South Africa vs England Tests 2012: SA Win 2-0 — Amla 311* at The Oval (First SA Triple Century), SA Become World No. 1, Philander 5/30 at Lord's, KP Texting Scandal
South Africa won the three-match Test series against England in July-August 2012 by 2-0 (1 draw), simultaneously replacing England as the world's No. 1 ranked Test team. Hashim Amla was Player of the Series with 482 runs. 1st Test The Oval: SA won by innings and 12 runs (SA 637/2d: Amla 311* — first triple century by a South African in Tests, Smith 131, Kallis 182*; England 385 & 240). 2nd Test Headingley: Draw (England 425: Pietersen 149; SA 419: Petersen 182). Kevin Pietersen was then dropped for the 3rd Test after texts to SA players during the Headingley Test containing alleged derogatory remarks about England captain Andrew Strauss were discovered. 3rd Test Lord's: SA won by 51 runs (SA 309 & 351 (Kallis 131); England 315 & 294; Philander 5/30 in England's 2nd innings; PoM Philander — SA became No. 1 ranked Test team). Steyn led SA with 15 series wickets. Graeme Smith captained SA; Andrew Strauss captained England and retired shortly after.
South Africa won the three-match Test series against England in July-August 2012 by 2-0, with the 2nd Test drawn, simultaneously replacing England as the world's No. 1 ranked Test team. 1st Test The Oval (Jul 19-23): SA won by innings and 12 runs — England 385 & 240; SA 637/2d. Hashim Amla scored 311* — the first triple century by a South African in Test cricket. Graeme Smith scored 131, Jacques Kallis 182*; Smith and Amla shared a 259-run 2nd-wicket partnership, then Amla and Kallis an unbroken 377-run 3rd-wicket stand. Amla won Player of the Match. 2nd Test Headingley (Aug 2-6): Draw — England 425 & 130/4; SA 419 & 258/9d. Kevin Pietersen scored 149 for England; Alviro Petersen scored 182 for SA. During this Test, Pietersen sent messages to SA players alleged to contain derogatory remarks about England captain Andrew Strauss. He was dropped from the 3rd Test squad after the ECB discovered the messages. 3rd Test Lord's (Aug 16-20): SA won by 51 runs — SA 309 & 351 (Kallis 131); England 315 & 294 (needed 346 to win). Vernon Philander took 5/30 in England's 2nd innings and won Player of the Match. With England's defeat by 51 runs, South Africa clinched the series 2-0 and simultaneously replaced England at the top of the ICC Test rankings. Player of the Series: Hashim Amla — 482 series runs. Dale Steyn led SA with 15 series wickets. Stuart Broad led England with 11. Graeme Smith captained SA; Andrew Strauss captained England and retired from all cricket shortly after the series.
Amla 311* at The Oval: The First South African Test Triple Century
Hashim Amla's 311 not out at The Oval was one of the great individual Test innings — both for its statistical magnitude (the first triple century ever scored by a South African in Test cricket) and for the manner in which it was constructed. Amla batted for over 13 hours across 529 balls, hitting 35 fours, and scoring at a strike rate suited to the longest-form grind of building an impregnable total. He first partnered Graeme Smith in a 259-run 2nd-wicket partnership (Smith 131), then remained unbeaten with Jacques Kallis (182*) in an unbroken 377-run 3rd-wicket stand. SA's declaration at 637/2 gave them a first-innings lead of 252 over England's 385. England, dismissed for 240 in their 2nd innings, lost by an innings and 12 runs as SA's seamers — led by Steyn and Philander — took care of the follow-up. It was Amla's highest Test score and remained the highest by any South African until surpassed later in his career.
SA Become World No. 1: Philander 5/30 Seals Lord's
South Africa's 51-run win at Lord's in the 3rd Test, clinching the 2-0 series result and the No. 1 ICC Test ranking, was built around Vernon Philander's 5/30 in England's 2nd innings. England, needing 346 to win, reached 294 before Philander's incisive spell dismantled their chase. Jacques Kallis had provided the batting platform with 131 in SA's 2nd innings of 351, giving them a lead England could never overhaul. SA entering the series ranked No. 2 behind England — the reigning world No. 1 who had beaten Australia, India, and Pakistan in recent years — made the result one of Test cricket's definitive ranking shifts. SA would hold the No. 1 position for an extended period in the years that followed. Player of the Match Philander's 5/30 confirmed his reputation as the most effective new-ball seamer in world cricket at that time.
Petersen 182, Steyn 15 Wickets: SA's Depth Beyond Amla
While Amla's 311* dominated headlines, South Africa's 2-0 series win reflected broader depth. Alviro Petersen's 182 at Headingley — scored under pressure as the only SA batsman to fail at The Oval — was a match-defining contribution in a drawn Test that maintained SA's series lead. Kallis contributed 182* at The Oval and 131 at Lord's, his consistency across the series adding veteran backbone to the batting order. Dale Steyn's 15 series wickets — the most by any bowler on either side — were the bowling foundation beneath Amla's batting brilliance and Philander's Lord's match-winner. Stuart Broad's 11 wickets led an England attack that competed without ever finding the decisive bowling spell to prevent SA's march to the top of the rankings.
Frequently asked questions
Who won the England vs South Africa Test series in 2012?
South Africa won 2-0 (1 draw). SA won the 1st Test at The Oval by innings and 12 runs (Amla 311*) and the 3rd Test at Lord's by 51 runs (Philander 5/30). The 2nd Test at Headingley was drawn (KP 149, Petersen 182). By winning the series South Africa became the world's No. 1 ranked Test team, replacing England. Hashim Amla won Player of the Series with 482 runs.
What was significant about Hashim Amla's 311* at The Oval in 2012?
Amla's 311 not out was the first triple century ever scored by a South African in Test cricket. He batted for over 13 hours across 529 balls, sharing a 259-run stand with Graeme Smith (131) and an unbroken 377-run partnership with Jacques Kallis (182*). SA declared at 637/2 and won by innings and 12 runs.