The 22-year-old pacer Sonny Baker got hammered by South African batters, Aiden Markram in particular, as his debut for England turned to dust, defending a low total of 131. England were shot out for a modest total as South Africa handed them a heavy defeat in the series opener.
South Africa hammered England,ย
Worst figures by an England bowler on ODI debutย
0/76 – Sonny Baker (vs South Africa), Leeds 2025
2/70 – Liam Dawson (vs Pakistan), Cardiff, 2016
4/67 – David Lawrence (vs West Indies), Lord’s 1991
“It’s not probably the ideal start, having to defend 130,” Brook admitted at the post-match presentations, adding that England had “no excuses” after a batting display that “wasn’t good enough”.
“Everybody will get behind him,” Brook added. “That’s the nature of this group. We are such a tight-knit group. We’re all good mates. We spend a lot of time away from the game together as well.
“He’s had a tough day, but the way that he just kept on cracking on and digging deep, to keep on running in and try and get wickets there for us, even after getting a little bit of tap, was awesome to see. And that’s exactly what we asked of every bowler.”