Twitter Reactions: South Africa level T20I series as English batting line up comes crashing down

The series decider will be played on July 31 at The Rose Bowl in Southampton.

By Vaishnavi Thiagarajan Iyer

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4 Min Read

Tabraiz Shamsi
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Tabraiz Shamsi. (Photo by Gareth Copley-ICC/ICC via Getty Images)

England and South Africa locked horns for the second T20I at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff. The hosts were leading the series before walking out for the contest, but little did they know about what was ahead of them. The Proteas showcased a comprehensive effort as a team and bounced back to win the second game by 58 runs, thereby leveling the series.

The Proteas got off to a good start thanks to their openers, but Quinton de Kock (15 off 11) was unable to build on his promising start. That, nevertheless, had no impact on how his team went about playing the game. Reeza Hendricks and Rilee Rossouw continued to push forward although the former initially carried out most of the hitting tasks, recording a dynamic half-century.

Richard Gleeson got the breakthrough for England by picking Hendricks (53 off 32) and ending his prowess, but Rossouw (96* off 55) was unstoppable. The Somerset hitter outplayed all of the bowlers, remaining unbeaten until the very end yet falling short of a well-earned century. Tristan Stubbs (15* off 12) too was unable to replicate his last night’s valour and Heinrich Klaasen (19 off 10) failed to make the best of the opportunity.

Topley, Curran, and Jordan deserve all the credit for their brilliance at the death overs, as they restricted South Africa to aim too big. David Miller, the known power-hitter on the team, pushed himself down the lineup to have the left-hand-right-hand combination going in the game and as a result, did not get an opportunity with the bat. South Africa may have thought they had a chance to reach the 220-run threshold, but despite that, they managed to post a 208 runs target for the hosts.

English batting order comes crashing down against spirited South Africa

England’s performance in the first match at Bristol was outstanding, but the feisty and determined Proteas team brought them back to reality and gave them a taste of their own medicine during the hosts’ chase. Rossouw and Hendricks both scored magnificent half-centuries to get the visitors off to a strong start with the bat, and the bowlers took care of the rest.

Many England batters obtained starts but were unable to turn those into anything meaningful. Jason Roy (20 off 22) was once more sluggish, Jos Buttler (29 off 14), Moeen Ali (28 off 17), Jonny Bairstow (30 off 21), and Liam Livingstone (18 off 10) were unable to capitalize on their solid foundation. No batter for England made a valuable contribution because they frequently lost wickets and never really gained any form of rhythm.

Tabraiz Shamsi came back with figures of 3/27 following a pricey stint in the first game. Andile Phehlukwayo was also impressive and bagged a three-wicket haul as well. While Lungi Ngidi scalped two wickets in 2.4 overs, Kagiso Rabada and Keshav Maharaj picked up a wicket each. Every South African bowler got at least one wicket as England’s batting order came crashing down and the hosts were dished out for 149 runs in 16.4 overs.

Here is how Twitter reacted to the game

 

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England v South Africa 2022South AfricaEngland