10:30am Monday 16th November 2009
AN INCISIVE batting display from South Africa helped them bounce back from defeat in the opening Twenty20 international against England to seal an emphatic 84-run victory at Centurion.
A world-record 170-run opening partnership from Graeme Smith (88) and Loots Bosman (94) helped the hosts reach a massive 241 for six – the second highest 20-over total ever – before disciplined bowling restricted the tourists to 157 for eight.
Kevin Pietersen made 29 in his first innings since his return from an Achilles injury.
Jonathan Trott also hit a half-century, but the writing was on the wall after a monumental batting display by Smith and Bosman, who surpassed the 145 mark set by West Indies batsmen Chris Gayle and Devon Smith in 2007.
Pietersen was back in the England team after captain Paul Collingwood was ruled out due to a stiff back, with Alastair Cook leading the team instead.
Graeme Swann, the most impressive bowler on tour so far, also missed out, and after losing the toss and being asked to field first, the England attack struggled.
After just 14 runs came from the first three overs bowled by James Anderson and Tim Bresnan, Sajid Mahmood was introduced to bowl an eventful fourth over in which he conceded 21 runs.
His first three balls, the third of which was a no-ball, were ruthlessly dispatched for boundaries by Smith, before the home captain was bowled off a free-hit.
Mahmood then had Bosman caught at mid-off, only for the umpire to signal another no-ball and the righthander ended the over with a six over mid-wicket.
South Africa passed 50 in the fifth over and the introduction of Adil Rashid raised their momentum as the legbreak bowler conceded 25 in his only over, which produced four sixes and saw Smith bring up his 50.
Bosman raised his half-century with the same strike rate to help his side reach the halfway stage on 131.
Another costly Mahmood over took South Africa past 150 before the ball was tossed to Pietersen, who conceded 27 in two overs.
But the breakthrough finally came with Joe Denly’s first ball in international cricket, Smith’s 44-ball knock ending when he was caught by Mahmood at long-on at the start of the 14th over.
Albie Morkel clubbed 14 from six balls but gave Pietersen his first T20 wicket when he picked out Bresnan at long-on.
The 200 was raised in the 16th over before JP Duminy and Bosman, who hit nine sixes in his 45-ball knock, fell in quick succession, but AB de Villiers took his side to 241.
England began positively enough with Denly, whose previous two Twenty20 international knocks had yielded ducks, swinging Yusuf Abdulla away for four, followed by Cook handing the same treatment to the Dolphins bowler in the second over.
With the score on 20 after three overs, Denly was bowled for 14 when attempting a drive.
After a slightly cagey start, Cook started to find his range with three fours off Abdulla in a 13-run sixth over.
Trott slogged the first six off Roelof van der Merwe over mid-wicket in the ninth over – by the same stage the hosts had already clobbered nine maximums.
Cook ended his 21-ball stay when he pulled Morkel straight to Van der Merwe at mid-on for 26.
Pietersen, who last played for his country in the second Ashes Test in July, showed no signs of rustiness with a tidy pick-up shot off Van der Merwe for six over square-leg.
Trott lifted McLaren away for a six over square-leg to bring up his 50 from 38 balls - the same stroke also raising the 50 stand - but he was out not long after when he skied Morkel to debutant wicketkeeper Heino Kuhn.
Pietersen faced 19 balls before he was out trying a switch-hit against Van der Merwe, and England were in a hopeless position.
South Africa v England At Centurion Park
South Africa
G C Smith c Mahmood b Denly ............88
L L Bosman c Anderson b L J Wright ....94
J A Morkel c Bresnan b Pietersen .........14
J P Duminy c L J Wright b Anderson .... 2
A B de Villiers run out .............24
J H Kallis b Mahmood ........................... 7
H G Kuhn not out ...................... 5
R McLaren not out .................. 1
Extras (b2 lb1 w1 nb2 pens 0) .... 6
Total 6 wkts Innings Complete (20 overs)...241
Fall: 1-170 2-192 3-203 4-204 5-214 6-238
Did Not Bat: R van der Merwe, D W Steyn, Y A Abdulla.
Bowling: Anderson 4-0-28-1. Bresnan 4-0- 48-0. Mahmood 4-0-61-1. L J Wright 4-0-40- 1. A U Rashid 1-0-25-0. Pietersen 2-0-27-1.
Denly 1-0-9-1.
England
J L Denly b Abdulla ..........14
A N Cook c van der Merwe b J A Morkel .... 26
I J Trott c Kuhn b J A Morkel ................. 51
K P Pietersen b van der Merwe .............29
E J Morgan b Steyn .........................10
L J Wright c Sub b Steyn .......................12
M J Prior not out .............10
T T Bresnan c Smith b McLaren ............ 0
A U Rashid run out .......................... 1
S I Mahmood not out ........................ 1
Extras (w3 pens 0)....................... 3
Total 8 wkts Innings Complete (20 overs)...............................157
Fall: 1-20 2-65 3-117 4-132 5-144 6-146 7- 146 8-150
Did Not Bat: J M Anderson.
Bowling: Steyn 4-0-29-2. Abdulla 4-0-28-1.
McLaren 4-0-26-1. van der Merwe 4-0-39-1.
J A Morkel 4-0-35-2.
South Africa beat England by 84 runs
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