England v South Africa T20I series: Combined XI

It’s curtains to a breathtaking limited-overs season in England, which began with South Africa and England’s ODI series and ended on Sunday with the same sides colliding in the 3rd T20I at Cardiff. The jerseys will turn white and the red ball will do the talking from July as a much-anticipated Test season begins in England with 4 Tests against South Africa.

The hosts have been exceptional throughout this limited-overs season, but that one bad day against Pakistan in the semi-finals of the Champions Trophy will hog the spotlight. Despite suffering a painful loss in the semis, they came back strongly in the T20I series against the Proteas.

The first match was a one-sided affair as England chased down a below par 144-run target in less than 15 overs. The second one was a nail-biter and a controversial one, which went in favour of the visitors and it set up a marquee clash on Sunday. England once again was the better side in every aspect and won the match comfortably by 19 runs.

Let’s take a look at the best eleven players of this T20 series.

1. Jason Roy (England)

Jason Roy will remember this series for a long time to come, sadly for the wrong reasons. But with the bat, he was splendid in the first two matches. Roy’s 67 off 45 balls in the second T20 at Taunton could’ve saved the day for England, but after he got out, South African were all over them and won the game by 3 runs.

Roy has managed to pull off 103 runs in the 3 games with an ever impressive strike-rate of 153. In the first match, he gave England a brisk start with few lusty blows and his contributions to the side has been monumental in registering this series win.

2. Alex Hales (England)

It’s an all-English affair in the opening department as Jason Roy’s partner in crime Alex Hales makes it to this list as the second opener. Hales played just two games in this 3-match series, but his impact on the side was palpable.

He scored a 47 and a 36 providing his team with a good start coupled with Roy. Hales initially entered the big stage as an aggressor, but these days he’s playing the supporting part. Since he has that ability to catch up with his strike-rate in a matter of a few balls, his presence in the side is invaluable.

3. Jonny Bairstow (England)

Another English batsman who makes it to this list. Jonny Bairstow is continuing from where he left off in the previous season. He is currently making a strong case for himself to be a regular in the limited-overs format as well having done exceptionally well in Tests last season.

Bairstow played just 2 of these 3 games and registered scores of 60 and 47. He has this ability to mould according to the situation, which makes him quite a good asset to have in the side. He managed to get 107 runs in these 2 games at a strike-rate of 148.

4. AB de Villiers (South Africa)

An absolute genius with the bat, AB de Villiers was under immense pressure coming into this series. His personal form had dipped quite drastically over the last few months and he was desperate for some runs under his name. Though the visitors lost the series, de Villiers was back in form and that certainly is a major positive for the Proteas.

He set things rolling with a half-century in the first T20, which went in vain. He followed it with an “AB Special” at Taunton, amassing 46 runs off just 20 balls and South Africa won that game by a small margin. Chasing a big total in the decider, AB got off to a good start but fell at the wrong time. He piled up 146 runs in the series at an average of 73 and a strike rate of 150.52.

5. Jos Buttler (England)

Since England reigned supreme, their players will be dominating the opponents in terms of the numbers of players making it to this list. Jos Buttler will sneak into the side being the better one of the wicketkeepers in both the sides.

Barring the 31-run knock in the final T20I, Buttler didn’t get many chances to bat. But he’s the sort of player whose presence in the middle order ignites the confidence levels of the top order players to go all out on the opposition. His attacking style of play has been a key to England’s changed fortunes in limited-overs cricket.

6. Farhan Behardien (South Africa)

Farhan Behardien is quite a canny customer in the middle order, who reciprocates according to the situation and lives up to the captain’s trust pretty much every time. Behardien had a good outing with the bat in England and he grabs a spot in this power packed middle-order.

He concluded the series with 99 runs to his name in the 3 matches, which includes a resilient half-century in the first T20I and a well compiled 32 in the second.

7. Chris Morris (South Africa)

He can hit the ball a long horizon and can petrify the batsmen with his steaming bouncers. Chris Morris is one of those inexplicably valuable players in the side who the skipper can turn up to in any situation during the match.

In the 8 overs he’s bowled in aggregate this series, Morris managed to pick up 2 wickets and gave away just 42 runs at an economy of 5.25. This indeed is a jaw-dropping performance from the tall fast bowler, whose been quite a brilliant addition to the side in the limited-overs format.

8. Chris Jordan (England)

Chris Jordan is a very useful all-rounder to have in the side for his multi-tasking ability. He can hit the ball a fair distance lower down the order if the need be and his ability to bowl in the death overs makes him a serious force to reckon with in the T20 format particularly.

Jordan has managed to pick up 4 wickets in these 3 games at a decent economy rate of 8.3. He was exceptional for England in the decider, where he picked up 3 wickets giving away 31 runs in his 4 overs.

9. Andile Phehlukwayo (South Africa)

South Africa has no shortage of good young talented bowlers in their ranks and Phehlukwayo is a great example of it. Trying to confirm his place in the South African side, the right-arm pacer is certainly heading in the right direction and he will just improve with exposure and time.

The youngster picked up 4 wickets in the series and though his economy was a tad on the higher side, his quality cannot be doubted and that’s the reason he grabs a spot in this team.

10. Dane Paterson (South Africa)

Another new face in the side, 28-year-old Dane Paterson is quick and has all the qualities that a good fast bowler should possess. Paterson played just two games in the series, but he made a significant impact. His spell of 4/32 in the decider helped South Africa restrict England to 181 runs, but they failed to get those runs.

The fast bowler picked up 5 crucial wickets in the series and with an economy of 8, there was no way he was going to miss out on entering this XI. Paterson needs few more performances like this to consolidate his position in the national side.

11. Tom Curran (England)

22-year-old fast bowler Tom Curran is another bright prospect of English cricket, who promises a lot for the future. Interestingly, Curran made his debut against the country where he was born. In the 2 games he’s played, Curran proved to be a tough nut to crack for the South African batsmen.

He managed to pick up 5 wickets in the series and ended as the joint highest wicket-taker alongside Dane Paterson. The youngster bowled some crucial overs in the game and he’s definitely lived up to the expectations of his skipper Eoin Morgan. It will be interesting to see if these performances will earn him a place in the ODI squad in the time to come.