Hales insists it will be folly, though, to stray away from the attacking intent which has served England so well in their dramatic white-ball improvement since an embarrassingly early exit from last year’s World Cup.
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One of the key factors coming into this game is to consider that AB De Villiers has hardly made a score all series.
After dropping the first two games of this One Day International series, and staring down the barrel of a straight sets series loss, they have bounced back to win both the third and fourth matches, sending the series to the fifth match with it still alive.
Morgan added: “We had chances in the field, that’s the most disappointing thing”.
“I think we’ve got a good chance”.
The tourists now head to Cape Town with the series level at 2-2, despite having won the first two matches, but former left-hander Thorpe does not believe the hosts’ momentum will necessarily be decisive.
It was the only half-century of a patchy South Africa chase, transformed in a ninth-wicket stand of 52 with Kyle Abbott.
“The opportunities would have been executed if we had more experience in the side, but we’re growing and learning”. His first over had cost him just two.
With the series on the line, South Africa took wickets regularly, including two in two balls by Kagiso Rabada that removed danger men Stokes and then Jos Buttler for a first-ball duck.
“It’s an integral part of being a captain, you’ve got to lead from the front, you can’t just chip in with small performances”.
Hales and Root put on 61 for the second wicket their fifth successive partnership of 50 or more before Root was trapped leg before wicket by leg spinner Imran Tahir.
Praising his side’s tremendous comeback, the 31-year-old batsman described the series win a special moment for the entire team, Sport24 reported. Morgan made just 64 runs from five innings during the series, which is a poor return for the captain.
But it could have been a different story for South Africa had Morris not been dropped by Rashid when he was on 14. It didn’t take long for South Africa to take the final wicket as Stuart Broad going for a big shot off Tahir held out to De Villers for 13.
South Africa had been in early trouble when Reece Topley (3-41) tore through their top-order with the wickets of Quinton de Kock (4), Faf du Plessis (0) and Rilee Rossouw (4).
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Hales ended the five-match ODI series as the leading run scorer with 383 runs at an average of 76,60 which included four fifties and one century while Root ended second on 351 runs at 70,20.
