SAM MORSHEAD picks out the key topics of discussion from the series finale between South Africa and England at Centurion...
England are not blessed with many powerplay bowlers, and it’s an issue they need to address before October’s World Cup.
As CricViz pointed out on Sunday, the English attack are the most expensive of all the nations taking part in this autumn’s competition - going at around 8.9 runs per over on average during the first six overs of a T20 innings since the start of 2018.
Extrapolate that data to focus purely on away matches, however, and the situation is even worse: 9.03 per over, meaning that opponents generally have a platform of 54 runs on the board before the fielding restrictions are relaxed.
That is no minor issue, especially in the year of a major tournament.
South Africa have been making the most of this particular deficiency and, at Centurion, Temba Bavuma and Quinton de Kock picked up where they left off in Durban and East London.
Having helped their side to 68 for 1 and 69 without loss respectively in the first two powerplays of this series, the pair crashed 64 at Supersport Park, leaving them with an average runs per over over the three matches of 11.4.
England continued the ploy of using Moeen Ali early, but his first delivery was cut to the fence by Bavuma and the over went for 11.
Chris Jordan was taken for three consecutive sixes by De Kock and Mark Wood struggled with his lines and lengths once more.
England will benefit from the return of Jofra Archer, whose career T20 economy rate in overs one through six is an incredibly impressive 7.79, but a penny for the thoughts of David Willey.
The new Yorkshire Vikings captain has been left out in the cold by England since being dropped for Archer just before last year’s 50-over World Cup, but represents their best new-ball option.
In T20 internationals since the start of 2018, Willey has operated at an economy of 6.93. What’s more, he takes wickets.
England managed just one scalp in the powerplay across the three-match series in South Africa, a strike rate of 108. Willey’s strike rate in T20I powerplays since the start of 2018? Under 16.
For whatever reason, England seem to have moved on from Willey. Maybe they should think again.
David Willey is out of favour with England
South Africa will taken plenty of encouragement from this series, and Temba Bavuma’s blossoming partnership with Quinton de Kock is perhaps the biggest positive of all.
Bavuma provided a very able foil for his captain in the first two matches before showing he is perfectly destructive on his own in this final installment at Centurion.
The diminutive opener, who is under excess scrutiny for reasons other than his batting, just seems to click with De Kock.
The pair have three century stands from four partnerships in ODIs, including a bumper 173 in Cape Town earlier in February.
And in this T20 series, that fine form has continued, with stands of 48, 92 and 84.
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Jos Buttler’s difficult winter in South Africa ended on a high, with his first half-century of the tour in any format.
Buttler’s place in the England Test team, and batting position in the T20 side, have been the focus of constant discussion over the past two months, but this was a timely reminder of just how dangerous and entertaining he can be when all the talking has stopped.
He moved to 32 from 17 balls having barely found the middle of the back, ramped his second ball for four, chipped a Dale Steyn yorker down the ground for six and started to look at his ominous best when he picked out Tabraiz Shamsi at third man.
England look set to persist with their plan of using Buttler as an opener for the upcoming T20 World Cup - Eoin Morgan emphasised as much in the build-up - and he comes off like this it is entirely understandable.
It becomes even more understandable when Morgan himself plays the finisher's role as well as he did here.
The argument for Buttler not opening largely revolves around his excellence at the backend of a short-form innings, especially when England are chasing a tricky target.
Yet twice on this tour - firstly at East London in the first game, and then again at Centurion - Morgan has showed himself to be just as good as Buttler in such a circumstance, if not better.
The skipper was furious he did not see the job through in the first match of this series, having brought the runs required down to seven from the final six deliveries. Here, he made no such mistake.
Morgan clattered seven sixes, reaching his half-century in 21 deliveries to equal his own record for England's fastest T20I fifty, and displayed tremendous composure at the critical moments.
Since the start of 2019, Morgan has stepped up his game in T20 internationals. In that time, his strike rate is above 170, and he has bulldozed 28 sixes.
In addition to being one of the most respected captains on the circuit, he is proving his worth with bat in hand, too.
Jos Buttler made 57 at Centurion
This was an England bowling display which presented more questions than answers.
Mark Wood went for 47 in his three overs
Wood has series figures of 4-118 in 10 overs - by far the worst economy rate of all Eoin Morgan’s charges - and he has struggled particularly with his lengths throughout.
Chris Jordan, meanwhile, missed his trademark yorker regularly. His four overs cost 49.
Between them, England’s bowlers threw down nine wides, one of which - from Jordan - pitched off the cut strip and may just have qualified as a no ball under law 21.7, giving South Africa an extra over and a half to add to their tally.
Even Tom Curran, the standout member of the visitors’ attack, ended the penultimate over of the innings wide-six.
England’s chase was briefly interrupted when a group of environmental protestors ran onto the pitch to offer face masks to the Proteas players.
Captain Quinton de Kock and veteran seamer Dale Steyn were both surprised recipients of the masks from a pitch invader dressed as Wonder Woman, while a giant banner was later unveiled from one of the floodlight pylons.
“Toxic air is not just a game,” it read.
That might be related to that co-ordinated pitch invasion earlier. GreenPeace (or people claiming to represent them) have hung this off a pylon. It reads: "Toxic air is not just a game. #BowlOutAirPollution." pic.twitter.com/uc67W4s56l
— stuart hess (@shockerhess) February 16, 2020
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