South Africa vs England: Hales and Buttler star as tourists chase down 262 to win by five wickets

So close: Alex Hales fell for 99 in Port Elizabeth
(Gareth Copley/Getty Images)
David Clough6 February 2016

Jos Buttler demonstrated his star quality, and Alex Hales his versatility, as England won by five wickets to take a 2-0 one-day international series lead over South Africa.

Hales (99) had to bat against type to keep England on track, after Reece Topley's career-best four for 50 restricted South Africa to a marginally under-par 262 for seven on a slow and occasionally unpredictable surface at St George's Park.

Then on a day which started with Buttler bagging a £385,000 deal to join Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League, he finished the job with a flurry of fours and sixes and the unexpected leeway of 22 balls to spare.

Hales did the donkey work, falling just a single short of a deserved second ODI hundred when an attempted hook off Kyle Abbott (three for 58) looped off his thigh and caught the edge of the bat in his follow-through.

But Buttler, who finished unbeaten on 48 from 28 balls, hit the same bowler for three successive fours and then Imran Tahir for three successive sixes as he and Moeen Ali turned a tight contest into a sprint finish with an unbroken stand of 61.

This venue is 450 miles, and a world, away from the altitude of Bloemfontein - where England racked up their highest overseas total three days ago.

Down at sea level, they had to chisel most of the required runs - and habitual big-hitter Hales buckled down commendably in an innings closer to an audition for next summer's Test series than to open, as he surely will anyway, in the ICC World Twenty20 next month.

Back-to-form AB de Villiers (73) dug in too for the hosts, and his century stand with JP Duminy for the fourth wicket underpinned South Africa's total.

With the ball coming through at variable pace and height, England could not simply power-hit their way to victory.

Hales was perhaps not the likeliest lad, in the circumstances, but he dispelled the doubts to get close - before Buttler took over.

There were false shots from Hales, including his ugly mow at a full-toss on 17 - the second delivery from Tahir which somehow landed safe between straight midwicket and long-on.

But after the early loss of Jason Roy, bowled through the gate on the defence by Abbott, Hales shared a stand of 97 with Joe Root.

Root went unluckily, advancing to Abbott and bailing out into angled defence which contrived to deflect the ball down on to his stumps - and captain Eoin Morgan dragged a catch to deep mid-on off Morne Morkel to end another 50 partnership.

The onus remained on Hales, more so after Ben Stokes came and went for the scratchiest of ducks - but it was to be Buttler who stole the show.

After De Villiers had won the toss, left-armers Topley and David Willey used the new ball well and were rewarded with the wicket of Hashim Amla - bowled off his pads, playing for inswing as Topley slanted a full one across him.

The 50 was up by the time Quinton de Kock, quite reasonably, reviewed an lbw decision but discovered Stokes had got one to pitch just in line with leg-stump and straighten.

Faf du Plessis fell four short of his 50 when he mis-read Adil Rashid and edged a to slip.

De Villiers had to play a waiting game while England's spin pair Rashid and Moeen ruled the middle overs - conceding only 84 in their combined 20.

Duminy had a moment of fortune on 35 when Buttler could not hold on to a one-handed chance away to his left off Chris Jordan.

The left-hander responded by clubbing two of his next four deliveries for boundaries, and De Villiers brought up the hundred stand with his only six - pulled over midwicket off Jordan.

The England all-rounder almost instantly had a telling revenge, though, with a very good catch - running back to deep midwicket to take a skier over his head when De Villiers got underneath a big hit at Stokes.

Duminy went too in the next over, lbw to the first ball of Topley's second spell with no review option remaining to challenge a decision Hawkeye would have overturned.

South Africa's apparent plan to back-load the last 10 overs was looking shaky, with two new men at the crease.

They made a decent fist of it, despite two more successes for Topley - but with De Villiers no longer in situ, thanks to Jordan's brilliance, they fell short of testing England to their limit.

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