South Africa held their nerve in a rain-affected contest at Cardiff, edging past England by 14 runs in the opening T20I on Thursday under the DLS method.
Skipper Aiden Markram led from the front with a brisk 28 off 14 balls, while Dewald Brevis and Donovan Ferreira provided the late flourish. South Africa reached 97 for 5 in 7.5 overs before rain stopped play, with Ferreira unbeaten on 25. Luke Wood was England’s most successful bowler, finishing with 2 for 22.
When play resumed after a 50-minute interruption, England were handed a revised target of 69 in five overs. Their chase began disastrously as Kagiso Rabada removed Phil Salt first ball. Jos Buttler briefly kept the contest alive with a 25-run cameo, striking three sixes, but the home side lost wickets at regular intervals.
Jacob Bethell and Harry Brook fell cheaply, while Tom Banton was dismissed for five as the pressure mounted. With 26 required off the final over, Sam Curran cleared the boundary once, but Corbin Bosch closed the game out, conceding only five runs.
The visitors, defending just 69, bowled with discipline at the death to seal a 1-0 lead in the series.
Brief Scores: South Africa 97/5 in 7.5 overs (Aiden Markram 28, Donovan Ferreira 25*; Luke Wood 2/22) beat England 54/5 in 5 overs (Jos Buttler 25; Marco Jansen 2/18) by 14 runs (DLS method).
