England comfortably beat South Africa by 41 runs in the first T20 in Bristol with Moeen Ali and Jonny Bairstow putting the Proteas to the sword on a good batting wicket. The visitors were their own worst enemies though- Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi and Keshav Maharaj were economical with the ball after David Miller had won the toss and chose to put England in, but the remainder of the eight overs went for a whopping 132 runs, and that’s where the game was lost. Here are our talking points from this England vs SA First T20.
South Africa dropped catches against England- Klaasen, Rossouw, Hendricks all guilty
David Miller took an outstanding catch to send opposite number Jos Buttler back, but it was otherwise a terrible evening for the Proteas in the field. Jonny Bairstow was dropped thrice in his innings, and two of those dropped catches from Rilee Rossouw and Reeza Hendricks came in the two Stubbs-Phehlukwayo overs that England took 53 runs from (yes FIFTY THREE!). Catches win you matches, and England didn’t drop any that came their way- the difference between the two sides at the end.
Phehlukwayo 33 run over vs England 2022- concedes five sixes
Having recovered from concussion, Andile Phehlukwayo slotted back into the Proteas XI and his first 3 overs with the ball were pretty decent, considering the flat nature of the wicket. He however lost the plot in the fourth one, with Bairstow plundering him for two sixes, followed by two wides and then by a horror of a drop from Reeza Hendricks on the long-on boundary. Three more sixes were scored off Phehlukwayo, and he conceded 33 runs- the most England have taken off an over in T20 cricket!
Tristan Stubbs 72 vs England First T20 international
He made his debut against India earlier this year, but didn’t get to bat or bowl. This was Tristan Stubbs’ first real innings with the bat in senior cricket, and he delighted fans and pundits alike with a stunning 72 (28), that included 8 sixes- South Africa as a team scored only nine in the entire game.
He also showed great mental fortitude to recover with the bat following a 20 run over with the ball, although his figures could’ve been way better if Rilee Rossouw had not dropped a sitter in the drop. Continue reading “Tristan Stubbs 72 (28) vs England 2022, South Africa dropped catches first T20 Bristol, Phehlukwayo 33 run over- Talking Points”
