England vs South Africa: Hashim Amla retires hurt after being hit by Jofra Archer bouncer
Amla had made five when he missed an intended pull off the fast bowler, the ball crashing into his helmet after he was beaten for sheer speed.
cricket Updated: May 30, 2019 20:18 ISTSouth Africa opener Hashim Amla retired hurt after being hit by a Jofra Archer bouncer during the team’s opening clash of the ICC World Cup 2019 against England at the Oval Stadium in London on Thursday.
Amla had made five when he missed an intended pull off the fast bowler, the ball crashing into his helmet after he was beaten for sheer speed. He had several minutes of on-field treatment before walking off.
Earlier, Jason Roy (54), Joe Root (51), Eoin Morgan (57) and Ben Stokes (89) slammed respective half-centuries to take England to 311/8 against the Proteas.
But England, who last year set a world record for the highest one-day international total of 481-6 and have often blown teams away with the bat, were repeatedly pegged back by a Proteas side who deployed the slower ball to good effect.
The ball did not always come onto the bat and Root, speaking at the innings break, admitted: “We would’ve liked more, especially when you’re setting a total but that was not your typical one-day pitch in England. It did grip a bit and there is plenty in the pitch for the bowlers.
“You never felt in, you always felt the bowlers were in the game. Hopefully we can back up that score with the ball.”
((With agency inputs))
First Published: May 30, 2019 20:14 IST