Rampant England on a roll

Samit Patel celebrates the departure of Mark Boucher, the first of his five wickets

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England’s inspired form under Kevin Pietersen shows no sign of abating as they wrapped up the NatWest Series in stunning fashion at the Brit Oval.

Set an imposing 297 to win the third match of the series, South Africa were hustled out for a paltry 170 with more than seven overs unused, slipping to a second comprehensive defeat in the space of four days.

A winning margin of 126 runs was equally as resounding as the 10-wicket hammering England dished out at Trent Bridge on Tuesday, and confirmed them as victors in the five-match series with two games to spare.

The win represented Pietersen’s fourth successive triumph in all forms of cricket since his appointment as captain and, if the new skipper is bound to put a foot wrong some time, there are no immediate signs of him doing so.

Ian Bell and Andrew Flintoff sparkled with the bat as England posted 296 for seven, before man-of-the-match Samit Patel followed up his useful contribution lower down the order with figures of 5-41 - only the fifth time an England spinner has taken five wickets in a one-day international.

Both Bell and Flintoff produced innings of the highest quality, the opener racing along at quicker than a run a ball for much of his 73 and Flintoff surviving a middle-order wobble before overseeing the hosts’ late assault on the way to 78 not out.

They were the central figures in the two most important partnerships of the England innings, Bell dominating a blistering opening stand of 101 with Matt Prior and Flintoff adding 74 for the sixth wicket with Patel, who made 31.

If Bell’s contribution was an exhibition of flowing strokeplay against the new ball, Flintoff batted with a responsibility that further justified his promotion to number five. He also showed no little courage after being struck a fearful blow on the helmet by Morne Morkel.

Openers Bell and Prior had picked up where they left off in Nottingham, when they hurried England to victory courtesy of an unbroken stand of 85.

Indeed, those spectators who did not arrive in time for the start of the game missed out on some of the cleanest striking seen on this or any other ground, with Bell nothing short of outstanding.

Andrew Flintoff pulls Morne Morkel over short fine-leg late in his measured innings of 78 not out

Just one run came off the first two overs, but from the moment Bell drove Dale Steyn on the up for four, he and Prior assumed almost complete control.

Prior swatted a Ntini free-hit back over the bowler’s head for six in a ragged fourth over costing 17, while Bell collected three leg-side boundaries off the wayward Steyn.

Ntini saw three consecutive deliveries driven through extra-cover, straight for six and cut behind point as Bell raced to a sensational half-century that featured a solitary single, and the run-rate was just shy of seven an over when Prior was hurried into a pull by Morne Morkel and taken by Herschelle Gibbs, diving forward at extra cover.

Having reached 50 off only 36 balls, Bell managed just 23 off the next 39, including one further boundary, before fatally playing back to off-spinner Botha moments after he had survived a run-out chance to AB de Villiers at backward point.

Owais Shah played two thumping pulls in his 23, only to be bowled via an inside edge as he came forward to Kallis, and the same bowler accounted for Pietersen, hit on the back leg aiming across the line.

Paul Collingwood offered a simple bat-pad chance to wicketkeeper Mark Boucher off Botha as South Africa celebrated a fourth wicket in 10 overs, and with England 182 for five and in danger of wasting their phenomenal start, one sensed a shift in the balance of power.

However, Patel - playing his first innings for his country - made light of a situation which may have overawed a less composed cricketer.

The Nottinghamshire all-rounder demonstrated commendable presence of mind, content to rotate the strike as he allowed Flintoff to do the bulk of the scoring early on.

Flintoff, who got off the mark with a crunching cover drive at the expense of Kallis, largely batted within himself during the early stages of their alliance, and took a few minutes to receive treatment and gather his thoughts after being hit attempting to pull Morne Morkel.

AB de Villiers is beaten by Steve Harmison's throw as South Africa crumble in their pursuit of 297

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He did, though, provide Ntini and Kallis with emphatic reminders of his power en route to a 56-ball fifty which included six fours.

Patel drove Ntini brutally through mid-off before he perished for 31, bowled off stump making room, yet Wright smashed 17 off 13 balls as he and Flintoff upped the tempo further.

Steyn was swung high into the midwicket stand by Flintoff, who also stepped across to the off side to paddle Morkel over short fine-leg before Wright pulled the penultimate ball of the innings to Gibbs at midwicket.

South Africa’s reply hit an early stumbling block, James Anderson inducing a false stroke from Gibbs to have him caught at short cover point.

Hashim Amla flourished briefly in making 46 off 59 balls, but his dismissal was the first of three wickets to fall for the addition of just 15 runs.

He was caught behind off the inside edge aiming a flat-footed drive at Steve Harmison, the out-of-sorts Kallis miscued a pull to midwicket, where Patel took a splendid catch over his shoulder, and de Villiers was well beaten by Harmison’s throw from deep backward square-leg as he chased a second run.

When JP Duminy and Boucher's 42-run stand for the fifth wicket was broken by Patel, who pegged back Boucher's leg stump as he made room to cut, the required run-rate was approaching an improbable nine an over.

If any doubts over the outcome remained while Albie Morkel drilled Patel for two sixes in three balls, they were dispelled by the left-arm spinner’s sharp return catch off the next delivery.

Duminy edged a drive at Flintoff moments later, and Patel administered the last rites as well as capping a remarkable performance by having Morne Morkel taken at long-on, Botha bowled via his boot and Ntini caught behind.