ENGLAND IN T15 STROLL
Bairstow and Co batter South Africa with five overs to spare
ENGLAND duffed up South Africa in a onesided T20 rout to help get over their Champions Trophy failure.
Both sides flopped when it mattered in the tournament, and have rested key players ahead of their Test series to come, but the gap between them here was simply monstrous.
England won by nine wickets with 33 balls to spare, with Jason Roy back to his ballwalloping best hitting 28 from 14 balls and Jonny Bairstow and Alex Hales in brutal form.
The day couldn’t have gone much better for Eoin Morgan’s side who handed a debut to leg-spinner Mason Crane (above) and he coped admirably as South Africa chugged up to 141-3 in their 20 overs – a bit of a nothing score.
And the way Bairstow struck 60 from 35 balls in the lingering Southampton sunshine suggested there has been no time for holidaying in the England camp during the heatwave.
The strength in depth for England continues to grow and even though Crane didn’t capture the wicket that would have capped off his debut, his four overs for 24 runs were a decent start for the 20-year-old.
When he came on South Africa were feeling their way after losing three wickets in the powerplay.
But with AB de Villiers set at the crease with 22 to his name, it could have been a baptism of fire against one of the game’s great batsmen.
Crane was up to the task, sending down well-flighted leggies just like his hero Shane Warne used to do on this ground and adding a few googlies that were not easy to pick.
Aussie Warne, watching on TV, tweeted: “Don’t expect to much first up from young Crane but be excited and encourage the young man.
“The early signs look good as he gives them a rip.”
With Crane whirling away at one end, at the other was Liam Dawson, his Hampshire team-mate, who played as a frontline spinner in England’s last Test match and who was proving just as hard to get away. During eight overs of spin, Farhaan Behardien and de Villiers failed to cut loose, hitting just one edged boundary until a final full toss from Crane was gratefully sent to the midwicket ropes.
Now was the time for the South African pair to unleash hell on England’s bowler, but bar a couple of inventive sweeps and a classy straight drive for six, the fireworks never really arrived.
David Willey had started the innings in the perfect style, bowling JT Smuts first ball via an inside edge, before Mark Wood followed suit by having Reeza Hendricks caught by Willey with the first ball of his over.
Wood ended up being England’s most expensive bowler but his 2-36 was full of pace and hostility with David Miller caught on the hop when he edged behind to wicketkeeper Jos Buttler.
De Villiers and Behardien may well have notched twin fifties, but in only losing three wickets to get their total, their refusal to take more risks cost them dearly.