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England vs South Africa Live Commentary, 1st T20, South Africa in England, 3 T20I Series, 2017, June 21, 2017

SA 142/3 (20)
England beat South Africa by 9 wickets
ENG 143/1 (14.3)
Match over
South Africa Inning England Inning
0.0 : After a big tournament like the Champions Trophy comes to an end, the only remedy to satisfy a longing heart is some more cricketing action. And what better than two quality sides battling it out in the most explosive format of the game. Welcome, folks, as England and South Africa go at it at The Rose Bowl for the first of the 3-match T20I series.
Key players will be rested on both sides, so some fresh/young faces will feature in this series. With the hungry wanting to stake a claim in the XI, and the Englishmen and the Proteas having a disappointing outing in the Champions Trophy for different reasons, you can be sure we're in for some fierce contests.
TOSS - SOUTH AFRICA WIN THE TOSS AND OPT TO BAT. Mason Crane makes his international debut while David Miller will be playing his 50th T20I.
SOUTH AFRICA XI - JJ Smuts, Reeza Hendricks, AB de Villiers (c), David Miller, Farhaan Behardien, Mangaliso Mosehle (wk), Wayne Parnell, Dwaine Pretorius, Andile Phehlukwayo, Tabraiz Shamsi, Imran Tahir.
ENGLAND XI - Jason Roy, Alex Hales, Jonny Bairstow, Eoin Morgan (c), Jos Buttler (wk), Sam Billings, Liam Dawson, Mason Crane, David Willey, Chris Jordan, Mark Wood.
The players and the umpires have made their way out in the middle. JJ Smuts and Reeza Hendricks to open for South Africa. David Willey to start the proceedings with the new ball. He has a slip in place. It's bright and sunny out there, perfect conditions to play. Here we go...
0.1 : D Willey to JJ Smuts, OUT! Perfect start for England! David Willey the provider! He starts off with a superb delivery, bowls it full outside off. Gets it to swing back in. Smuts prods forward to push it on the off side but the inward movement does him. Catches an inside edge, onto the pads and then deflects onto the stumps. Smuts bags a golden duck.
AB de Villiers is the new man in.
0.2 : D Willey to de Villiers, Wide! Willey gets his line wrong this time, bowls it down the leg side and a wide is signaled.
D Willey to de Villiers, Straying on the pads once again, worked on the leg side for a single.
0.3 : D Willey to R Hendricks, Back of a length delivery around off, Reeza stands tall and punches it through extra cover. Jordan from mid off chases it down and sweeps it in before the fence. Saves a run for his team.
0.4 : D Willey to de Villiers, Half-volley on middle, de Villiers clips it with ease through mid-wicket. A man is present in the deep there and only a couple taken. Good field placement, this!
0.5 : D Willey to de Villiers, Full and swinging in, driven to mid on.
0.6 : D Willey to de Villiers, Full around off, de Villiers comes ahead a touch and pushes it to mid off.
Mark Wood to share the new ball. Two slips in place for him!
1.1 : M Wood to R Hendricks, OUT! Wood starts in similar fashion to Willey! Gets rid of the other Protea opener. He pitches it short around off, Hendricks looks to go after it. Fails to control his pull and finds Willey at mid-wicket, who jumps and takes a good, sharp catch. What a start this for the home side! They have sent both the openers back in the hut.
David Miller walks out to bat. It's his 50th T20I and his team is in need of experience out in the middle.
1.2 : M Wood to D Miller, Miller dabs it behind square on the off side and gets off the mark with a single.
1.3 : M Wood to de Villiers, FOUR! First boundary of the day! Back of a length delivery outside off, de Villiers hops a touch and punches it through cover-point for a boundary.
1.4 : M Wood to de Villiers, A touch ahead of length outside off, defended in the cover region.
1.5 : M Wood to de Villiers, Angling into the pads, tucked behind square leg for a brace.
1.6 : M Wood to de Villiers, FOUR! This will ease off the pressure! Slightly shorter in length outside off, de Villiers clears his front leg and slaps it wide of mid off to collect his second boundary. Good comeback from the Proteas in the over.
2.1 : D Willey to D Miller, SIX! Just a short-arm jab! Length delivery outside off, Miller steps down the track and lofts it over mid off. The timing is so good on it that the ball sails over the fence for a maximum. 16 runs from the last 5 deliveries.
2.2 : D Willey to D Miller, The batsman defends it from within the crease.
2.3 : D Willey to D Miller, Miller shimmies a touch and flicks it in front of square on the leg side for a single.
2.4 : D Willey to de Villiers, Full inswinger outside off, pushed off the front foot to mid off.
Third man comes inside the circle, mid on drops back.
2.5 : D Willey to de Villiers, The batsman has driven it through mid on. One run added to the total.
2.6 : D Willey to D Miller, Pitched outside off, defended to covers.
Chris Jordan is the first change.
3.1 : C Jordan to de Villiers, On a length outside off, glided past slip, down to third man for a single.
3.2 : C Jordan to D Miller, Short delivery, angling away, Miller hops and dabs it beside the track for a run.
3.3 : C Jordan to de Villiers, De Villiers makes room, looks to slam the length delivery but mistimes it back to the bowler.
3.4 : C Jordan to de Villiers, Back of a length delivery, angling in, de Villiers looks to work it across the line but is late in bringing his bat down. Gets rapped on the thigh pad and then the ball lobs off the gloves on the pitch.
3.5 : C Jordan to de Villiers, Beaten! Slower does AB! He makes room and tries to go hard at it but gets beaten by the slower one.
3.6 : C Jordan to de Villiers, FOUR! Finally de Villiers connects! Full outside off, AB with a forward stride lofts it over mid off. The ball goes on the bounce across the ropes.
Mark Wood will have a change of ends.
4.1 : M Wood to D Miller, OUT! Miller departs! Good length delivery around off, nips in a touch. Miller hops, looking to play but is undone by the movement off the seam. Gets a faint bottom edge and Buttler takes a good, low catch to complete the proceedings. Mark Wood is continuing his good work from the Champions Trophy. South Africa in trouble now.
0.0 : Farhaan Behardien is the new man in.
4.2 : M Wood to F Behardien, Absolute jaffa! Banged in short outside off, takes Behardien by surprise. However, he does well to fend it away.
4.3 : M Wood to F Behardien, Back of a length delivery, angling in, Farhaan looks to play it across the line but misses and gets hit on the thigh pad.
4.4 : M Wood to F Behardien, Short and angling in, FB mistimes his pull to deep square leg for a single.
4.5 : M Wood to de Villiers, Pitched outside off, driven to mid off.
4.6 : M Wood to de Villiers, Banged in short, AB ducks to evade it.
5.1 : C Jordan to F Behardien, FOUR! That will boost his confidence. Short outside off, Behardien glides it past first slip. Beats the third man fielder as well for his first boundary.
5.2 : C Jordan to F Behardien, Angling into the batsman, played through mid-wicket for a single.
5.3 : C Jordan to de Villiers, Short delivery around off, pulled in front of square on the leg side for a single.
5.4 : C Jordan to F Behardien, Wide outside off, cut through backward point for a brace.
5.5 : C Jordan to F Behardien, Slower one outside off, pushed on the off side. Dawson, comes across from extra cover but misfields and the batsmen run through for a single. Billings from mid off hurls a wild throw at the keeper's end but is lucky that the short fine leg fielder does a good back-up work.
5.6 : C Jordan to de Villiers, Angling into the batsman, worked to deep square leg for a single. End of a good Powerplay for England!
Liam Dawson replaces Wood.
6.1 : L Dawson to de Villiers, De Villiers makes room and drives it to short cover.
6.2 : L Dawson to de Villiers, Full around off, eased down to long off for a single.
6.3 : L Dawson to F Behardien, Sliding into the batsman, defended on the leg side.
6.4 : L Dawson to F Behardien, Full and sliding in, driven to long on for a single.
6.5 : L Dawson to de Villiers, Served on the shorter side, AB makes room and cuts it through cover-point for a single.
6.6 : L Dawson to F Behardien, Farhaan dances down the track and pushes down the track on the off side for a single.
The debutant Mason Crane comes on to bowl.
7.1 : M Crane to F Behardien, Big shout for lbw! Turned down, however. The leggie starts off with a leg-spinner around leg, Farhaan fails to pick it up, clears his front leg and looks to punch it on the leg side but is beaten. Gets rapped on the pads and players start appealing but it's turned down. Height might be the reason.
7.2 : M Crane to F Behardien, Googly around off, Farhaan makes room and works it to short third man.
7.3 : M Crane to F Behardien, FOUR! Edgy! Leg spinner on the shorter side, Farhaan backs away, looks to punch it on the off side but gets a thick outside edge. The ball races past short third man and away to the fence for a boundary.
7.4 : M Crane to F Behardien, The batsman has flicked the ball off his pads. One run added to the total.
7.5 : M Crane to de Villiers, Tossed up outside off, pushed through covers for a single.
7.6 : M Crane to F Behardien, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat.
8.1 : L Dawson to de Villiers, Full outside off, eased down to long off for a single.
8.2 : L Dawson to F Behardien, Arm ball, punched back to the bowler.
8.3 : L Dawson to F Behardien, Shortish delivery outside off, cut through cover-point for a single.
8.4 : L Dawson to de Villiers, Just short! Full outside off, de Villiers drives it uppishly but is luck that the ball falls just short of Roy at covers.
8.5 : L Dawson to de Villiers, Once again it falls short! De Villiers backs away and punches it straight down. It's played uppishly again but once again to his luck it falls just before Dawson.
8.6 : L Dawson to de Villiers, Beaten! Served around off, spins away with extra bounce. De Villiers looks to punch it off the back foot but gets beaten by the bounce.
9.1 : M Crane to F Behardien, 1 run.
9.2 : M Crane to de Villiers, Tossed up outside off, driven through covers for a single.
9.3 : M Crane to F Behardien, Googly, flicked through mid-wicket for a brace.
9.4 : M Crane to F Behardien, Full outside off, milked down to long off for a single.
9.5 : M Crane to de Villiers, Wrong one, punched hard to long on for a single.
9.6 : M Crane to F Behardien, Shortish delivery outside off, cut to deep point for a single.
10.1 : L Dawson to F Behardien, Darted full on middle and leg, Behardien walks down the track, clips it down to short fine leg and sets off. Dangerous run as it's straight to the fielder. He has a shy at the striker's end but it just misses. AB would have been gone had that hit, real close call.
10.2 : L Dawson to de Villiers, Full and outside off, driven through the big gap in the covers for a couple of runs.
10.3 : L Dawson to de Villiers, Quicker through the air on off, de Villiers lunges forward in defense.
10.4 : L Dawson to de Villiers, Shortens the length on this occasion, pulls it along the ground to deep mid-wicket for one.
10.5 : L Dawson to F Behardien, Wrists this through the mid-wicket area and crosses over.
10.6 : L Dawson to de Villiers, Loopy full toss on the stumps, driven down to long on for an easy single. He'll retain strike with that.
11.1 : M Crane to de Villiers, Full and served in the line of the stumps, driven to covers.
11.2 : M Crane to de Villiers, Tossed up nicely around off, AB jams it down through mid on for a single.
11.3 : M Crane to F Behardien, Loopy on middle, Behardien drives it to long off for a single.
11.4 : M Crane to de Villiers, Googly on the shorter side, de Villiers clears his front leg and hits it in the cow corner for a brace.
11.5 : M Crane to de Villiers, Another googly, flicked through wide mid on for a single.
11.6 : M Crane to F Behardien, Slider, angling down leg. Behardien backs away, looks to play across the line but misses and is rapped on the pads. There's an appeal from the English players but it's rightly turned down as it was going down the leg side.
12.1 : L Dawson to de Villiers, Served shorter outside off, spinning away, AB cuts it through point and picks up a couple.
12.2 : L Dawson to de Villiers, Full on off, driven in the cover region. Roy inside the circle makes a good, diving stop. No run taken.
12.3 : L Dawson to de Villiers, De Villiers makes room for himself, Dawson cleverly follows him. The Protea skipper goes for the slog sweep but gets it off the inside edge to deep backward square leg for a single.
12.4 : L Dawson to F Behardien, Behardien dances down the track, looks to go big downtown but gets it off the inner half towards deep mid-wicket for a run.
12.5 : L Dawson to de Villiers, Once again de Villiers makes room and slaps it to sweeper cover for a single.
12.6 : L Dawson to F Behardien, Straighter one, punched to Roy at cover. Dawson finishes with 4-0-17-0!
13.1 : M Crane to de Villiers, Lopped up nicely outside off, driven straight to extra cover.
13.2 : M Crane to de Villiers, In the air... but falls safe! Leg spinner on the shorter side. De Villiers clears his front leg and looks to pull it over mid-wicket, gets a top edge and the ball balloons high in the mid off region. Roy at extra cover, tries catching it by running towards the ball but fails to get to it. A single is taken and that is a reprieve for AB.
13.3 : M Crane to F Behardien, Tossed up outside off, played to extra cover.
13.4 : M Crane to F Behardien, Punched through covers for a single.
13.5 : M Crane to de Villiers, Crane bowls it in the blockhole, de Villiers only manages to dig it out back to the bowler.
13.6 : M Crane to de Villiers, FOUR! Full toss and put away! Finally de Villiers gets one away. Pulls the high full toss in the cow corner. Bisects the deep mid-wicket and the long on fielder for a boundary.
David Willey is back into the attack.
14.1 : D Willey to F Behardien, Just back of a length on middle and off, shaping back in a shade, Behardien tucks it square on the leg side and takes two runs quickly. Good running.
14.2 : D Willey to F Behardien, Length delivery going across, Behardien makes room and punches it straight to mid off.
14.3 : D Willey to F Behardien, FOUR! Poor positioning from the debutant Crane. Willey bangs this in short as Behardien pulls it over square leg. It's flying to Crane out in the deep, who has walked in a few paces. He then has to pedal back and as a result, he loses the ball. It brushes off his fingertips and falls just inside the rope, before it goes across it.
14.4 : D Willey to F Behardien, Going for the big one, Farhaan skips down the track and swings his bat, only to get an inside edge behind to the keeper. It falls just short of him and lobs off him on the leg side. Single taken.
14.5 : D Willey to de Villiers, Full and angling down, de Villiers makes room and flicks it through mid-wicket for a single.
14.6 : D Willey to F Behardien, The batsman has played it towards mid-wicket. They pick up a single.
Mark Wood comes back on.
15.1 : M Wood to F Behardien, Good length delivery on off, angling in, it's played back down the track to the left of the bowler.
15.2 : M Wood to F Behardien, Short ball angling back in, pulled away to deep mid-wicket for a run.
15.3 : M Wood to de Villiers, Comes from wide of the crease and angles in a low full toss just outside off, AB moves across and drives it down to long on for a single.
15.4 : M Wood to F Behardien, Short of a good length on middle and leg, tad slower in pace which is probably what makes Farhaan miss his ramp shot.
15.5 : M Wood to F Behardien, SIX! HE'S NAILED THAT! Wood pounds it in short and Behardien picks up the length really early. He rocks backs, swivels and pulls it with all his might over backward square leg for a biggie.
15.6 : M Wood to F Behardien, Coming back in on a length, Behardien makes room and cracks it through the covers to retain strike.
16.1 : D Willey to F Behardien, Moving away from around off, plays away from his body as he punches it to covers for a quick one.
16.2 : D Willey to de Villiers, Back of a length delivery on middle and leg, de Villiers tries to clobber it over long on but isn't in control of this shot at all. His bottom hand comes off as he plays it aerially in the same region. Just a single.
16.3 : D Willey to F Behardien, OUCH! Can't even imagine how much that must have stung. Real ripper from Willey, on a back of a length and it's zipping through. Behardien looks to pull it away but is hit on the abdomen after getting an inside edge on it. He's instantly down on the ground.
16.4 : D Willey to F Behardien, On the shorter side of things, pulled over square leg this time. It's in the air for quite a while as Crane out in the deep runs in. Doesn't judge it well and eventually, the ball falls short of him. One run taken.
16.5 : D Willey to de Villiers, SIX! There it is! That's an AB de Villiers special. He's premeditated this, walks across to this fuller ball and scoops it over short fine leg. Hit that so well that it travels all the way for a maximum.
10th T20I fifty for AB de Villiers!
16.6 : D Willey to de Villiers, Back of a length, AB clears his front leg and muscles it down to long on for a single.
Chris Jordan to bowl his last spell.
17.1 : C Jordan to de Villiers, That's an excellent delivery. Good start to the over from Jordan. Seeing AB back away, he fires it full and wide outside off, the stand-in Protea skipper can't do much about it.
17.2 : C Jordan to de Villiers, Seaming in on the hips, tucked through backward square leg for one run.
17.3 : C Jordan to F Behardien, Very full just around off, drilled a bit square towards cover-point for a run.
17.4 : C Jordan to de Villiers, Almost a yorker, angling back in on middle and leg, de Villiers does well to get his front leg out of the way and whip it to long on for a single.
17.5 : C Jordan to F Behardien, High full toss on off, Farhaan misses out on the freebie. Miscues it in front of the extra cover fielder, who's right at the edge of the circle.
17.6 : C Jordan to F Behardien, This full ball is driven to long off for an easy single.
Mark Wood to bowl the penultimate over.
18.1 : M Wood to F Behardien, Shortish delivery outside off, Behardien backs away and cuts it through point. Billings out at sweeper cover runs to his left and puts in a dive to keep it from the rope. Great effort, he had to cover a lot of ground. Keeps the batsmen to just two.
18.2 : M Wood to F Behardien, FOUR! Fifty for Farhaan! He's been very good since he's walked out to bat. Good way to bring up the milestone as well. He pulls it away with power to send it across the mid-wicket fence for a boundary.
Maiden T20I fifty for Farhaan Behardien!
18.3 : M Wood to F Behardien, SIX! Stand and deliver stuff from Farhaan Behardien! That's a shot from a man possessing tremendous confidence. He walks down the track and with a perfectly straight bat lofts it back down the ground for a maximum. As elegant as you'd like. Super shot.
18.4 : M Wood to F Behardien, Short this time, Behardien pulls it over mid-wicket. Deep square leg comes running in to his left to try and take it but it falls well short of him. A couple of runs are taken.
18.5 : M Wood to F Behardien, The batsman has played it towards mid-wicket. One run added to the total.
18.6 : M Wood to de Villiers, Short again, de Villiers looks to play the uppercut but is undone by the pace on it.
19.1 : C Jordan to F Behardien, Low full toss and it's driven through the covers for a run.
100-run stand up between AB de Villiers and Farhaan Behardien.
19.2 : C Jordan to de Villiers, SIX! When he's on song, there's nobody better. A scintillating shot from the superb player. Walks across to this and takes it on the full. Gets low and slog sweeps it over backward square leg for half a dozen.
19.3 : C Jordan to de Villiers, Fuller and attacking the stumps, driven back down the track for nothing.
19.4 : C Jordan to de Villiers, Very full from Jordan, AB de Villiers miscues his lofted shot to the left of wide long on. It's hit quite straight which allows the batsmen to come back for the second.
19.5 : C Jordan to de Villiers, Drags his length back and hits the deck hard, de Villiers makes room and lofts it over cover-point. Can't beat the sweeper though so only a single.
19.6 : C Jordan to F Behardien, Fuller length ball outside off, Behardien drives it through the covers and takes a single. SOUTH AFRICA FINISH ON 142/3!
An unbeaten 110-run stand for the 4th wicket has helped the Proteas post a fighting total. The English pacers started off in a dream fashion. Both the new ball bowlers, David Willey and Mark Wood, took wickets off their first deliveries. David Miller also fell soon to Wood. The spin duo of Liam Dawson and Mason Crane then kept things tight for the home side.
AB de Villiers was still out there and he found an able partner in Farhaan Behardien. Both the batsmen were slow to take off but after surviving some scares, went berserk towards the end. They scored 58 runs in the last 6 overs and helped the team get past the 140-run mark. The total still seems below par but the pitch is turning and the visitors have two wrist spinners in their ranks. Join us for the chase soon, which looks to be an interesting one.
0.0 : We are back for the chase. Jason Roy and Alex Hales will open for England with JJ Smuts, surprisingly, taking the first new ball for South Africa. No slips in place for him. Here we go...
0.1 : JJ Smuts to J Roy, Sliding into the batsman, who prods forward to defend but gets beaten and is rapped on the pads. There's a muted appeal but it's turned down as it is going down the leg side. Positive start this for SA!
0.2 : JJ Smuts to J Roy, Roy uses his feet, dances down and works it to deep mid-wicket. Gets off the mark with a single.
0.3 : JJ Smuts to A Hales, Hales stays leg sidish of the ball and drives off the inner half to long on for a single.
0.4 : JJ Smuts to J Roy, Flatter delivery outside off, punched to extra cover.
0.5 : JJ Smuts to J Roy, Short delivery, sliding in, tucked in front of square on the leg side for a single.
0.6 : JJ Smuts to A Hales, Once again Hales stays leg sidish of the ball and drives it through mid on for a single.
Wayne Parnell to bowl from the other end. A slip in place for him.
1.1 : W Parnell to A Hales, Wide! Parnell off to a false start. Fails to get his line right and bowls it short down the leg side. Hales ducks under it and gets a wide.
W Parnell to A Hales, FOUR! Pulled away! Short and angling away, Hales pulls it over mid-wicket off the front foot with authority. Beats the man in the deep there and gets a boundary.
1.2 : W Parnell to A Hales, Full around leg, pushed to mid on.
1.3 : W Parnell to A Hales, Hales stays leg sidish again and drives the fuller delivery to mid off.
1.4 : W Parnell to A Hales, Hales shimmies in his crease, trying to get Parnell off his line and length. The left-armer is up for the task and bowls a back of a length delivery, slanting away. Alex can only manage to glide it to short third man.
1.5 : W Parnell to A Hales, Hales shimmies again and squeezes the slower one through point for a brace.
1.6 : W Parnell to A Hales, Leg bye! Straying on the pads, Alex fails to flick it away and the ball deflects off the pads on the leg side. A leg bye is taken.
2.1 : JJ Smuts to A Hales, Sliding into the pads, flicked to deep mid-wicket for a single.
2.2 : JJ Smuts to J Roy, SIX! What a shot! Incredible! Smuts darts it in, Roy kneels down and slog sweeps it over backward square leg for a huge biggie. This will boost his confidence.
2.3 : JJ Smuts to J Roy, Almost gives his wicket away the next ball. Makes room and goes hard at the ball but mistimes it back to the bowler.
2.4 : JJ Smuts to J Roy, Angling into the batsman, worked on the leg side for a single.
2.5 : JJ Smuts to A Hales, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat.
2.6 : JJ Smuts to A Hales, Clears the infield by just! Full outside off, Hales clears his front leg and looks to tonk it on the off side but ends up slicing it over extra cover for a brace.
3.1 : W Parnell to J Roy, Four leg byes! Back of a length delivery around leg. Roy looks to pull it down the leg side but misses. The ball brushes the thigh pad and runs fine past the keeper and to the fine leg fence.
3.2 : W Parnell to J Roy, SIX! Boom! This is a different Roy which we are seeing. He steps down the track and hoists the length ball over long on for a maximum.
3.3 : W Parnell to J Roy, FOUR! Gets lucky slightly. Parnell bowls a good bumper, Roy is taken by surprise a touch. Looks to hook it away but gets a top edge and the ball runs over the keeper's head and to the fence behind.
3.4 : W Parnell to J Roy, FOUR! Another one goes to the fence! What a start this from Roy! Length delivery on leg, flicked past the diving mid on fielder for a boundary.
3.5 : W Parnell to J Roy, FOUR! Hat-trick of boundaries! He is taking Parnell to all parts of the ground. Back of a length delivery, slanting away, punched through cover-point for a boundary. Where was this Roy in recent times?
3.6 : W Parnell to J Roy, The batsman has flicked the ball off his pads. One run added to the total. 23 runs from the over!
Andile Phehlukwayo comes into the bowling attack.
4.1 : A Phehlukwayo to J Roy, OUT! Phehlukwayo strikes with his first ball! Dangerous Roy departs. And only he is to be blame for that. After playing some good orthodox cricketing shots in the previous over for runs, he looks to reverse sweep the length delivery. Misses and is rapped on the pads. The players appeal and the umpire raises his dreaded finger. The English opener will be livid with himself after seeing this and his skipper would be even more frustrated.
0.0 : Jonny Bairstow walks into the middle next.
4.2 : A Phehlukwayo to J Bairstow, Length delivery outside off, defended on the off side.
4.3 : A Phehlukwayo to J Bairstow, FOUR! Well-placed! Slightly back of a length outside off, Bairstow cuts it past backward point. Beats third man and gets off the mark with a boundary.
4.4 : A Phehlukwayo to J Bairstow, Short delivery, angling in, pulled to deep backward square leg for a single. 50 up for England!
4.5 : A Phehlukwayo to A Hales, Length delivery, nips back in, tucked on the leg side for a single.
4.6 : A Phehlukwayo to J Bairstow, Banged in short outside off, JB leaves it alone.
Imran Tahir into the attack.
5.1 : I Tahir to A Hales, Hales has missed out on a freebie! Tahir bowls a full toss, Hales goes hard at it but gets an outside edge to short third man.
5.2 : I Tahir to A Hales, SIX! This time he connects! Full in the line of the stumps, Hales kneels down and slog sweeps it over the cow corner for a maximum. He is ticking along nicely.
5.3 : I Tahir to A Hales, Hales makes room and punches it to extra cover.
5.4 : I Tahir to A Hales, Served in the line of the stumps, driven to long on for a single.
5.5 : I Tahir to J Bairstow, Full outside off, eased down to long off for a single.
5.6 : I Tahir to A Hales, Hales is early in his push and almost lobs it back to the bowler. Luckily, the ball falls just short of Tahir. England once again has a superb Powerplay.
Tabraiz Shamsi is introduced. Can he scalp a wicket here?
6.1 : T Shamsi to J Bairstow, Served on middle, straightening a touch, worked through wide mid on for a couple.
6.2 : T Shamsi to J Bairstow, Sliding away from Bairstow, punched through point for a single.
6.3 : T Shamsi to A Hales, Served outside leg, Hales prods forward and turns it behind square leg for a single.
6.4 : T Shamsi to J Bairstow, Short delivery, Bairstow latches onto it in a flash and pulls it hard through square leg. There's protection out there and so only a single is taken.
6.5 : T Shamsi to A Hales, Wrong one from Shamsi, Hales looks to play it on the off side but misses.
6.6 : T Shamsi to A Hales, Quicker delivery on middle and leg, punched down the track. The bowler does well to stop it, diving to his right.
7.1 : I Tahir to J Bairstow, Tossed up on middle, Bairstow sweeps it on the full through backward square leg for a couple.
7.2 : I Tahir to J Bairstow, Tahir fires it in, defended to mid-wicket.
7.3 : I Tahir to J Bairstow, SIX! Over the ropes! Full around middle and leg, Bairstow clears his front leg and clobbers it over mid-wicket for a maximum. The English batters are not letting any bowler to settle in.
7.4 : I Tahir to J Bairstow, Sensible stuff! Googly outside off, pushed through extra cover for a brace.
7.5 : I Tahir to J Bairstow, Bairstow eases it down to long for a single.
7.6 : I Tahir to A Hales, Sliding into the batsman, Hales punches it past the bowler to long on for a run.
8.1 : T Shamsi to A Hales, Shout for lbw, turned down! Served outside leg, spinning down leg as well. Hales looks to play across the line but misses and gets rapped on the pads. Shamsi and co appeal but it's turned down for the obvious reasons.
8.2 : T Shamsi to A Hales, Pitched outside leg again. Once again Hales fails to put it away and gets rapped on the middle of the front pad.
8.3 : T Shamsi to A Hales, Shamsi goes wide outside off this time and Hales punches it through covers with ease. A single taken.
8.4 : T Shamsi to J Bairstow, SIX! Downtown! Served full around off, Bairstow clears his front leg and lofts it straight down the ground over long off for a maximum. They are cruising through this chase.
8.5 : T Shamsi to J Bairstow, Around leg, driven through mid on for a single.
8.6 : T Shamsi to A Hales, Hales whips it through mid-wicket for a single to retain the strike.
9.1 : D Pretorius to A Hales, Length delivery, angling in, tucked behind square on the leg side. Till the time the fielder in the deep cuts it off, the batsmen pick up three.
9.2 : D Pretorius to J Bairstow, Wide! Down the leg side, Bairstow misses his flick and a wide is signalled.
D Pretorius to J Bairstow, On a length again, angling in, flicked to mid-wicket for a run.
9.3 : D Pretorius to A Hales, Played to mid-wicket region by the batsman. The batsmen have run through for a single.
9.4 : D Pretorius to J Bairstow, Back of a length delivery outside off, dabbed behind stumps on the off side for a quick single.
9.5 : D Pretorius to A Hales, FOUR! Slower one on the shorter side, outside off. Hales picks that up and looks to cut it hard. Ends up slicing it over the gap between backward point and short third man. The ball races to the fence for another boundary. 50-run stand is also up between Hales and Bairstow!
9.6 : D Pretorius to A Hales, Back of a length delivery, angling in, Hales clears his front leg and pulls it through mid-wicket for a run.
JJ Smuts returns to the attack.
10.1 : JJ Smuts to A Hales, Sliding down leg, Hales goes deep inside his crease to work it across the line but it goes off his pads through the vacant slip position for a leg bye.
10.2 : JJ Smuts to J Bairstow, Full and straight on the stumps, Bairstow prods forward and blocks.
10.3 : JJ Smuts to J Bairstow, FOUR! That's a beautiful shot from Jonny Bairstow. He gets into position early and reverse sweeps this tossed delivery through backward point. Phehlukwayo out in the deep runs to his left and dives, but goes over the ball and lets the ball through. Boundary.
10.4 : JJ Smuts to J Bairstow, Just eases this to long off and gets off strike.
10.5 : JJ Smuts to A Hales, Full on the stumps, driven to long on for a single.
10.6 : JJ Smuts to J Bairstow, The batsman has flicked the ball off his pads. Dot ball to end the over.
11.1 : D Pretorius to A Hales, Short outside off, pulled through wide mid on for a brace.
11.2 : D Pretorius to A Hales, Length delivery outside off, dabbed past point for a single.
11.3 : D Pretorius to J Bairstow, FOUR! Innovative! Short and angling in, Bairstow shuffles across a touch, gets under the ball and helps it over short fine leg for a boundary. He is scoring at a brisk rate.
11.4 : D Pretorius to J Bairstow, Angling into the batsman, worked down the leg side for a single.
11.5 : D Pretorius to A Hales, Length delivery around off, defended back to the bowler.
11.6 : D Pretorius to A Hales, Shortish delivery outside off, chopped in the point region where Parnell makes a superb, diving stop to his right.
Imran Tahir comes back on.
12.1 : I Tahir to J Bairstow, FOUR! Tahir starts off with a shortish delivery, Bairstow goes back and punches it through covers. Phehlukwayo in the deep, covers good ground to his right, dives to cut it off but ends up parrying it back to the ropes.
12.2 : I Tahir to J Bairstow, Another shortish delivery, cut to sweeper cover for a single.
12.3 : I Tahir to A Hales, Another leg spinner on the shorter side, punched to extra cover for a single.
12.4 : I Tahir to J Bairstow, Full on middle and leg, pushed gently on the off side for a single.
12.5 : I Tahir to A Hales, DROPPED AND FOUR! Tossed up outside off, Hales clears his front leg and tonks the ball high in the sky over mid on. Gets the elevation but doesn't get the distance and Behardien in the deep, sets himself up underneath it but makes a mess of the catch. The ball drops and rolls to the fence to make the matters worse.
12.6 : I Tahir to A Hales, SIX! Bang! Hales makes full use of the life. Flatter delivery around off, Hales dances down and smashes it over mid-wicket for a maximum. Now, only 14 runs needed for England to win.
Tabraiz Shamsi is back.
Jonny Bairstow seems to be struggling with something. He's knelt down on the floor and called the physio out. Maybe he's had a cramp. Gets some fluids now, wipes his sweat off and is ready to continue.
13.1 : T Shamsi to J Bairstow, Bairstow works it through square leg. He is quick and comes back for the second. The bad bounce in front of the keeper makes things easy for him.
13.2 : T Shamsi to J Bairstow, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat.
13.3 : T Shamsi to J Bairstow, FOUR! What a way to get the fifty! Full around off, Bairstow makes room and goes inside out through the covers for a boundary. Reaches his half century in only 29 balls.
2nd T20I fifty for Jonny Bairstow!
13.4 : T Shamsi to J Bairstow, Beaten! Quicker one, sliding away, Bairstow swings his bat but misses.
13.5 : T Shamsi to J Bairstow, Full outside off, lofted over extra cover. The long off fielder cuts it off and keeps it down to a brace.
13.6 : T Shamsi to J Bairstow, Served full around off, milked down to long off for a single.
Andile Phehlukwayo to bowl again.
14.1 : A Phehlukwayo to J Bairstow, FOUR! Bairstow is in golden form! Short ball around off. There isn't much room on offer and Bairstow gets under it, watches the ball till the last moment and ramps it over the vacant slip cordon for a boundary. England just a run away from victory.
14.2 : A Phehlukwayo to J Bairstow, Banged in short outside off, JB lets it sail through to the keeper.
14.3 : A Phehlukwayo to J Bairstow, That will do it for England, they TAKE A 1-0 LEAD IN THE 3-MATCH SERIES! A touch ahead of a length outside off, Bairstow looks to push it on the off side but gets an inside edge onto the pads. The ball rolls on the off side beside the pitch and Hales takes off for a quick single and completes it as well. Then pumps his fist in delight as ENGLAND WIN BY 9 WICKETS!
A decimating win for England, even more impressive considering they lost the toss to begin with. They started off by bowling really well. Didn't get many wickets but managed to choke the Proteas for runs, with the spinners standing out today. The Englishmen restricted South Africa for just 142 and when they came out to chase, made a mockery of it.
Eoin Morgan's men lost just 1 wicket in the entire innings. Jason Roy, who got off to a blazing start, threw it again but he was the only one. Jonny Bairstow (who scored a brisk fifty) walked in to join Alex Hales (who just missed out on his fifty) and the unbeaten 98-run stand between them saw the hosts inflict the second biggest defeat on South Africa in T20Is in terms of balls remaining. A day to forget for AB de Villiers and his men.
AB de Villiers says the first ball he faced, despite being 1 or 2 wickets down, it was easy to use the pace of the ball. Adds England bowled really well with the new ball so credit to them. States after the 13th over, he and Behardien tried to go big, wanted something like 10 runs an over but couldn't do it. Continues saying a couple of overs while bowling in the first 6 didn't go their way despite starting well. Feels he's not sure what he would have done differently and says that it just didn'
Eoin Morgan says that they were excellent today. They put South Africa on the back foot early on as the Protea batsmen came hard at them. Applauds the spinners, who went on with their business and kept things tight for them. Says his bowlers did well against the opposition batsmen and also used the longer sides of the ground well to their benefit. On Mason Crane, he says that he knows he has the skill and they have been keeping an eye on him for a while. Adds that the whole squad's mentality is
Man of the Match, Jonny Bairstow (On his earlier injury) Says he was a bit short of breath, nothing more. Is pretty pleased with his progress as he has the shots now which he didn't 18 months ago. States he and his team just want to be the best they can be and be clinical as they don't want to leave it on anyone else. Credits the bowlers as they took wickets upfront first and then the spinners did the job later. Mentions they play the game to win, so it's enjoyable. (When asked about the wicket
This completes the formalities of the first T20I between England and South Africa. The hosts continued their dominance over the Proteas as they handed them a huge defeat. The visitors will be eager to come back strongly and turn their fortunes in this English summer. The second T20I will take place at County Ground, Taunton which will hold an international match after 1999. The action takes place on 23rd June at 1700 local time (1600 GMT). Catch you all for that. Till then, it's goodbye from us!