Flintoff back to his best; Patel shines as England cruise it.ANDREW Flintoff's resurgence on the international stage hurtled England to NatWest Series NatWest Series is an annual one day international cricket tournament held in England involving the home side and two of the season's touring teams. A series of usually nine matches are played across England at the seven test match grounds; Lord's, London, Edgbaston, glory over South Africa South Africa, Afrikaans Suid-Afrika, officially Republic of South Africa, republic (2005 est. pop. 44,344,000), 471,442 sq mi (1,221,037 sq km), S Africa. . All-rounder Flintoff struck his second half-century in as many visits to the crease as South Africa were crushed by 126 runs at The Brit Oval to open up an unassailable lead. Although England might have cursed the fact they had not made more of a blistering start, their score of 296 for seven maintained their momentum in the series. The 30-year-old also struck 78 in the campaign-opening win at Headingley to signal his return to form at the top level. He followed up with two wickets as England continued their dominance over the Proteas which began on the same ground earlier this month when they triumphed in the final Test. Three one-day internationals under Kevin Pietersen  This article is included in the list of featured articles.Kevin Peter Pietersen MBE (born 27 June 1980 in Pietermaritzburg, Natal, South Africa) is an English cricketer. since and three comprehensive wins. Nowa 5-0 whitewash whitewash, white fluid commonly used as an inexpensive, impermanent coating for walls, fences, stables, and other exterior structures. It varies in composition, being generally a mixture of lime (quicklime), water, flour, salt, glue, and whiting, with other , an unthinkable result a fortnight ago, would catapult England above the South Africans into second place in the official one-day standings. In five years of official rankings, England have never occupied such a lofty position. The latest success included a first one-day 50 for Ian Bell this summer and a fine display from Nottinghamshire all-rounder Samit Patel, who followed up a mature 31 with a maiden five-wicket international haul. The platform was laid by a first three-figure opening stand in nine completed matches, and only their second in 35. Bell was in supreme form and, along with Matt Prior, shared 101 for the first wicket, making the most of the power play periods and South Africa's distinct loss of confidence. South Africa required a decent start to promote their hopes of getting back into the campaign, but their new-look opening partnership - captain Graeme Smith is sidelined with a severe bout of tennis elbow- was separated in the seventh over a South Africa slumped to another one-day defeat. CAPTION(S): DELIGHT: England skipper Kevin Pietersen celebrates victory with Samit Patel at the Brit Oval |
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