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the Proteas They threatened to pull off what would have been a somewhat unexpected victory, but in the end their composure on the ball disappointed them as they fell to a five-wicket loss to England in the first T20 in Cape Town on Friday night.
It was a bitterly disappointing result for a team that has waited nine months to play international cricket again.
MARKER: SA v England – 1st T20
However, the truth is that this English team knows how to win T20 cricket matches from many different positions, and that turned out to be the case against an empty Newlands.
It didn’t help that Beuran Hendricks (0/56 in 4) accelerated 28 runs in a horrible 17th, but there were also other lapses of concentration that hurt the hosts.
After being put at bat, the Proteas got a competitive 179/5 of their assigned 20 overs thanks in large part to a graceful 58 (40) hit from former captain Faf du Plessis.
It often seemed like that would be enough, particularly in the early stages of the English chase when rookie George Linde (2/20 in 4) helped reduce South African opposition to 34/3.
Jonny Bairstow (86 * of 48), however, he had other ideas with a masterclass that ultimately won the match for his side.
England came home in 19.2 overs.
Earlier in the day, had there been spectators in the stadium, Du Plessis’s strike would have elicited ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs’ from a Newlands crowd that is always festive and equally passionate.
Instead, every sound of willow leather flying echoed through the empty and lonely bleachers.
Du Plessis took a while to get going, but when he did, he showed very clearly that he is a fit man and, more importantly, that he still has a lot more to offer South African cricket.
Tom Curran traveled 24 in his second substitution, thanks solely to the former South African all-formats captain, as English fielders had to jump over billboards to search for balls that had been swallowed by empty seats.
It was a striking blow and one that changed South Africa’s momentum after a wobble in the first over when Temba Bavuma (5 of 5) was trying to row Sam Curran only to pass the goalkeeper in the first over.
Du Plessis and skipper Quinton de Kock (30 of 23) got to work and showed why they are held in such high esteem by their competitors in this format in the Indian Premier League.
De Kock had said at launch that the window appeared to be on the slower side than he had predicted, and that could have explained the cautious start after Bavuma’s window.
But before long, the two most experienced Proteas players were rotating the strike and finding the fence and sided with him at 57/1 after the power play and drew their 50 pair with 29 balls.
De Kock was out when Chris Jordan slapped Eoin Morgan on cover, but Du Plessis went ahead and pulled out his ninth half-century T20 with just 34 balls after Rassie van der Dussen joined him at No. 4.
At the time, the Proteas would have desperately wanted Du Plessis to pass, but he didn’t and he couldn’t clear the middle fence from a Sam Curran goalie lacking pace.
Van der Dussen and Heinrich Klaasen kept the Proteas going and the hosts were well established at 127/3 after 15 overs, looking for a strong finish and racking up runs.
Klaasen (20 of 12) made a nifty cameo before beating a Sam Curran goalie, while Van der Dussen (37 of 28) fell shortly after, and in the end the Proteas made their way to 179/6 on the turn. in an effort. which they would have liked greatly.
Then rookie Linde was given the first over of the English innings and it only took him two balls to hit when Jason Roy (0 of 2) cut a cut just to skirt De Kock.
Then in the fifth over, Lungi Ngidi cut England to 27/2 when he caught Jos Buttler (7 of 6) after a terrible attempt to clear the ropes before Linde landed his second to eliminate Dawid Malan (19 of 20 ). , who was superbly caught by Kagiso Rabada with square leg back.
With 34/3 at the end of their power play, the visitors were in trouble as the South Africans looked to squeeze.
Instead, the Proteas met Bairstow and Ben Stokes (37 of 27), who combined to run a run chase clinic and 85 runs for the fourth wicket before Stokes made a long jump from Tabraiz Shamsi to Linde in the deep.
By then, it felt like the Protea had left too much to do, and it finally turned out to be the case.
Their hopes were dashed by that 28-race Hendricks.
There were certainly encouraging signs, but in the end, South Africa are 1-0 down in the three-game series heading into Sunday’s second T20 in Paarl.
