Fielding of dreams

With the new faces ushered into the one-day squad after the World Cup, one of the aims of the England selectors was to produce a good, athletic fielding team capable of cutting it with the best, and on today's performance, they're well on their way.

England's fielding has been sharp all series, but here they were electric. Seven catches in all were taken, ranging from the fluky to the fantastic. Andrew Flintoff bagged three, two of them smart slip catches, and one an absolute cracker diving one-handed to his right at third slip to dispose of the man of the moment, Jacques Kallis. It was an inspired moment, emphatically ending South Africa's early progress, and uplifting the England attack after a shaky start.

While the match was billed as a dress rehearsal for the real thing on Saturday, James Anderson fluffed his early lines when his first two overs went for 24. However, after a spell in the outfield while Flintoff produced his heroics, Anderson reverted to his usual role of boy wonder with a remarkable return to finish with 4 for 38. Darren Gough, who has been treading the boards for ages, proved he has no plans for a swansong, and Ashley Giles showed signs of overcoming this season's stage fright with his best spell of the summer although he still ended wicketless.

Flintoff, described as the linchpin of the team by Michael Vaughan, was again the allround star of the show with a buccaneering fifty and an important wicket, but it was his stunning catch that really turned the game England's way.

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