South Africa v England 2023, ODI player grades

JOE WOZNIAK AND JOE GRANT deliver their verdicts following South Africa's 2-1 series win over England...

South Africa defeated England 2-1 in a three-match ODI series. JOE WOZNIAK and JOE GRANT grade the players involved...

ENGLAND

Jason Roy: The opener found his form in the first ODI of the series, hitting his first big score after struggling during the English summer with the bat. His efforts were, however, in vain as England were defeated. The rest of the series was poor for Roy with just 10 runs to leave his place up in the air. B-

Dawid Malan: Once again showed good form in this series. Malan hasn't played too many ODIs for England - he has just 15 caps - but showed he can score big runs in whatever format. In this series, he mustered an impressive ton and a half-century. Malan also worked his way into the record books with a 232-run stand with Jos Buttler in the third ODI. B+

Ben Duckett: A poor series for an in-form Duckett: in three games, he contributed little. The South African wickets proved troubling for the batsman as he failed to face even 50 balls across the whole series. E

Harry Brook: Brook had a poor start to his ODI career after making his debut in Bloemfontein, getting out for a three-ball duck. However, redemption was on the mind of the youngster as he struck 80 in the second game at near enough a run-a-ball. A series of promise for Brook who showed his ability to score against the white ball abroad. C+

^{A mixed series for Roy, with a century and two low scores [Charle Lombard/Getty Images]}

Jos Buttler: A fantastic performance throughout the series from Buttler with both the bat and the gloves. However, though individually successful, the series loss has an impact on his grade - with different tactics in terms of the field and bowling changes, it could have influenced how the series turned out. A-

Moeen Ali: A big senior player for England in terms of white-ball cricket, Moeen was underwhelming in the series. One decent contribution with the bat was coupled with struggles with the ball, only taking one wicket at an average of 112. C

Sam Curran: The man of the moment didn't have a memorable series. That said, he was solid enough with four wickets, tight lines and consistent lengths. Played a key role in turning the first ODI in England's favour with the ball before batting let the side down. C

David Willey: Bowled just six overs across the series and didn't shine in the powerplay. D

Chris Woakes: Playing two of the possible three Woakes struggled on the South African decks providing little wicket-taking threat while also being rather expensive. Nothing to shout about with the bat. D-

Adil Rashid: The leg spinner had a good series with the ball and showed off exactly why he's one of the first on the team sheet for the England selectors. A continuous threat with his variations and picked up six wickets. C+

^{Dawid Malan impressed with the bat [Alex Davidson/Getty Images]}

Jofra Archer: What else could you rate this man? His first game was expensive but he still brought a wicket-taking threat. Returning for the third ODI, Archer took six in the match to bowl England to victory, overshadowing the heroics shown by Buttler and Malan earlier in the day. A-

Olly Stone: A decent performance from Stone throughout his two appearances. The fast bowler was first change for Buttler and picked up wickets when England needed them. His speed and bounce proved troubling and allowed him to pick up wickets here and there to slow down the South African offensive. B-

Reece Topley: Topley has been fantastic for the T20I side but couldn't transfer his skills over to the ODI side as he proved ineffective when brought on to bowl. Expensive, wicketless and a little rusty given his recent stint on the sidelines. D-

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SOUTH AFRICA

Quinton de Kock: The wicketkeeper got two starts with the bats in the matches he played but failed to convert both times. De Kock scored 37 in the first match, but was caught behind off the bowling of Curran, and then scored 31 in the second match before falling victim to Stone. C

Temba Bavuma: De Kock may have failed to convert his starts, but Temba Bavuma did not. In the second match of the series, he scored 109 from 102 balls and looked dangerous in the other two as well, scoring 36 in the first ODI at a strike rate of 128.57 and 35 in the third ODI, with a strike rate of 129.63. B+

Reeza Hendricks: Reeza Hendricks replaced de Kock in the final ODI of the series and stepped up to the task brilliantly. Hendricks scored 52 runs off 61 balls to set a foundation for the rest of the South African batting order. B

^{Temba Bavuma eased the pressure on himself with three strong performances [Lee Warren/Getty Images]}

Rassie Van Der Dussen: With a batting average of 67.16 in ODIs, van der Dussen is one of the best ODI batsmen in the world at the moment and he did not disappoint in the first ODI, scoring 111 runs off 117 balls. The right-hander failed to make a huge impact on the other two matches but finished with a healthy average for the series. B+

Aiden Markram: Markram looked good with the bat in the second and third ODIs, but like de Kock, he failed to push on and convert starts into big scores. Markram scored 49 in the second ODI and 39 in the third and will have been frustrated at himself that he didn't add to his five half-centuries. The allrounder only bowled 10 overs across the series and did the job he was asked. C+

Heinrich Klaasen: After two average performances in the first two ODIs, Heinrich Klaasen came to life in the final match, scoring 80 runs off 62 balls, with a strike rate of 129.03. As other South African batters struggled around him, he made sure his side put up a fight. B+

David Miller: Ended the series with the highest batting average (68) of all the South African batters. Miller scored two half-centuries in the first two matches, including 58 not out, to help the hosts win the series. The explosive batter scored at a strike rate of 124. A+

Marco Jansen: Didn't play the first ODI but performed an important role with both bat and ball in the final two ODIs. In the second ODI, Jansen took 1 for 66 and scored 32 not out with the bat. The allrounder struggled with the bat in the final ODI but picked up 2 for 53. B-

Wayne Parnell: On the surface, this series was not a huge success for Parnell, as he only picked up one wicket. However, the left-armer played a crucial role in limiting England's run rate and frustrating them, maintaining an economy of just 5.51 runs across the series. Scored 34 runs in the final ODI. C

Keshav Maharaj: Only played one ODI during the series and bowled excellently in his eight overs, picking up 1 for 51. B-

^{Sisanda Magala changed the direction of the first ODI [Alex Davidson/Getty Images]}

Anrich Nortje: Just behind Archer, Anrich Nortje was the second-highest wicket-taker during the series with six wickets. Nortje only played the first two ODIs and South Africa won both. The bowlers electric pace made it extremely difficult for England'S batters, who couldn't live with Nortje. A

Sisanda Magala: England only managed 271 runs in response to South Africa's 298 in the first ODI and much of this was down to the excellent bowling of Magala. The fast bowler took 3 for 46 from his nine overs to help South Africa to victory. Magala did struggle in the third ODI, but the series was already won. B-

Lungi Ngidi: Alongside Nortje, he gave England's batters a lot of trouble with his pace and variations. Ngidi took four wickets for 62 runs from 10 overs in the third ODI, including the wickets of Roy, Duckett and Brook. The fast bowler wasn't at his best during the second ODI but still managed to take the important wicket of Roy. B+

Tabraiz Shamsi: Failed to have an impact on the series in the way the rest of the South African bowlers did, taking just one wicket across two ODIs. Shamsi also had the highest economy of all the hosts bowlers with 8.70. E

Kagiso Rabada: Fortunately for England, Rabada only played in the first ODI, picking up two wickets for just 46 runs from his 10 overs. Rabada dismissed Roy for 113 to help South Africa go ahead in the series. B-