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No.11 secures Proteas a series-levelling win

Morris cameo steers Proteas to victory target, but Tahir is the man to finish the job with the bat

A swashbuckling half-century by Chris Morris has hauled South Africa back from the brink of defeat as they scraped past England by one wicket in Johannesburg to level the one-day series at 2-2 with one match to play.

Morris, coming in at No.8, bludgeoned his way to 62 from 38 balls to help South Africa reach their target of 263 with 16 deliveries to spare, after Joe Root had made his second successive century for the tourists.

The match appeared to be England's to lose when the Proteas slumped to 8-210 but Morris helped the home side hammer 29 runs from two consecutive overs to bring the victory target closer.

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Morris hammered four sixes and three fours in his crucial innings // Getty

Legspinner Adil Rashid eventually clean-bowled Morris with a googly with the scores level but No.11 Imran Tahir struck the next ball for four to the relief of a capacity crowd of 22,000.

However, it could have been a different story for South Africa had Morris not been dropped by Rashid when he was on 14.

Earlier, Root made 109 as England were bowled out for 262 in 47.5 overs.

The Yorkshireman, who struck an ODI-best 125 in a losing cause in Pretoria on Tuesday, saved Eoin Morgan's side after their middle order had crumbled.

Opener Alex Hales contributed 50 in a 69-run stand with Root before a collapse of 5-20 - including a stunning catch from Hashim Amla to remove Ben Stokes - saw the tourists slump to 6-108 in the 25th over.

But a 95-run partnership for the seventh wicket between Root and Chris Woakes (33) helped England, who won the Test series 2-1, post a defendable tally.

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Root posted his second consecutive century // Getty

Rashid also chipped in with a quick-fire 39 off 26 balls while paceman Kagiso Rabada took the last three wickets to finish with 4-45.

In reply, Amla was clean bowled for a duck by the recalled Stuart Broad in South Africa's first over and the home team looked in trouble when captain AB de Villiers was run out for 36 by the quick-thinking Chris Woakes.

South Africa were then left teetering on the brink before Morris came to their rescue.

The series-decider is in Cape Town on Sunday.