England v South Africa, 2012

At Southampton, August 28 (day/night). South Africa won by 80 runs. Toss: South Africa.

Amla produced a masterclass of precision strokeplay to ensure South Africa became the first side to top the world rankings in all three formats simultaneously (they had overtaken England in the Twenty20 table in the same annual update that had benefited England in one-day internationals). He continued his superb Test form with a wonderfully crafted 150 from 124 balls.

England's display, however, was easily their worst at home during Cook's one-day captaincy; at one stage, it looked as if Pietersen, who was busy making 163 in 168 balls for Surrey in the Championship over at Taunton, might outscore his estranged team-mates all by himself. Yet again they missed a string of chances, including two for Kieswetter, when Amla was on 42 and 92. They had also declined to use the DRS when Patel's lbw appeal, when Amla had 37, was rejected; replays showed he would have been out. In only his 57th one-day innings, Amla comfortably overhauled Viv Richards as the fastest batsman to 3,000 runs, and then, on 142, surpassed Graeme Smith's record one-day score for South Africa against England.

Cook was yorked second ball by Tsotsobe, and England never recovered once Trott was brilliantly caught by Dean Elgar, diving backwards at fine leg. A bad night got even worse when the players returned to the dressing-room to be greeted with personal letters from Andrew Strauss, informing them he had resigned the Test captaincy. A spectator from Portsmouth, John Guinelly, was spoken to by police after racially insulting three children in the crowd. In January, he was found guilty by Southampton Magistrates' Court and ordered to pay each victim £500.

Man of the Match: H. M. Amla. Attendance: 14,722.