LONDON, Aug 30: Left-arm spinner Samit Patel took five for 41 and scored 31 runs to lead England to a 126-run victory over South Africa in the third One-day International at the Oval on Friday (also partly reported in Saturday’s edition).

His all-round efforts and an unbeaten 78 from Andrew Flintoff from 77 balls enabled England to clinch the five-match series 3-0.

“We came into the series as underdogs for sure ... but the boys have been magnificent,” captain Kevin Pietersen said. “It is an exciting place to be, the England dressing room.

Patel, playing only his fourth One-day International, shared a 74-run partnership with Flintoff in England’s impressive 296 for seven after acting South Africa captain Jacques Kallis had won the toss and elected to field.

Hashim Amla, opening the batting, top scored for the tourists with 46 before edging Steve Harmison to Prior, the first of three wickets to fall for just 15 runs which left South Africa reeling on 82 for four.

Patel then took over, ripping through South Africa’s lower order with the wickets of Mark Boucher, Albie and Morne Morkel, Johan Botha and Makhaya Ntini.

Scoreboard

ENGLAND:

I.R. Bell lbw Botha 73

M.J. Prior ct Gibbs b M. Morkel 33

O.A. Shah b Kallis 23

K.P. Pietersen lbw b Kallis 5

A. Flintoff not out 78

P.D. Collingwood c Boucher b Botha 14

S.R. Patel b Ntini 31

L.J. Wright ct Gibbs b Steyn 17

S.C.J. Broad not out 0

EXTRAS (LB-3, W-16 NB-3) 22

TOTAL (for seven wkts, 50 overs) 296

FALL OF WKTS: 1-101, 2-144, 3-146, 4-155, 5-182, 6-256, 7-295.

DID NOT BAT: S.J. Harmison, J.M. Anderson.

BOWLING: Steyn 10-0-67-1 (1w); Ntini 9-1-68-1 (2nb, 2w); M. Morkel 10-1-51-0 (1nb, 3w); J.A. Morkel 5-0-30-1 (5w); Botha 90-0-35-2; Kallis 7-0-42-2.

SOUTH AFRICA:

H.H. Gibbs ct Shah b Anderson 12

H.M. Amla ct Prior b Harmison 46

J.H. Kallis ct Patel b Flintoff 9

A.B. de Villiers run out 12

J.P. Duminy ct Prior b Flintoff 18

M.V. Boucher b Patel 19

J.A. Morkel c and b Patel 16

J. Botha b Patel 17

M. Morkel ct Broad b Patel 6

D.W. Steyn not out 5

M. Ntini ct Prior b Patel 0

EXTRAS (B-5, LB-4, W-1) 10

TOTAL (all out, 42.4 overs) 170

FALL OF WKTS: 1-19, 2-67, 3-77, 4-82, 5-114, 6-134, 7-142, 8-160, 9-170.

BOWLING: Anderson 7-0-17-1; Broad 6-1-28-0; Harmison 9-1-28-1; Flintoff 7-0-33-2 (1w); Patel 9.4-2-41-5; Collingwood 4-0-14-0

RESULT: England won by 126 runs.

UMPIRES: N.J. Llong (England) and S.J.A. Taufel (Australia).

TV UMPIRE: P.J. Hartley (England).

MATCH REFEREE: R.S. Mahanama (Sri Lanka).

MAN-OF-THE-MATCH: Samit Patel.

—Reuters