JOIN USCWC 2019: England off with big win vs SA
England made a confident start to their Cricket World Cup campaign as they crushed South Africa by 104 runs in the opening match of the tournament at The Oval on Thursday.
Ben Stokes top-scored with 89 and Jason Roy, Joe Root and Eoin Morgan also made fifties in the hosts' total of 311 for eight after being sent into bat.
South Africa's Quinton de Kock hit 68 and Rassie van der Dussen 50, but England took wickets at regular intervals to ensure the required run rate kept climbing.
Stokes pulled off a spectacular leaping one-handed catch on the boundary to dismiss Andile Phehlukwayo and Jofra Archer claimed three wickets as South Africa were bowled out for 207 with more than 10 overs to spare.
Earlier, South Africa restricted England to a total less than they threatened to post at various stages of their innings.
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.
England, after Britain's Prince Harry officially opened the tournament, lost a wicket second ball before Roy and Root shared a stand of 106 that was equalled by Morgan and Stokes.
South Africa captain Faf du Plessis, despite being without injured spearhead Dale Steyn, saw his decision to field rewarded in dramatic style when Imran Tahir struck with just the second ball of the match to dismiss Jonny Bairstow for a golden duck. Normally it is a paceman who has the first spell.
But Du Plessis gave the ball to 40-year-old leg-spinner Tahir, the oldest player in the tournament instead and a well-flighted delivery had Bairstow edging to wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock, with the Pakistan-born Tahir running off in a semi-circle -- his familiar celebration.
Roy and Root were both in fine touch and England would have wanted at least one of them to go on to a big score.
But from 107-1, England lost two wickets for four runs in four balls. Roy flat-batted an intended pull off Andile Phehlukwayo to Du Plessis at mid-off before Root steered Rabada to backward point, where JP Duminy held a sharp catch.
Morgan, whose aggressive approach has been symbolic of England's rise to the top of the one-day international rankings after their woeful first-round exit at the 2015 World Cup, struck the first two sixes of the match off successive balls from fast bowler Lungi Ngidi.
The left-hander's drive over long-off was followed by a pull above long leg. But having completed a run-a-ball fifty, Morgan's drive off Tahir (two for 61) was well caught low down by a diving Aiden Markram, running in from long-on.
Dangerman Jos Buttler fell for just 18 while left-hander Stokes, trying to break the shackles, saw his 79-ball knock end in the penultimate over when a reverse hit off Ngidi (three for 66) found Hashim Amla at third man.