LORD OF STINGS

Brook's boys beaten and slip to series defeat

- by NEIL SQUIRES

ENGLAND recovered from their drubbing at Headingley but still crashed to back-to-back defeats against South Africa.

The victory for the tourists at Lord’s saw them clinch the Metro Bank ODI series with a game to spare.

It was an improved performance - with the bat at least for England - after the dismal effort in Leeds, but what would have been a record run chase in a Lord's ODI - 331 - ultimately proved to be just beyond them.

Harry Brook’s men fell five runs short despite half-centuries from Joe Root, Jacob Bethell and Jos Buttler.