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| Third Twenty20, Newlands, Cape Town |
| South Africa 191-3 (20 overs): Van der Dussen 74 * (32), Du Plessis 52 * (37), Stokes 2-26 |
| England 192-1 (17.4 overs): Malan 99 * (47), Buttler 67 * (47) |
| England won by nine wickets; won the series 3-0 |
| Scorekeeper |
Dawid Malan made a magnificent 99 not out when England completed a series of 3-0 win over South Africa in Cape Town to go to the top of the Twenty20 rankings.
Chasing 192 to win, Malan and Jos Buttler added 167 straight to propel England home with 14 balls to spare.
Buttler scored 67 unbeaten on 46 balls and Malan faced just 47 when they hit 14 fours and 10 sixes combined.
Previously, Rassie van der Dussen’s 74 undefeated and Faf du Plessis’s 50 not out helped South Africa to 191-3.
The victory brought England above Australia to the top of the International Cricket Council (ICC) classifications, although Justin Langer’s team could return to number one if they win their series against India starting Friday.
The game in Newlands was also notable for England analysts on the locker room balcony who used a coded letter and number system to pass tactical advice to captain Eoin Morgan during South Africa’s innings.
The Cricket Board of England and Wales said the measure had been approved by the ICC and was “intended as a live informational resource that the captain can choose to use or ignore as he wishes.”
A series of three one-day matches between England and South Africa begins in Cape Town on Friday.
South Africa will be left without pitcher Kagiso Rabada due to the adductor strain that ruled him out of the final T20.
Malan shows his star quality again
Ranked the world’s number one T20 hitter, Malan often racks up early in his innings but went down to 16 of three deliveries courtesy of some woeful South African bowling after Jason Roy went cheap again.
Malan was strong around the wicket, but as usual he held the width superbly well, hitting 30 of his runs across the decks on true surface.
Man of the match in the second T20 for 55 wins, he moved into his half century with 26 balls, his fastest in international cricket, and has now scored six half centuries in his last 12 T20 games for England.
The 33-year-old should have run out of 36, when England was 75-1, but South Africa captain and goalkeeper Quinton de Kock missed Temba Bavuma’s shot.
Malan’s only downside was a miscalculation when he hit a single with the score level to be stranded at less than a second hundred international T20.
Buttler on the other end was magnificent. He started out moderately, scoring 22 of the same number of balls, but in the 11th he hit inexperienced Lutho Sipamla for 21, including two huge sixes in the middle of the wicket.
The next over, released by spinner Tabraiz Shamsi, was for 19 when England broke the chase.
The temperament that Malan and Buttler displayed in a finally comfortable chase will delight Morgan as England advance to next October’s T20 World Cup in India.
Van der Dussen shines as England bowlers get lost
When Van der Dussen joined Du Plessis in the fold, South Africa was struggling 64-3 in the 10th and was being held back by an excellent bowling performance from England.
That trend continued for a few overs before a big change in momentum in the 16th over, as they hit 84 in the last five overs.
Tom Curran went for 16 before Jofra Archer conceded 22, his most expensive over in T20 cricket as he finished 0-44, including two huge sixes off Van der Dussen’s legs.
He and Du Plessis pulled 17 from Sam Curran’s penultimate over and 20 from the last, thrown by Chris Jordan.
Van der Dussen hit positively, on the ground and above the middle, scoring five fours and five sixes in his highest international T20 score.
England bowlers were guilty of losing their length too often, allowing the pair to free their arms and find the limit almost at will.
‘England blew us away’ – what they said
Dawid Malan series man: “The last two innings I haven’t hit it as well as I would have liked.
“I thought 190 might be too much. We ended up getting a bit of momentum and the wicket played really well, it skidded very well.”
When ending in 99 it does not appear “I knew there were five runs left, but I didn’t know what it would be like if I turned down the single.”
England Captain Eoin Morgan: “It’s extremely nice. Dawid and Jos were absolutely exceptional. Winning a game in such a dominant way creates a lot of confidence in the locker room.
“Being able to chase a total like that, since we didn’t get an absolute flight … those are very encouraging signs.”
Wicketkeeper Jos Buttler over England topping the T20 standings: “It is fantastic for us to achieve that status.
“It is the result of us playing cricket well and it is exciting for us to know that we are playing well.”
South Africa Captain Quinton de Kock: “It’s disappointing, but those guys played incredible innings. They blew us away.
“We are not playing as bad as it seems. We are still getting together. It was always going to be difficult. In the future, the guys are still confident.”
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