South Africa hammer England on five-over ‘shambles of a night’

England were outpowered by South Africa in a rain-reduced, faintly farcical opening T20 that Harry Brook described as “a bit of a shambles of a night”.

This series is considered key preparation for next spring’s T20 World Cup, but this was nothing of the sort: a simple, shortened thrash which South Africa came out on top of. England are in a white-ball slump, but this result tells us little about that. For now, they are 1-0 down in this three-match series.

It rained solidly for much of the day, and was still hammering down at the scheduled start of 6.30pm. Eventually, the rain relented and allowed a nine-over game to start at 8.50pm. Brook put South Africa in, but the rain returned for another sharp burst before their innings could be completed. In 7.5 overs, the Proteas had made 97 for five, with the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method adjusting England’s target to 69 in five overs. They fell 14 runs short, but lost regular wickets, and only looked like chasing the target when Jos Buttler was on strike. He was the only batsman who was a match for South Africa’s power-packed top six.

Jos Buttler hits out against South Africa at Sophia Gardens — Buttler was the only England batsman who looked a match for South Africa’s top six – Getty Images/Adrian Dennis

To underline the slightly absurd feel, the rain returned with a vengeance not long after the game ended. Nevertheless, a hardy crowd of a few thousand stuck around until the end, well after 10pm, and seemed to enjoy themselves.

“We can’t read into that too much,” Brook said. “It was a bit of a shambles of a night. There was a lot going on. It was very wet.”

In truth, England’s best move came at the toss, when they left out Jofra Archer, their most precious fast bowler. It was an eminently sensible decision, as Archer is among their most important players for the Ashes, which start in just over two months, and they have worked so hard to nurse him back to full fitness after serious injuries to his right elbow and back. A slippery, low-stakes Wednesday night in Cardiff was not a risk worth taking. Mark Wood is still not being risked, while Brydon Carse was not selected for this match. Even some of the all-format batsmen such Jamie Smith and Ben Duckett are being rested for other challenges.

“As soon as we knew the game was shortened,” Brook replied when asked at what point Archer was taken out of the line of fire. “We didn’t think it was necessary for Jof to play. Obviously the outfield was sodden, and he’s got a lot of cricket to play in the next few months with some big series, so we decided to not play him.”

Archer’s withdrawal presented an opportunity to Luke Wood, who made the most of his unexpected opportunity, as England scrambled hard in the face of some brutal hitting from South Africa’s top six. He had Ryan Rickelton caught behind in his first over, then Lhuan-dré Pretorius skewed to mid-off in his second. Wood also took a smart catch at midwicket to see off South Africa’s captain Aiden Markram, who had already been dropped twice.

Dewald Brevis hit three vast sixes, including two in two balls off Liam Dawson. But Sam Curran has returned to international cricket for the first time in almost a year with a new party trick, and it was enough to fool Brevis. Curran floated his first ball up at 51mph, and Brevis spooned it into the off side. South Africa, through Tristan Stubbs and Donovan Ferreira kept coming at England. The latter hit Jamie Overton’s last ball before rain ended the innings for six, but it turned out South Africa already had plenty.

England’s pursuit of 69 got off to the worst possible start, when Phil Salt picked out the lone man in the deep on the leg side off Kagiso Rabada, capping a poor night for the returning opening batsman, who had dropped Markram earlier. They lost a wicket in each over of the shortened chase; the loss of Buttler in the fourth confirmed their defeat, although they were only mathematically out of contention with two balls remaining. As Brook promised, it is not a defeat they will dwell on for long.

Harry Brook speaks

We can’t read too much into that. It was very wet in patches and we didn’t execute very well.[Was it fit to play?] We leave that to the big dogs to decide. [Why didn’t you switch to five seamers?] We thought our bowlers were skilful enough to restrict them to a total that we could chase.

Well, hard to take anything from a hit and giggle game

But it would be remiss to point out that only Jos Buttler (and Phil Salt though little food it did him) middled the ball.

OVER 5: ENG 55/5 (Jacks 2 Curran 10) Target 69 off 30 balls

Jacks chisels out the yorker for a single. South Africa win by 14 runs (DLS).

OVER 4.5: ENG 54/5 (Jacks 1 Curran 10) Target 69 off 30 balls

Curran chips a drive down to long on for a single.

OVER 4.4: ENG 53/5 (Jacks 1 Curran 9) Target 69 off 30 balls

Jacks cloths a full toss for a single. England are toast unless there’s a no-ball.

OVER 4.3: ENG 52/5 (Jacks 0 Curran 9) Target 69 off 30 balls

Dropped by Williams at cover, a horrible steepler and he fell back. They run three thanks to Rickelton’s fumble.

OVER 4.2: ENG 49/5 (Jacks 0 Curran 6) Target 69 off 30 balls

Curran smashes his first ball over long-on for six out of the slot.

OVER 4.1: ENG 43/5 (Jacks 0) Target 69 off 30 balls

Wicket! Banton c Markram b Bosh 5 Banton spoons it off a leading edge to mid-off. FOW 43/5

OVER 4: ENG 43/4 (Banton 5) Target 69 off 30 balls

Wicket! Buttler c Rickelton b Jansen 25 Went all in to try to biff it over long on but nicked it off the inside edge to the keeper. FOW 43/4

England need 26 off six balls.

OVER 3.5: ENG 43/3 (Buttler 25 Banton 5) Target 69 off 30 balls

Jansen’s booming slow bouncer is called wide.

OVER 3.5: ENG 42/3 (Buttler 25 Banton 5) Target 69 off 30 balls

Buttler hares back for three after Banton deftly dabs it down to third man.

OVER 3.4: ENG 39/3 (Buttler 25 Banton 2) Target 69 off 30 balls

Buttler drives to long on for a single.

OVER 3.3: ENG 38/3 (Buttler 24 Banton 2) Target 69 off 30 balls

Brilliant from Jansen. Pace off and gulling Buttler who can only swat it off the bottom edge. No run.

OVER 3.2: ENG 38/3 (Buttler 24 Banton 2) Target 69 off 30 balls

Buttler munches Jansen, mowing him to long on for six.

OVER 3.1: ENG 32/3 (Buttler 18 Banton 2) Target 69 off 30 balls

Banton tries to scoop but he knocks it into himself and they scamper a very tight single, beating the direct hit.

OVER 3: ENG 31/3 (Buttler 18 Banton 1) Target 69 off 30 balls

Banton flicks a single off his toes.

OVER 2.5: ENG 30/3 (Buttler 17 Banton 0) Target 69 off 30 balls

Buttler plays that wristy hockey line dribe to long off for a single.

A filthy innings from Harry Brook, in any circumstances. They are losing a wicket each over, but are still very much in the hunt.

OVER 2.4: ENG 29/3 (Buttler 17 Banton0) Target 69 off 30 balls

Enter Banton who is pinned on the right hin by one that seemed to do too much when it came in, Was there bat? SA send it upstairs. No bat. And umpire’s call on trajectory. They ran a leg-bye.

OVER 2.3: ENG 28/3 (Buttler 17) Target 69 off 30 balls

Wicket! Brook c Rickelton b Bosch 0 Four-ball duck. Tried to flick over square leg and sent it straight up the chimney. FOW 28/3

OVER 2.2: ENG 28/2 (Buttler 17 Brook 0) Target 69 off 30 balls

Buttler carts a single to long on

OVER 2.1: ENG 27/2 (Buttler 16 Brook 0) Target 69 off 30 balls

Buttler looks in great nick and climbs into the short ball, collaring it for a hard, flat six through square leg.

OVER 2: ENG 21/2 (Buttler 10 Brook 0) Target 69 off 30 balls

Plays and misses again. Brook is all over the shop.

Bosch will bowl the third over.

OVER 1.5: ENG 21/2 (Buttler 10 Brook 0) Target 69 off 30 balls

Vicious bouncer that trims Brook’s nasal hair, beats Rickelton and rattles down for four byes.

OVER 1.4: ENG 17/2 (Buttler 10 Brook 0) Target 69 off 30 balls

Brook starts with an attempted scoop, tumbles over and misses the ball.

Seems bowlers can bowl a maximum of two overs so Rabada could bowl again.

OVER 1.3: ENG 17/2 (Buttler 10) Target 69 off 30 balls

Wicket! Bethell c Ferreira b Jansen 7 Sliced it to cover when swinging for midwicket. FOW 17/2

OVER 1.2: ENG 17/1 (Bethell 7 Buttler 10) Target 69 off 30 balls

Bethell flips a pull off his hip, like a pick-up shot, over fine leg for six.

OVER 1.1: ENG 11/1 (Bethell 1 Buttler 10) Target 69 off 30 balls

Jansen has three balls of the Powerplay. Bethell retreats to leg, has a golf swing and hits only fresh Welsh air.

OVER 1: ENG 11/1 (Bethell 1 Buttler 10) Target 69 off 30 balls

Feathers when trying to ramp but the ball lands well short of the keeper. No run.

OVER 0.5: ENG 11/1 (Bethell 1 Buttler 10) Target 69 off 30 balls

Scoops the yorker by turning it into a low full toss for six.

OVER 0.4: ENG 5/1 (Bethell 1 Buttler 4) Target 69 off 30 balls

Picks the slower ball and flays it over mid-off for a one-bounce four.

OVER 0.3: ENG 1/1 (Bethell 1 Buttler 0) Target 69 off 30 balls

Buttler walks across his stumps to scoop, targeting the short, fine leg boundary but misses the ball.

OVER 0.2: ENG 1/1 (Bethell 1 Buttler 0) Target 69 off 30 balls

Bethell has a flick at a quick, full one on his pads, misses and jogs a leg-bye. Oh, it’s given as a run. Must have got a scratch in it.

OVER 0.1: ENG 0/1 (Buttler 0) Target 69 off 30 balls

The Powerplay lasts nine balls. Kagiso Rabada has the new, dry ball. One over per bowler.

Wicket: Salt c Maphaka b Rabada 0 Flips it down backward square leg’s throat and departs for a golden duck. FOW 0/1

We could go ball by ball

But that would mean no pictures. Let’s give it a go.

Buttler and Salt walk out

Jos Buttler is back opening after Ben Duckett’s selection shoved him down to three for the West Indies series. They are held at the rope as the hover cover comes off.

England set 69 to win off five overs

Good news. We will restart at 9.48, and England’s chase will be five overs. We are awaiting confirmation of a target. (69 off 30 balls)

Update

Covers coming off! Rain stopped. Maybe looking at a seven-over game.

Rain stops play

That was a very heavy band of rain. It’s still going, and the covers are coming on. It’s possible that could be that. It will definitely be the end of South Africa’s innings.

OVER 7.5: SA 84/4 (Ferreira 25 Jansen 1)

A shower strikes the ground during Overton’s over but the players want to carry on and do so. Stubbs starts the over wit such a deft-handed scoop that it sends the ball sailing over Buttler’s head for six.

The rain thickens and forces the players off after Ferreira thumps Overton for a straight six.

Rain stops play.

Over to Duckworth-Lewis-Stern if the players get back on. If there is time for five overs England would face a modified but taxing target.

Wicket!

Stubbs b Overton 13 Yorked him as he tried to reverse scoop, having scooped the first ball of the over for six. FOW 90/5

OVER 7: SA 84/4 (Ferreira 19 Stubbs 7)

Sam Curran strikes with his first ball after 10 months in international exile and does it with the even slower, slower ball he has developed in the interim. Stubbs has a slash at one outside off and edges it down through third man for four but the fielders do brilliantly as Stubbs and Ferreira try to knock the cover off the ball as Curran messes with their timing with his variations/ Three twos and single come off the last four balls which, in these circumstances, is palatable.

Some incredible striking, and suddenly this partnership has doubled South Africa’s score. Dewald Brevis is a special talent. He became the most expensive player in the SA20 auction this week, going for more than US$940,000 (£695K).

Wicket!

Brevis c Dawson b Curran 23 Does him with the ‘moon ball’, the ultra slow ball across Brevis who waits and waits but still mistimes it and chips it to point. FOW 73/4

OVER 6: SA 73/3 (Brevis 23 Ferreira 15)

Rashid cannot stem the tide and Brevis pulls the short googly to cow corner for six, Ferreira flays another over long pn and Ferreira also carts another googly into the long pasture at midwicket. The ball is sopping wet.

OVER 5: SA 53/3 (Brevis 16 Ferreira 2)

Dawson replaces Wood and Brevis takes him down town with successive sixes tonked almost out of the ground. Dawson then paints the wide line, legally, to rack up a much-needed dot ball. Brevis shuffles back to tap a single down to long on. Ferreira can only work a single down to long on off the last one. Started badly but Dawson held his nerve and used his skills admirably.

OVER 4: SA 38/3 (Brevis 3 Ferreira 1)

Rashid slams on the brakes, takes a wicket and concedes merely four runs with a canny mix of googlies and leg-breaks.

What an over from Adil Rashid. Just four runs, and the vital wicket of Markram. Brilliant bit of fielding from Brook at the end, too. England in a good position here, you’d say (tricky to tell in a nine-over game, mind…).

Wicket!

Markram c Wood b Rashid 28 Diddled by the great Rashid, who has cannily been bowling into the pitch to protect the short straight boundaries and Markram cloths his legsde thrash high. Wood also takes a good catch as if to show those who dropped off his bowling that it’s not that difficult. FOW 37/3

OVER 3: SA 34/2 (Markram 27 Brevis 1)

Markram, having teed off in the previous over, gets the driver out again and thumps a six and a four off Wood. The bowler drags the next ball back from the slot and Mrakram swings it high towards midwicket. Salt makes good ground, plants his feet beneath it and then spills it, embarrassingly for him as the crowd jeers when he fields the next ball cleanly. If you want a job doing… Brook takes a blinder to see off Pretorius.

England have missed Aiden Markram twice. You can’t afford to do that, even in a nine-over thrash. Both went very high in the air, but Salt really should have taken that second one. Guess the ball is very wet.

Wicket!

Pretorius c Brook b Wood 2 The captain shows his team-mates how to cling on, running and diving forward at mid-on to scoop his hands under the ball when Pretorius spoons it off a leading edge. FOW 33/2

OVER 2: SA 20/1 (Markram 14 Pretorius 3)

Overton starts with a peach that angles in and nibbles away off the pitch. Markram plays and misses then hobbles a leg-bye when the inswinger turns sandshoe crusher. Markram’s big toe will be throbbing red like Tom’s right, front paw was pincered in a door jamb in the Tom and Jerry cartoons.

Pretorious French cuts for a single off a thick inside edge then Markram plinks a lofted drive that goes up high and swirls, spiralling in the wind to beat Jacks’ drive. They run two to long-on. Markram collars the next ball and clobbers it for six over long off where it’s brilliantly held by a spectator… at the second attempt.

OVER 1: SA 8/1 (Markram 6 Pretorius 1)

Markram opens the face to steer the first ball down to third man for a single. Wood has a ring field with one slip because of his swing. And the swing is there to the left-handed Rickelton who departs for a golden duck. Pretorious bunts a short ball into the offside for a quick single. Markram has a swish and a miss at one that angles into and hits his pad then clatters a straight drive off the toe of the bat for four. Too much inswing to the right-hander costs Wood a wide and the extra ball also tails into Markram’s pads and he shins it away for a leg-bye.

Wicket!

Rickelton c Buttler b Wood 0 Golden duck. Done by the outswing. Lovely shape as it arced away late and kissed the edge. FOW 1/1

Out come the players

Aiden Markram and Ryan Rickelton are marking out their guards.

Luke Wood has the new ball.

Too risky

Absolutely the right call not to select Archer for this game. It will be wet under foot, and he is far too important for this winter’s Ashes to be mucking about in a game like this. Luke Wood was excellent earlier this summer against the West Indies and will be grateful for the chance.

Here’s the details of the nine-over per side game:

2.4 over powerplay
4 bowlers to bowl 2 overs maximum
1 bowler to bowl 1 over maximum

Makes perfect sense to rest Archer

“I wouldn’t race my horse round this outfield. I can completely understand why they don’t want to risk Jofra,” says Eoin Morgan. “If you’re not prepared to race your Ferrari on this road, who are you willing to risk?”

Well, Glamorgan would be desperate to get the game on and so will those who have endured the hours of gloom. Morgan also points out that a ball rolled along the floor to him feels “like a bar of soap”.

Harry Brook on the toss

We feel like chasing is the best option. Been a long day, but a lot of lads in the dressing room have played T10. I will have to pick their brains. We had a lovely start against West Indies, we want to carry that momentum forward. Batter-heavy team.

South Africa go for an all-seam attack

SA XI Aiden Markram (capt), Ryan Rickelton (wk), Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Dewald Brevis, Tristan Stubbs, Donovan Ferreira, Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch, Kagiso Rabada, Kweni Maphaka, Lizaad Williams.

Luke Wood replaces Jofra Archer

England Phil Salt, Jos Buttler (wk), Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook (capt), Sam Curran, Tom Banton, Will Jacks, Jamie Overton, Liam Dawson, Adil Rashid, Luke Wood.

Harry Brook has won the toss

And has put South Africa in to bat.

Game on

Right, we have a slightly bizarre update. The toss will be at 8.20, and we will start half an hour later. In theory, we will play a nine-over game from then. Late finish in store!

I presume the long delay between inspection and toss is to allow further drying.

The players are coming out to warm up.

They’re just about to fire up the lift fans

All the covers are off, apart from the hover cover. Next inspection is at 8pm, so maybe we could be on in the next 45-60 mins.

The pitch cover is coming off

Hope springs eternal…

Further inspection at 8pm

Cheers as the covers start to be rolled off at the end of the 7.30pm inspection. They are giving this a good go…

Inspection underway

And the consensus among those at the ground is that the umpires will call the match off given how wet it is.

Poor Will in the Cardiff murk

And I would feel sympathetic… but then again…

Will Macpherson dining — Will Macpherson samples the Lord’s players’ menu – Jeff Gilbert for The Telegraph

Update

They are sticking with the 7.30 inspection – despite there being more rain! It has now stopped.

Washout history

England have had five September ODIs abandoned since 2008 and one September T20. Four of 28 Cardiff whie-ball internationals have also ended in no result.

One step forward, two steps back

Drizzling again, which probably means the 7.30pm pitch inspection is cancelled.

Inspection at 7.30pm

There’s going to be an inspection at 7.30pm, if there’s no more rain. Big if.

Sky is currently showing this appeal for the Bob Willis Fund

Fighting prostate cancer in RGD Willis’s memory:

Hope against hope

Good news! It’s brightened up, and there’s another massive rainbow. The groundstaff are starting a clean up operation. It’ll be some time before we can consider playing some cricket, and there is a chance of more rain. Let’s see…

The sun is out

And the square/run-up covers are coming off. But the outfield is sodden.

It’s still raining

As Will said below, the match can start as late as 9.16pm but Ian Ward has been informed by the groundstaff that they will need at least 90 minutes of dry weather to make the ground ready for an inspection with no guarantee that the outfield would be fit and safe for play. That would be down to the umpires.

Hold on… it’s raining again

The rain is quite heavy now. The cut-off for a five-over game is 9.16pm, so we clearly have a chance. But it’s quite set in and the radar doesn’t look great.

If we do play, I’d like to see Jofra Archer removed from the England XI. Short game, wet outfield. Why the risk?

Sophia’s rainbow

Darklands

Gloomy skies over Cardiff — The start of the match has been delayed by rain – Getty Images/Gareth Copley

TV coverage begins and raindrops are almost bouncing off the lenses

And shows a Welsh monsoon in sunshine, a rainbow and the poor spectators taking shelter under umbrellas.

The forecast is better later and we should get some kind of game on. The series regulations say they can reduce it to a minimum of five overs per side.

Breaking news: Ngidi out of series

It’s siling it down at the ground now

Greetings from Cardiff, where I am sorry to say another massive dump of rain has arrived. We won’t be starting on time, I’d say.

Cardiff outlook

England announced their team yesterday, as per

England Phil Salt, Jos Buttler (wk), Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook (capt), Sam Curran, Tom Banton, Will Jacks, Jamie Overton, Liam Dawson, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid.

Preview: World Cup countdown

Good evening and welcome to live coverage of the first T20 between England and South Africa from Sophia Gardens. The next T20 World Cup – England’s favourite recent tournament having won two of the last six and made at least the semi-final in another three – starts next February in India and accordingly the format has moved back to prominence on the international calendar. Although Wales in September is hardly ideal preparation for Ahmedabad in March, after these three England go to Ireland for another trio, this time with Jacob Bethell in charge, play three more in New Zealand next month en route to the Ashes and conclude with a further three-match series in Sri Lanka in the week before the World Cup.

Harry Brook, who started his T20 captaincy with three wins over West Indies at the start of the summer, has yet consistently to play the kind of international innings in the format that first earned him a cap after some phenomenal performances in the Blast, Big Bash and Hundred. In the series against West Indies it was again Jos Buttler who led the charge, top-scoring in two of the three matches, while Luke Wood and Liam Dawson excelled with the ball. After the recent experiment with attempting to sneak through 10 overs from part-timers Will Jacks and Jacob Bethell in the ODIs, Sam Curran’s recall is welcome, giving them five proper bowling options as well as a couple of irregular ones who are more used to rattling through a couple of overs in the shortest game.

Harry Brook at nets — Harry Brook is the only man in today’s team who has played in every England international of the summer (six Tests, six ODIs and three T20s to date) – PA/Ben Birchall

Since the last World Cup in the Americas when South Africa made the final, they have lost 12 of 19 completed T20s but can point to significant absences for rest, injury and retirement. Kagaso Rabada was not risked in any of the three ODIs but is in today’s squad as is Marco Jansen who missed the recent Australia tour after breaking his thumb in the World Test Championship. The Oval Invincibles’ Donovan Ferreira, who made 181 runs at a strike rate of 235.6 in the competition, should come into the side for the hamstrung David Miller.

The Met Office tells us that a 30 per cent chance of rain in Cardiff this evening is the best hope while it had climbed as high as 70 per cent for the hour preceding the toss. We could be on and off if we’re lucky, washed out if not.

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