England bounce back from Champions Trophy failure by sealing crushing T20 win over South Africa

Comfortable | Alex Hales made 47 not out
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Tom Collomosse21 June 2017

England bounced back from their Champions Trophy failure by sweeping to victory over South Africa in Wednesday's opening Twenty20 clash.

In ferociously hot weather, Jonny Bairstow and Alex Hales dominated with the bat as England hurried to a nine-wicket win, with 33 balls to spare.

South Africa had plodded to 142 for three, which was always well within reach for Eoin Morgan's team.

After last week's surprise Champions Trophy exit to eventual winners Pakistan in the semi-finals, it was imperative for England to revive their summer. The outstanding Bairstow, who finished 60 not out from 35 balls, reached his fifty from just 29 deliveries. Hales ended unbeaten on 47 as England went 1-0 up on the series with two matches to play.

Mason Crane, the young leg-spinner, did not take a wicket on his debut but was promising nonetheless. After his difficulties against the white ball this summer, which led to him being dropped against Pakistan, Jason Roy blasted 28 from 14 balls but will have been frustrated not to make further progress.

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David Willey did not play in the Champions Trophy but he made an instant impact by taking a wicket with the first ball of the game.

The inswinger sneaked through the defences of Jon-Jon Smuts, who was bowled off his back pad. Mark Wood repeated the trick with the first ball of the second over when he removed Reeza Hendricks. The opening batsman was surprised by an 89mph bouncer and pulled into the hands of Willey at midwicket. He made just three.

South Africa were seven for two, and lacking experienced pair Quinton De Kock and Hashim Amla. AB De Villiers and David Miller started the rebuilding job before Wood switched ends - and promptly had Miller caught behind for nine with one that fizzed through him.

South Africa were 32 for three in the fifth over. They lost no more wickets - but England's bowlers largely kept them in check. Crane impressed on his debut, bowling boldly and using his variations. He conceded 24 runs from his four overs and might have had De Villiers for 39, but the master's mistimed pull dropped over the head of a back-pedalling Jason Roy.

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De Villiers was not at his most fluent but hit two astonishing sixes. For the first, he stepped outside the off stump before dropping to one knee and flicking Willey over deep backward square-leg. It took him past 50.

Then, in the final over, De Villiers somehow slog-swept a full delivery from Chris Jordan into the spectators. De Villiers finished 65 not out from 58 balls, in an unbroken stand of 110 with Farhaan Behardien, who made 64 from 52.

Behardien might have been caught in the deep on the leg side off Willey when he had 29, only for Crane to mistime his jump, just inside the boundary.

South Africa's total looked well short of a competitive score and so it proved. Roy's struggles in the Champions Trophy saw him dropped for the semi-final but he looks to have rediscovered his touch.

After scoring 92 last Saturday to help Surrey reach the domestic 50-over final, Roy hit an early six off Smuts' left-arm spin and then took Wayne Parnell for 18 off four deliveries - including a straight six and a perfectly-timed flick through mid wicket for four.

It made Roy's dismissal all the more baffling. He tried to reverse-sweep the medium pace of Andile Phehlukwayo and was lbw for 28.

That was 45 for one - and the high point of the innings for South Africa. Bairstow and Hales cruised home to leave. Their only wobble came when Hales was farcically dropped on 37 by Behardien at long-on - and the ball rebounded into the rope for four.

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