(Cricket news) In a game where 427 runs were scored as England took a 1-0 lead in the T20I series against South Africa, thanks to some superb batting from Jonny Bairstow who scored 90 off 53 ball and Moeen Ali (52 off 18) as Dawid Malan (43 off 23) had set the hosts up perfectly. The three batters hit 18 sixes and helped England register a total of 234 for 6. South Africa's middle-order failed even as Reeza Hendricks tried to hold the chase together from the other end Tristan Stubbs brought some amazing power-hitting to the fore with an incredible knock of 72 off 28 but that proved to be insufficient in the end. South Africa finished the innings with 193 for 8 which was subsequently 41 runs short of their target.
Lungi Ngidi gave South Africa a strong start to the PowerPlay when he dismissed both openers Jos Buttler and Jason Roy. England scored only 48 for 2 in the powerplay but got their 100 midway through the 11th over as Malan and Bairstow began to change gears. The duo scored 21 off Tabraiz Shamsi in the 10th over but Andile Phehlukwayo put a stop to that by dismissing Malan caught behind. Out walked Moeen Ali at 120 for 3 in 13 overs as Moeen and Bairstow blazed away, smashing 114 off the last seven. Bairstow brought up his half-century off 36 balls in the 15th over and continued to increase his strike rate.
The two England batters wreaked havoc in the 17th over from Phehlukwayo, they hit him for five sixes as 33 runs came from that over, taking England past the 200-run mark in the 17th over. Phehlukwayo finished with figures of 1 for 63 in 4 overs. Even Ngidi who was South Africa's best bowler on the night, wasn't spared as he went for 17 in his third over. He did manage to finish with figures of 5 for 39, he denied Bairstow a century and ended Moeen's flurry in his last two overs but England still got a daunting total of 234 for 6.
South Africa's problems started early in the chase when Quinton de Kock smashed one short ball straight to cover fielder off Reece Topley. In the same over, Topley sent the returning Rilee Rossouw back to the pavilion. But from 7 for 2, Reeza Hendricks gave South Africa a much needed lift when he single handedly took them to 50 for 2 in 6 overs. He hit eight fours in his innings but Adil Rashid arrived and took the wicket of Heinrich Klaasen in his first over. A couple of overs later Hendricks perished too when he tried to slog sweep a tossed up delivery from Moeen and found Sam Curran at deep midwicket.
Stubbs came in at number 6 and gave the South African some injection of life into a chase that was meandering away. In the 12th over Stubbs gave Moeen a taste of his own medicine by hitting three big sixes in a 22-run over. New captain David Miller was dismissed by Rashid in the 14th over but Stubbs still continued to send the ball out of the stadium. His 50 came off 19 balls and South Africa easily reached the 150 at the 15th over mark. The asking rate was still steep but Stubbs gave it a real go when he collected 21 runs off Richard Gleeson in the 16th over. In the end Chris Jordan showed his immaculate accuracy with three perfect yorkers in the 18th over as he conceded just three runs. Which led to Gleeson dismissing Stubbs and Phehlukwayo, and Kagiso Rabada in the same over. Stubbs scored a brilliant 28-ball 72 which consisted of two fours and eight sixes. South Africa ended their innings at 193 for 8 in 20 overs.
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