Half centuries by Jos Buttler, Jonny Bairstow and Eoin Morgan helped England crush South Africa by 5 wickets, with 5 balls remaining in a match that saw 448 runs scored on belter of a wicket at SuperSport Park in Centurion. The win helped England win the T20 international series 2-1 and convincingly rout the hosts South Africa in three formats of the game, with Test Series won 3-1 and ODI series won 2-0.
England players after the match (Image credits: theguardian)
The spectators at the SuperSport Park had a plenty of catching to do on a lovely Sunday afternoon, as the batsmen from both the sides set the ball sail over the fences  for 28 times. In the race to hit the ball far and deep in the crowd, the English Captain, Eoin Morgan left others far behind crossing the fences 7 times in his innings of 57 of 22 balls. With the win the English completed their second highest successful chase in T20Is and fourth overall highest run chase in the history of T20Is.
As it happened
South Africa won the toss and choose to bat on what looked like a batting paradise. Temba Bavuma and Captain Quinton de Kock began the innings with 11 runs of Moeen Ali, who began the processions for England. Between them, both the South African openers scored 84 runs in 7.4 overs at a run rate of around 11, when de Kock was caught by Bairstow of the bowling of Stokes.
South Africa lost Bavuma and Rassie van der Dussen in a span of 4 overs, with the hosts 113/3 in 11.2 overs. Heinrich Klaasen, who was playing his first match of the series, together with David Miller continued the onslaught. The batsmen sent the Englishmen on a leather hunt around the super quick outfield of the SuperSport Park in Centurion. Klaasen clubbed Mark Wood’s off-cutter over the cow corner to reach his second T20Is fifty that too just of 25 balls (at a strike rate of 200). On the other end, David Miller supported Klaasen.
Henrich Klaasen during the match against England (Image credits: thestatesman)
Klaasen was caught by Stokes of the bowling of Tom Curran in 3rd ball of 17th over for 66 of 33 balls. Tom Curran got better of Pretorius in the 19th over. He in short stay the crease could only score 11 of 7 balls. During all this, runs continued to come for South Africa, who ended the innings at 222/6. David Miller remained unbeaten at the end of the innings with 35 of 20 balls, which included 3 boundaries and 2 sixes.
The English Reply
The English opening batsmen Jayson Roy and Jos Butler made their intentions very clear at the very outset. Butler hit 9 runs of Dale Steyn in the very first over, including the trademark Butler peddle scoop. But Roy, who hit six of Ngidi’s first ball, was short lived. He was caught brilliantly by diving Shamsi at third man of the second ball of Lungi Ngidi.
Roy’s dismissal did not affect the English scoring rate as runs continued to come thick and fast of the bats of Butler and Bairstow. There was no respite for the bowlers. Shamsi who was introduced in the 7th over went for 19 runs. Butler reached his half century in just 23 balls in the 8th over. He was caught by Shamsi of Pretorius in the 10th over at 57 of 29 balls. It was Shamsi’s second catch of the match; in fact he caught both the English openers.
Dawid Malan soon followed with a score of 11 of 12 balls. Thereafter, the experienced duo of Eoin Morgan and Ben Stokes carried the match away from the South Africans. They together scored 61 runs between them driving England closer to the target. At the time of dismissal of Ben Stokes in the first ball of the 19th over, England still needed 17 of 11 balls. The match could have probably gone to the wire, had Pretorius latched onto the top edge from Moeen Ali of the bowling of Lungi Ngidi, just two balls after the dismissal of Ben Stokes.
Eoin Morgan hit 14 of the next three balls to take the match away from the hosts. Only an extraordinary performance in the last over from Andile Phehlukwayo could have tied the match and taken it to a super over.
But it wasn’t to be, as Moeen Ali smashed the very first ball over mid off for four.
Eoin Morgan and Moeen Ali after the victory against South Africa.(Image Credits: livehindustan.com)
Klaasen comes good for SA
Henrich Klaasen, who was playing the first match of the series in place of JJ Smuts, played an important innings capitalizing on the good start provided by Bevuma and de Kock. He smashed his second T20Is fifty in the match. He scored a 33 ball 66, with 4 boundaries and 4 sixes.
Klaasen can be a main stay of the South African batting in the run up to T20 world cup in Australia later this year. South African cricket is undergoing a transition and players like Klaasen can come good in the long run.
Eoin Morgan: Man of the Series
Eoin Mogan tries to scoop one to fine leg (image credits: thestatesman)
The English Captain scored a 50 of just 21 balls equaling his own previous best, the fastest fifty in T20Is by any English batsmen. His 21 ball fifty is also the fourth fastest fifty against South Africa in T20Is. It earned him the Man of the Match in the series decider.
Moreover, Morgan was in a prolific form in the T2oI series against the Proteas. Top scoring with 131 runs in the series. It helped him earn the title of Man of the Series.
En route to T20 World Cup in Australia
T20 cricket is the form of cricket, which most teams would like to focus on this year, eventually fighting to lift the world T20 title later this year.
The English side looked formidable in all the formats of the game in Africa. In T20, the side has strikers in the likes of Buttler, Bairstow, Roy and Morgan. In the bowling department, the team has bowlers like Tom Curran, Mark Wood, Chris Jordan and the now recuperating Jofra Archer. The English team also has one of the best all-rounders in the world cricket in Ben Stokes.
South Africa on the other hand has a lot of work to do. The side is transitioning and the new players are still working their way in to international cricket. Reports of Ab de villiers keen on returning from retirement to play in the T20Is, is indeed a warming for South African cricket fans.