- South Africa crushed England by 90 runs to win their first ever T20 series in England on Sunday.
- South Africa made 191/5 in their 20 overs on the back of excellent 50s from Reeza Hendricks and Aiden Markram after they lost the toss.
- The impressive performances from Hendricks and Markram will add to the selectors’ delightful headache for the T20 World Cup later this year.
It’s taken South Africa 13 years to win a T20 series against England in England, but with their 90-run win in the third T20 at the Rose Bowl in Southampton on Sunday, that goal has finally been achieved.
WATCH | Tristan Stubbs’ wonder catch in Southampton is one of the best you’ll ever see
Having lost the toss and given first use of the brownish pitch that wasn’t as friendly as it looked, allied by a massive outfield, 50s from Reeza Hendricks (70) and Aiden Markram (51*) guided SA to a competitive 191/5.
England, who spluttered and spitted to 101 all out, didn’t even get close as SA backed up their competent batting with a bowling display dominated by Tabraiz Shamsi (5/24) that showed how quickly they learned from the hosts.
Once England had lost captain Jos Buttler (14) and Jason Roy (17) to Keshav Maharaj and Anrich Nortje (1/12) respectively to be 33/2 after 5.1 overs, their chase already looked doomed.
They were 39/2 when the powerplay ended, but once Dawid Malan (7) picked out Nortje at deep square-leg and Moeen Ali (3) then fell to a worldie of a catch by Tristan Stubbs off Markram (1/5), England were 59/4 after 10 overs.
Their lot hardly improved when Liam Livingstone (3) drilled Tabraiz Shamsi to Maharaj (2/21) at deep long-off to leave England in tatters at 65/5 at the end of the 12th over.
Shamsi then produced two wickets in two balls to get rid of Sam Curran and David Willey to leave England at 79/7 in the 14th over.
Chris Jordan avoided the hat-trick, but England were up the creek without a paddle with no way of getting back.
Jordan (14) became Shamsi’s fourth victim when he was trapped in front and Adil Rashid (0) completed the five-for when he picked out Markram at long-on.
Maharaj administered the last rites when Jonny Bairstow (27) holed out to David Miller to end the one-sided game.
In making 191, South Africa paced their innings perfectly. For a side that lost their first wicket three balls into the innings after Quinton de Kock (0) chopped a Willey (3/25) delivery onto his stumps, the portents weren’t good for a big total.
The warning lights would have flickered even brighter when Rilee Rossouw (31) was tested by two away swingers from Willey.
However, the accuracy storm was weathered by the former Knights teammates, who then stitched together a 55-run partnership for the second wicket off 35 deliveries.
Rossouw provided some acceleration when he tonked 17 runs off Chris Jordan’s first over, but the southpaw was undone by an excellent Ali delivery.
That opened up the way for the Markram/Hendricks stand that spanned 61 balls, but brought 87 unfussed runs on a surface that looked far harder to bat on than its straw colour let off.
After the first 10 overs that included two short rain breaks, South Africa were 80/2, with 10 fours being hit, but no sixes.
The first six was only hit off the third ball of the 19th over by captain David Miller (22), who was playing in this 100th T20, but that was of the least concern for the Proteas.
The big playing surfaces meant singles and twos, a feature of the Markram/Hendricks stand were readily available.
Hendricks, in particular, has peeled consecutive 50s in the three matches and in captain Temba Bavuma’s absence, has kept one end safe.
Hendricks’s exit came at the hands of Jordan, who coaxed a top edge from Hendricks that was well caught by Buttler.
The platform laid by Hendricks and Markram allowed Miller to dominate a 41-run stand that came off just 17 balls.
Miller hit his runs off nine balls and when he fell off the second ball of the last over bowled by Willey, it allowed for Stubbs (8) to cannon two fours before holing out off the last ball of the innings.
That meant SA made 111 runs in the last 10 overs and that acceleration after the measured batting proved to be the difference.
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