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South African cricket team in England in 2008

South African cricket team in England in 2008
  Flag of England.svg Flag of South Africa.svg
  England South Africa
Dates 29 June 2008 – 4 September 2008
Captains Kevin Pietersen Graeme Smith
Test series
Result South Africa won the 4-match series 2–1
Most runs Kevin Pietersen (421) AB de Villiers (384)
Most wickets James Anderson (15) Morné Morkel (15)
Player of the series Kevin Pietersen and Graeme Smith
One Day International series
Results England won the 5-match series 4–0
Most runs Andrew Flintoff (187) Herschelle Gibbs (133)
Most wickets Andrew Flintoff (10) Jacques Kallis (4)
Player of the series Andrew Flintoff
Twenty20 International series
Results 1-match series drawn 0–0

The South African cricket team toured England between 29 June and 4 September 2008. They played four Test matches, one Twenty20 International and five One Day Internationals against England. They also played six tour matches against Somerset, Middlesex, Bangladesh A, a PCA Masters XI and two against the England Lions.

It was announced that following the conclusion of this four-match series, future matches between England and South Africa would comprise five Test matches but only three one-day matches after the series was granted 'icon' status. The first game with the new format would be in the 2009–10 season in South Africa. In fact though, the next series was four matches, and the 2012 series three.

The series between South Africa and England was a highly anticipated one. England had recently played for the best part of six months against the same opposition (New Zealand) winning the two test series 4–1 on aggregate. They were aware that South Africa would prove to be far superior opposition in the test arena. South Africa arrived in England off the back of a successful winter which had seen them win series in Pakistan and Bangladesh, and draw one in India. They had also beaten New Zealand and West Indies on their home soil comfortably.

England named an unchanged XI for the sixth test in a row, a record. Graeme Smith won the toss and chose to field first hoping his much publicised pace attack would make early inroads into the struggling England batting lineup, which had not passed 400 in their first innings for over a year. However, the South African bowlers were wayward on the first day of the match, and apart from a post-lunch burst where they captured three quick wickets, were unable to exert much authority.


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