South Africa edged past England by 14 runs in a thrilling rain-affected T20 match in Cardiff on Thursday. The Proteas secured victory through the DLS method after posting 97/5 in 7.5 overs, before restricting England to 54/5 while defending a revised target of 69 runs in five overs.
South Africa’s Batting Surge
The match began two hours late and was reduced to nine overs. England seamer Luke Wood struck early, dismissing Ryan Rickelton for a golden duck. He continued his fine form, removing Lhuan-dre Pretorius soon after.
Aiden Markram kept South Africa’s innings alive with a quick 28 off just 14 balls, striking all his boundaries straight down the ground. He got a reprieve on 24 but fell soon after to Adil Rashid. Dewald Brevis showcased his power with consecutive sixes off Liam Dawson and added another maximum off Rashid Khan. Donovan Ferreira provided stability, hammering boundaries to boost the total.
Tristan Stubbs also contributed with a boundary and a six before falling to Jamie Overton. Ferreira then launched his third six before rain stopped play at 97/5 in 7.5 overs.
England’s Struggle in the Chase
After a 50-minute break, England required 69 runs in five overs. Kagiso Rabada made an immediate impact, dismissing Phil Salt on the first ball. Jos Buttler fought back with a four and a six off Rabada, but wickets kept tumbling at the other end.
Jacob Bethell hit a six before falling on the next delivery, while Harry Brook managed a four-ball duck. Buttler continued with another six but edged behind soon after. With England needing 26 runs in the final over, Sam Curran hit a six, but Corbin Bosch dismissed Tom Banton and sealed the win. Bosch conceded only five runs in his last four deliveries.
South Africa took a 1-0 lead in the series with a clinical bowling effort.
Brief Scores
- South Africa 97/5 (Aiden Markram 28, Donovan Ferreira 25; Luke Wood 2-22)*
- England 54/5 (Jos Buttler 25, Sam Curran 10; Marco Jansen 2-18)*
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