England vs South Africa in 2022

One-day internationals (3): England 1, South Africa 1
Twenty20 internationals (3): England 1, South Africa 2
Test matches (3): England 2 (24pts), South A frica 1 (12pts)

South Africa arrived in England after 18 months spent repairing their Test reputation. Four unbeaten series included a hard-earned draw in New Zealand and a home win against India, the two contestants in the first final of the World Test Championship in 2021. The South Africans were well placed to reach the next final - indeed, victory on this tour would have almost guaranteed it. A rejuvenated England team awaited them, having won the previous four Tests of the summer, against New Zealand and India, and played some dynamic cricket. Their fearless approach had been styled "Bazball" by the media, a reference to the nickname of the new head coach, Brendon McCullum. But if England themselves were peeved by the term, South Africa were contemptuous: their hard-nosed captain, Dean Elgar, would not even acknowledge it. "Let's see if they can do it against our bowlers," he snarled.

Only two of the eventual Test attack featured in the solitary red-ball practice match, against England Lions at Canterbury - and one, left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj, had eye-watering figures of one for 169 from 22 overs as the Lions piled up 672 in 117, to win by an innings. The tourists had not endeared themselves to their hosts by insisting the game feature 13 of their players, thereby denying it first-class status. Even so, Elgar's confidence appeared well merited after England were thrashed inside three days - and the equivalent of two - in the First Test at Lord's. While he remained the right side of smug, McCullum and Ben Stokes, far from being chastened, asked whether their team "could have gone harder".

It was difficult to think of two sides with more different philosophies. South Africa's outstanding performers early on were Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen, the 6ft 8in left-arm fast bowler who started his junior career as a batter, and who many believe could emerge as a top all-rounder. At Lord's, Rabada led the attack superbly, and joined his boyhood hero, Makhaya Ntini, on the honours board. But while he took wickets throughout, he paid the price for trying too hard with insufficient runs to defend, and many of the glory deliveries he was seeking became four-balls. He conceded more per over - 4.41 - than in any previous series.

Meanwhile, the South Africans' celebrations were diluted by the release of the ICC's Future Tours Programme, which confirmed they would play just 28 Tests in the next four-year cycle, 22 in two-match series. One major reason was of Cricket South Africa's own making: the financial black hole into which the game back home had fallen. The only way to fill it was by launching a new domestic T20 league - the SA20 - which would take place in January, the prime of its summer, when Test cricket usually flourishes. "In my view, and the view of most of the players, we should be playing more Test cricket," said Elgar, grimly. "A lot more."

Throughout the previous year and a half, his team had been short of runs, relying on a high-class bowling attack and on the idea that, if you can't score many, score enough. But they made a hash of their (premeditated) team selection at Old Trafford, even if that was not the reason they, in turn, were thrashed on the third day. The inclusion of a second spinner on a dry pitch, especially one as prolific in English conditions as Simon Harmer, seemed sensible, but the omission of Jansen, supposedly because he was the least experienced of the pace quartet, was illogical. His match haul of four for 43 at Lord's, plus an innings of 48, were sufficient reason to retain him; in fact, the vicious inswinger which trapped Joe Root was sufficient in itself. The extra spinner obliged Elgar to bat when he won the toss in Manchester. But against an England attack bolstered by the return of a slimline Ollie Robinson, and under leaden grey skies, the decision was loaded with risk.

The hosts took full advantage, then seized control with hundreds from Stokes and Ben Foakes, compiled in skilful, sensible and - dare one suggest - old-fashioned style. Not only was Robinson recalled, he shared the new ball with James Anderson, relegating Broad to first change. Stokes later revealed he had chosen his moment to break this news, telling Broad after a relaxing round of golf a few days before the Test. His response was outstanding, in both body language and results, while Robinson comfortably justified his promotion. All four of England's main seamers, Stokes included - despite constant concerns over the state of his left knee - took at least ten wickets at under 17.

Having already declined the offer of a two-day match to fill the scheduled nine-day gap before the final Test at The Oval, South Africa now found themselves with 11 off instead. They chose to spend the time "getting away from the game", and enjoyed a three-day break go-karting and playing golf at The Belfry, near Birmingham.

They might have been exposed anyway when the Third Test began but, once play finally got going, the power of the occasion and the emotional energy from the crowd overwhelmed them: soon after the first day had been abandoned as a washout, the death of Queen Elizabeth was announced, cancelling play on the second.

On the morning of the third, an hour or so after spectators had sung "God Save the King", South Africa were 36 for six, the series all but over. In the midst of it all, they did themselves no favours by refusing to contemplate a request to add an extra day to facilitate a positive result. It made no difference. The game lasted just 909 balls, and reached the final morning only because the umpires had taken the players from the field for bad light the previous evening, with England 33 short of victory.

It was the briefest Test in England since 1912 - also between these teams at The Oval - while the hosts' sixth success of the summer was their most since Michael Vaughan's team won all seven in 2004 against New Zealand and West Indies. It also meant they retained the Basil D'Oliveira Trophy, which had now been with them since their victory in South Africa in 2015-16.

The century opening stand between Zak Crawley and Alex Lees in that Oval chase belied earlier struggles, with Crawley's place, in particular, under intense scrutiny. That had led to McCullum saying England were not looking for consistency from him, "because he's the sort of guy that can win games for us". English cricket's eyebrows were raised to new heights, at which point Crawley caressed 69 delightful, unbeaten runs from 57 balls. And when England named their winter touring party for Pakistan, it was he - not Lees - who was retained.

The tour had started rather differently, with South Africa easing to a comprehensive victory in the first one-day international, on Britain's hottest-ever day. They then collapsed in a rain-shortened second game, before setting up a dominant position in the decider, only for the weather to have the final say. With no ICC Super League points available, there were only bragging rights, and South Africa had the better claim.

The tone was set for the tour, in which nine international matches across all three formats produced not a single close game. England posted a record home total in the first T20 and won easily, before crashing to dismal defeats in the second and third, as a schedule of 12 limited-overs matches - including six against India - in 25 days took its toll. Opener Reeza Hendricks became just the third player from a major nation to score four successive T20 international fifties. He did so in all three games against England, and in the first of two against Ireland (staged in Bristol as Cricket Ireland sought to establish logistical ties with venues in England).

But, as always, it was the Test series which lingered in the memory. Each match ended with spectacular speed, because two fine bowling attacks were pitted against two modest batting line-ups. South Africa did not have one player with a career average over 40, and the only world-class batsman on either side, Root, endured a rare poor series, without even a fifty. In the event, the tourists managed a lone half-century - opener Sarel Erwee's 73 at Lord's. And although Stokes and Foakes took the plaudits for England, Ollie Pope continued to look comfortable at No. 3: his two half-centuries came at important times in difficult conditions, and with counter-attacking verve.

South Africa's tour ended not just in defeat, but in the unexpected resignation of their coach, Mark Boucher, whose contract was to have finished after the 50- over World Cup in 2023. He had conducted a press conference after The Oval in which he pulled no punches about his team's batting frailty and technical shortcomings against the Dukes ball in English conditions, but made no mention of his future. Three hours later, CSA issued a statement confirming he would leave his post after the T20 World Cup in November. Four days after that, Mumbai Indians confirmed he was their new head coach in the IPL.