Arguably the side's performance in England was even better, since the hosts were recognised at the time as the strongest team in Test cricket, having beaten Australia both home and away and drawn with West Indies away during the previous two years.
Jack Cheetham's team were one of the outstanding fielding sides in the history of cricket and remained the benchmark for fieldsmen for decades.
In the first One Day International in 1970-71 Richard Whitington wrote "out-fieldsmen were hurling themselves about along the fence in a manner I had not seen for years in desperate endeavour to save fours and reduce runs.
[1] Frank Tyson added in the 1974–75 Ashes series "Never have I seen a better fielding display in a Test match since Jack Cheetham's 1955 Springboks.
England won the toss and batted, but Heine, on his Test debut, made the ball lift awkwardly and took five wickets for 60 runs.
Brian Statham removed both openers before the end of the third day, and a ball bowled by Fred Trueman hit Cheetham on the elbow and chipped a bone, so he retired hurt.
On the Monday, aided by a two-hour break for bad light, Statham bowled throughout the innings, taking the first seven wickets to fall and finishing with seven for 39.
[4] With Cheetham injured McGlew assumed the captaincy and effected England's first defeat at Old Trafford since 1902, this achieved with three minutes to spare.
Another lively pitch brought a decent scoring rate and several injuries: Godfrey Evans broke a finger and Graveney kept wicket in South Africa's second innings.
England's new opening pair of Trevor Bailey and Frank Lowson failed, and only May with 47 and Compton (61) made runs against an attack depleted by injury to Adcock.
[6] Prior to the start of the game there was a lengthy South African Selection Committee debate as to who should captain the team, Cheetham opting for McGlew following his victories in the Third and Fourth encounters, McGlew disagreeing and so it was that Cheetham led the side out onto the Oval that Saturday in humid conditions, conditions which initially assisted the South African seam bowlers Heine and Fuller, however they bowled too long, the Englishmen masterful in reaping the error.
Goddard's left-arm bowling brought him five wickets for 31, but when South Africa batted, it was the spin bowlers Tony Lock and Jim Laker who caused most damage, and only McGlew (30) and Waite (28) resisted for long.
South Africa needed 244 to win, and the match was effectively lost in the course of three overs from Lock and Laker in which the opening partnership between McGlew and Goddard was broken, and then the next three batsmen, Keith, Endean and McLean, failed to score.