[ad_1]
Jonny Bairstow’s long-established ability to respond to a challenge came to the fore once again as his undefeated 86 propelled England to a five-wicket victory in their first Twenty20 against South Africa.
When the Yorkshire man threw Lungi Ngidi to the construction site in an empty Newlands, he saw a 180 goal knocked down with four balls to spare, putting the tourists 1-0 ahead of Sunday’s second installment in Paarl.
Eoin Morgan had said that the results of the tour are secondary to the players establishing themselves in their roles before next year’s World Cup. And so what you will like best about Bairstow’s 48-ball masterclass, past 9 fours and 4 6s, was that it came from your new position at No. 4.
He also helped overcome a troublesome start in the chase, with England 34-for-three in the sixth before Bairstow teamed up with Ben Stokes for an incendiary position of 85 that saw the latter clear the rope three times on the way to a 37. of 27 balls.
“It’s one of my favorite terrains,” said Bairstow, a nod to the partnership record of 399 races he and Stokes compiled during the 2016 Newlands test. “With the sun setting behind Table Mountain, it was a shame we didn’t have a crowd. to enjoy a really good game. “
When asked about his starter demotion, he replied: “I just want to contribute to England, either in the opening or No. 4. I think you have two options: you can either be unhappy or use the experiences you’ve had previously.
“I am very happy with my game. The calm and composure were really nice and seeing England on the line is important. “
After being inserted into the draw, the 179 of six from South Africa belied an interrupted build and felt competitive, with a slow pitch that didn’t quite lead to a smooth hitting game and instead required some muscle on the part of the players. batters.
This came mainly from the bulging triceps of Faf du Plessis, who hit the all-time 51-of-40, hit 71 for the second wicket alongside Quinton de Kock, and set Tom Curran’s most expensive figures in T20i cricket going , one for 55. when the second envelope from the right was missing for 24 races.
Sam Curran, on the other hand, had an excellent start after getting the nod over Moeen Ali at No. 7 for off-road, sending a mix of cutters and short balls to return his career-best three-for-28 figures.
It began with the elimination of Temba Bavuma in the first over of the match, before taking revenge for his older brother’s treatment by causing Du Plessis to be trapped in the depths and then extinguishing the dangerous Heinrich Klaasen.
With Chris Jordan and Jofra Archer each winning a wicket, and Adil Rashid’s 50 limit in the format producing a typically neat none for 27 that sent only one limit, it was a little surprise that Morgan described his team’s performance as “very average “after.
The captain’s bad temper was perhaps in part a response to the start of the chase, in which George Linde, South Africa’s debutant left arm spinner, tossed the new ball and scooped up two wickets in the power game.
Jason Roy’s annus horribilis continued as he struck behind the second ball while attempting to cut off a long jump from the newcomer, with Linde knocking off No. 3 Dawid Malan, caught on the sweep for a 19 of 20 balls.
With Jos Buttler dodging a Ngidi delivery by seven in the middle, England had gone nowhere in the power play and needed a shot of power. One step ahead Bairstow, who threw Tabraiz Shamsi’s left arm wrist twist for three sixes en route to his sixth T20i half-century on just 31 balls.
Shamsi’s day improved a bit when Stokes reached in the 15th, and at 51 and then needed the last four, England still had a lot of work to do and needed a bowler to aim.
Step up Beuran Hendricks, who made Tom Curran feel a little better about his previous efforts with an overshot 17th that saw the left-arm boat eight runs wide and 28 overall.
And although Morgan fell before the close when he chose the deep middle for 12, his top two players on the show sealed the deal, Sam Curran pitched Kagiso Rabada for six in a row at 19 at 19 on that he left nine to come out of six. end. balls. Bairstow, it transpired, was in no mood to fool around.
