, soiled the bed, stunk the place out etc.

Wicket!

Jacks c&b Maharaj 7  As Richie Benaud used to say: “You just wouldn’t read about it.” The softest of dismissals at such a critical moment, spooning a return catch off the toe of the bat to the left-arm spinner.  FOW 117/6

OVER 20: ENG 117/5 (Buttler 14 Jacks 7)

Buttler and Jacks exchange three singles off the first three balls then Jacks climbs into a pat-a-cake short ball and pummels it for four. Mulder responds with a cross-seam tempter down the corridor which wobbles away from Jacks’ tally-ho wipe outside off.

OVER 19: ENG 109/5 (Buttler 12 Jacks 1)

A lot of responsibility on Buttler’s shoulders now, after ending the previous over with a lengthy concussion test. Jacks is a fine top-order player shoehorned into a finisher’s role so there’s hope while both are at the crease. But with Adil Rashid  who has barely batted for more than 10 overs for eight years, at nine, it’s a lengthy tail.

Wicket!

Bethell c Markram b Maharaj 1 Maharaj tosses one up from over the wicket to the left-hander, outside off stump. Bethell goes for an expansive drive and edges it to slip. Thick edge and it went fast. Well snaffled by Markram. For ‘spot of bother’ now read ‘deep hole’. FOW 107/4

OVER 18: ENG 107/4 (Buttler 11 Bethell 1)

Bethell is off the mark by tapping a single off his legs and Buttler ends the over heading the ball for four between keeper and fine leg when trying to pull. The ball vaulted the top edge and hit him on the top right of the head as he turned his neck

Wicket!

Smith c Bosch b Mulder 54 Fabulous catch at fine leg, diving low to his left. Rubbish ball, angling down the legside, flicked with a roll of the wrists behind square. In a spot of bother now. FOW 102/4 

OVER 17: ENG 101/3 (Smith 54 Buttler 10)

Smith lets a wide from Maharaj drift down the legside and then brings up his second ODI half-century with another violent back-foot drive for four. Tony De Zorzi has popped his hamstring trying to stop that going for four and has to hop off.

It’s a relief to see Jamie Smith looking relaxed and at ease again. By the Oval, he looked exhausted having batted a lot and fielded more than 1000 overs in his first five-Test series. You don’t know how your mind and body will respond to a series of that length and intensity until you have experienced it. Now he needs to learn from it before the Ashes…

OVER 16: ENG 92/3 (Smith 49 Buttler 7)

South Africa put a ring field in for Buttler and Mulder hits the channel to stop him rotating the strike at the start of his innings. So Buttler shapes to play big shots to break the shackles, having a swish and a miss at two when walking down. But then he wiggles his left shoulder and launches into a wonderful straight drive for six, hitting it on the up and plonking it 10 rows back at long on.

OVER 15: ENG 85/3 (Smith 48 Buttler 1)

An early spell for the No 1 ranked ODI spinner, Maharaj, and he restricts England to three singles, Buttler getting off the mark with a push-drive through cover.

OVER 14: ENG 82/3 (Smith 46 Buttler 0)

Smith leans back and clumps a drive just over mid-on for four off Mulder with good intent but rotten timing. Brute force was enough, though. Another shot that looked more like a swipe than a stroke also earned him four off a thick inside edge when Mulder erred on to leg stump. Smith was happy enough with one off his cover drive and that was the right call but Brook yelled ‘two’ and essentially ran himself out. It was never on. A self-kebabbing if ever I saw one.

This pitch will suit Sonny Baker’s pace later but he can’t afford to be off line. The outfield is super quick, as it was for the Test match against India, and England are batting at nearly 6 an over with barely a big shot played.

Wicket

Brook run out 12 Called for two and had set off despite Stubbs making good ground at cover. Smith sent him back and he sprinted two strides from a standing start, turned and dived but was six inches short. Sawn off but self-inflicted. FOW 82/3

Umpire review

Brook run out  Scrambled back after being sent back, Looked out on first look

OVER 13: ENG 73/2 (Smith 37 Brook 12)

South Africa post a slip for Brook and take him from midwicket, creating a gap through which he takes a single. Smith does the same, playing tip and run after tucking a single off his hip and getting back on strike after Brook eased a single on the drive between mid-off and extra-.

OVER 12: ENG 68/2 (Smith 35 Brook 10)

Wiaan Mulder, the selfless triple centurion, replaces Ngidi. He’s a nuggety fast medium and successfully ties Brook and Smith down at the cost of a leg-bye and Smith’s single, cuffed on the pull down to deep backward square.

OVER 11: ENG 66/2 (Smith 34 Brook 10)

Bosch comes back from making a gift of a boundary through wide mid-on to Brook when spraying one on to leg stump by beating him outside off, squaring him up as he got it to straighten after angling on to off stump. Brook pulls a single off the shorter one and Smith ends the over with a flourish, hammering a back-foot drive through cover for four. Who needs to move their feet to the pitch with an eye and hands like that?

OVER 10: ENG 57/2 (Smith 30 Brook 5)

Good over from Ngidi after that shoddy work in the field, playing with Brook’s timing, forcing him to defend. Only a single off the over when he angled one into the England captain’s body and he cuffed it round the corner for one.

During the recent Hundred campaign, Harry Brook’s trademark trick was to come out and try to whack his first ball to the boundary. This innings might be three times as long, and his team in a bit of bother, but it’s the same strategy on his home ground.

OVER 9: ENG 56/2 (Smith 30 Brook 4)

Corbin Bosch comes on first change and Smith opens the face to glide four down through third man that should, at most, have been two but for Ngidi’s terrible football skills. Out went the big size 12 in an attempt to pull off an Angus Fraser-style save but he missed the ball after lumbering round the rope. Bosch cranks up the pace, flirting with 90mph, and beats Smith with one that he shaped to cut but did not gauge the bounce. The next ball is too full and straight and Smith flicks it off his toes for four.

OVER 8: ENG 48/2 (Smith 22 Brook 4)

When Ngidi can find some swing he becomes a formidable new ball bowler. Not the extravagant swing of Vernon Philander but he generates enough. Enter Harry Brook who is given a short and wide one as a welcome gift and he thumps it over cover for four. Shot!

Wicket!

Root c Rickelton b Nigidi 14 Pushes at an outswinger. Rickelton dives to his right and snatches the ball in the webbing between thumb and forefinger but when his elbow hit the ground it popped up. He managed to slide his glove under it to complete the catch. FOW 44/2

Umpire review for fair catch

Root c Rickelton b Nigidi I think it stuck between thumb and forefinger and then popped out but did he get his other glove beneath it? Yes, he did.

OVER 7: ENG 44/1 (Smith 22 Root 14)

Root tries his favourite dab, opening the face but picks out the fielder and is then beaten outside off as he pushes forward at Burger. After steering a single down to third man, Root watches from the non-striker’s as Burger treats Smith to width and the opener carves the first for four through point and flashes the second over gully with more of the top edge.

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Interesting development. I have to say I like it:

We have a law change in 50 over cricket that did not exactly make headlines when it was announced by the ICC in June. The provision of two new balls at both ends has been altered. Teams will have a different ball at either end until the 34th over when they need to choose one to use for the rest of the innings. It is designed to give the bowlers a ball that might reverse later in the death overs.

OVER 6: ENG 35/1 (Smith 14 Root 13)

Swing for Ngidi encourages Smith to have three swishes in four balls, missing as he threw his hands down the wrong line. The inswinger costs Ngidi two runs when the ball strays too close to Smith’s feet and he whips it square.

OVER 5: ENG 33/1 (Smith 12 Root 13)

Better from Burger, mixing his length up more to Smith. One hooping wide and a parry by Rickelton behind the stumps add a couple of extras and there are two off the bat when Smith tucks a shorter one off his hip.

OVER 4: ENG 29/1 (Smith 10 Root 13)

Ngidi slathers a pie with gravy on Root’s pads and he devours it with a whisk of the wrist, flicking it fine for four. Nigidi adjusts his line and length to earn himself four successive dot balls but Root bookends the over with another magnificent, classical cover drive for four when the right-atm quick overpitches on off-stump. He’s in ridiculously good nick.

OVER 3: ENG 21/1 (Smith 10 Root 5)

Burger continues over the wicket to the left-handed Duckett and immediately looks more effective, swinging the ball away from him. He fiddles at the first and snicks the second. Wearing concrete boots, he let his hands follow the ball rather than easing into it or, indeed, leaving it.

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Forty miles north of his native Sheffield, Joe Root is accorded a hero’s welcome on his home ground and highlights the difference between a right-hander and a left-hander for Burger by smearing a wonderful cover drive, holing the pose with n attractive high elbow, as the ball races for four.

Wicket!

Duckett c Rickelton b Burger 5 Shaun Pollock said Burger was better to left-handers and Burger proves his point, shaping a second ball in succession away from Duckett who can’t resist having a flat-footed nibble at it and feathers an edge through to the keeper. FOW 13/1

OVER 2: ENG 13/0 (Smith 8 Duckett 5)

Lungi Ngidi shares new-ball duties. Duckett closes his wrists on a straight one to try to work it through midwicket but finds the fielder. Never mind, he claws the next ball through mid-on for four, losing his grip a little halfway through the shot.

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Jos Buttler gives his fellow King’s College, Taunton, alumnus his first cap.

OVER 1: ENG 8/0 (Smith 8 Duckett 0)

Burger starts over the wicket from the Football Stand End. Nice and sharp, full with a hint of wobble if not big swing. Smith defends watchfully until Burger gives him length and he creams it with a glorious on-drive for four. The final ball is back of a length, a touch wider and Smith strokes it handsomely for four through mid-off. Two straightish drives, both nailed.

The players are out

Ben Duckett and Jamie Smith open the batting for England. Nandre Burger has the new ball. Left-arm seamer.

Team news

Announced yesterday and no late changes:

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England Jamie Smith, Ben Duckett, Joe Root, Harry Brook (capt), Jos Buttler (wk), Jacob Bethell, Will Jacks, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Sonny Baker.

South Africa Aiden Markram, Ryan Rickelton (wk), Temba Bavuma (capt), Tony de Zorzi, Tristan Stubbs, Dewald Brevis, Wiaan Mulder, Corbin Bosch, Keshav Maharaj, Nandre Burger, Lungi Ngidi.

South Africa win the toss

Temba Bavuma has put England in to bat.

It’s cloudy but fairly warm in Leeds and the weather set fair for the day (and evening).

Preview: Ashes bolter

Good afternoon and welcome to the first of three ODIs between England and South Africa, a series which starts with this day-nighter at Headingley. Harry Brook started his long-term captaincy of the 50-over side with the 3-0 whitewash of West Indies. It was a series marked by the enduring excellence of Adil Rashid who took nine wickets across the three games, a wonderful knock of 166* from Joe Root at Cardiff that made him England’s leading ODI runscorer and England knocking off 246 in 29.4 overs to breach a DLS target when it rained at the Oval.

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After a long summer of five Tests in rapid succession followed by the Hundred in which most of England’s squad played a full part, they will find South Africa, who are two places higher than them in the rankings in sixth spot, a sterner test with Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi and Keshav Maharaj in their bowling ranks and Temba Bavuma captaining a batting line-up made up of most of the men who fired them to victory in the World Test Championship.

Headingley usually offers a fairer contest between bat and ball with 270 over the past 10 years being a par score that can turn a match into a tighter affair than the 380+ pitches further south and west. But it should also offer pace and nip for Jofra Archer and Sonny Baker, the latter of whom, given Craig Overton’s peculiar decision to take a break from red-ball cricket, could be an Ashes bolter if he impresses in these matches.