England beat South Africa in second men's T20 – as it happened

Chris Jordan is talking, now England’s joint-leading IT20 wicket taker. “We got a lot of things right in the bowling department. More or less chatting every single ball to each other in the bowling department. [Making improvements] I think it was more individual, making those personal assessments, making those wrongs right.”

On Dawid Malan: “That type of innings shows why he is number one right now, soaked up a lot of pressure, assessed the situation, unfortunately got out to a very good catch.”

Man of the match: Dawid Malan. “Try not to think about [being No. 1], doesn’t guarantee you runs, or a place in the team. The bowlers set that win up for us.”

De Kock: “Dawid batted really well, Morgan led from the front. We just need to keep going, keep learning. I said 150 could be a good score here, if one or two things had gone our way we could have won the game. Shamo [Shamsi] was a bit disappointed by his last game, I’m just really pleased that he put his hand up here and keeps learning. Every time you play is different, every stadium had a different feel, it takes learning and the boys have to keep learning fast.”

Morgan: “We weren’t up with the run-rate, but we’ve guys who can hit boundaries all down the order, Dawid played really well today. I think the experience helps, holding your nerve having been there before and with no crowd there are not as many distractions as there normally are. Everybody contributed, the wickets shared around by different names, the bowlers did an excellent job today. It is a completely different challenge with no crowd, like playing away from home all the time, we like to try and create our own level of intensity but in big moment of the game you notice it. Adil Rasid was outstanding at Newlands and almost went unnoticed as he normally does, and great to see him perform, an integral part of our future. We need to use this and the next series in India to iron out everyone’s role in the team.”

And that’s it. The final game of the series is on Friday. Good night!

In the end, perhaps it just came down to England having a bigger bounce in their boot. Like the first match, South Africa had their chances, but couldn’t get over the line. Beautiful bowling from Shamsi in particular and fearsome speed from Nortje. For England, Malan was magnificent, as was Rashid.

Thanks to all of you for your company, to Nigel Smith, right now trying to drag the dog out for a walk in thick Bristolian fog, and everyone in more exotic climes. Just hanging on for the awards.

19.5 overs: England 147-6 (Jordan 6, Morgan 26) Off the penultimate ball, Chris Jordan elbow-swings Rabada to square leg and that’s the win!

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Curran plays on trying to squirt a single. Three needed off four balls.

19th over: England 144-5 (Sam Curran 1, Morgan 26) Nortje takes the penultimate over, not fun for Sam Curran to walk into. Just singles and dots to take things to the final ball, but then Morgan top-edges a lucky cut just to the left of the wrong-footed de Kock. Three needed from six balls.

18th over: England 136-5 (Sam Curran 0, Morgan 20) Malan swing-balls Ngidi for four and thick-edges him the next for another. Then a straight six to bring up his fifty (39 balls). Total class. Falls at the last, but the work is (probably) done. Incidentally, does anyone else hear a resemblance between Mark Nicholas’ and Boris Johnson’s wordplay?

After a monstrous over, Malan tries a shot too far and is undone by an astonishing bit of fielding from Hendricks on the boundary who leaps into the air, catches it, senses he is about to fall over the boundary, tips it back into the air, falls over the boundary, leaps back and catches the rebound.

17th over: England 118-4 (Malan 39, Morgan 15) Malan drives Rabada past a diving fielder and picks up a run. Morgan can’t get the second away, nor the third, a snappy 89mph. A couple from the fourth, a smart cover-boundary from the fifth and four more from the last, over a stretching de Kock’s hands. Eleven from the over. 29 needed from 18 balls.

16th over: England 107-4 (Malan 38, Morgan 9) Gorgeous from Malan, four through wide extra-cover off Nortje. And another, a little more ploughman, but the same effect. 40 neeeded from four overs. South Africa at the same stage were 108-5.

John Starbuck writes with a spot of advice: “Tone White is almost certainly a painter if he’s using a sable 3 brush, though he might be a make-up artist too.”

Ah, thanks John. And apologies Tone.

15th over: England 97-4 (Malan 29, Morgan 8) If Eoin Morgan had an aftershave, it would surely be Insouciance! He slams Ngidi for six. Malan (Fire) cut-pings him for four.

14th over: England 85-4 (Malan 24, Morgan 1) Shamsi now has his best figures in IT20s: 3-19. Much hilarity on Sky after Nasser Hussain praises Stokes as the best slog-sweeper in cricket one ball, then he is out playing the same shot the next. England crumbling rather on a slow pitch.

His second slog-sweep of the over flops. Down on one knee, forgets to watch the ball, easy catch to de Kock.

13th over: England 77-3 (Malan 23, Stokes 10) Rabada’s back. I can tell you bog all about the over as I was so busy reading all the emails from non-exotic locations. Over to you Peter and Hugh and Graeme.

Peter Wood, “In response to your post about followers not in exotic locations, I’m you’re huckleberry. Bristol do you? Epicentre of the Coronavirus outbreak to boot surrounded, as I am, by students. It’s grey, cold and damp and I was counting on the cricket to afford, as Iggy Pop had it, a moment of pleasantry in this zombie birdhouse. Oh well; darn that dream.”

Hugh Maguire: “I’m sat here on the beach with the warm water lapping my toes while I nibble on...Actually, I’m in bed with labarynthitis, it’s already getting dark here in Glasgow, and I don’t know if it’s the grey weather or the weak winter sun setting behind 1000s of feet of dense clouds. But good to know there is cricket happening and England are managing to make this a contest by chucking away a few wickets.”

Graeme Thorn: “I’m your reader in not-so-glamorous Worksop. What with this, the F1,the rugby union and all the football, I’m having to run multiplescreens just to keep up with everything.

12th over: England 73-3 (Malan 21, Stokes 8) Shamsi pins Stokes on the stumps. The umpire doesn’t fancy it - but South Africa do. It pitches in line and hits, but the reluctant umpire’s call means Stokes remains. Target 74 off 48 balls.

11th over: England 58-3 (Malan 19, Stokes 7) Malan goes against the spin of Linde, beautifully holding his shape and sending the ball through cover and for four. Mark Nicholas tells us that Malan is currently the World’s no. 1 IT20 player. A surprise for everyone. Stokes reverse-golfs the last ball for four.

That could be it Gary! I was just wondering if he was the spirit of Jonty Rhodes?

10th over: England 58-3 (Malan 12, Stokes 2) There I was contemplating England knocking this off in 14 overs. Shamsi the man, and Stokes and Malan can do no more than tip him for singles.

Bairstow decides to throw caution to the soft Paarl wind and comes a cropper, going down on one knee to lift the ball, only for it to descend into the hands of Hendricks at deep midwicket. Hero to zero, as they say, or possibly used to say.

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9th over: England 55-2 (Malan 11, Baristow 3) Three dots and three singles. Hmmmm.

“After hearing of goat’s cheese pretzels and cold beef baguettes, I feel rather guilty at having enjoyed spaghetti with clams expertly cooked by my Neapolitan wife Roberta,” muses Colum. “This should be a canter for England but Roy looking very tentative. As my friend Simon pointed out to me shortly before joining the party, the ground is absolutely stunning. It’s a pretty murky day here in Naples so nice to see a sun-kissed South African ground.”

Naples? South West France? I think you’re all pulling my leg. Where is my reader in Birmingham or Woking?

8th over: England 52-2 (Malan 9, Baristow 1) Shamsi, altogether a more stocky figures , tucked in shirt, tight-fitting green trousers, action a whirl of head and low arm. Buttler suckered! South Africa suddenly have some grip.

Buttler utterly hoodwinked. He takes three steps down the pitch, the ball spits and jags and the stumps are gone.

7th over: England 48-1 (Malan 8, Buttler 21) For Adil Rashid, read George Linde. Malan doesn’t waste his time and reverse-sweeps him straight to the boundary. Linde tall, shirt untucked, reminds me of someone - not helpful I know but I promise to tell you when I remember.

6th over: England 41-1 (Malan 2, Buttler 20) Ngidi, so useful a wicket-taker for South Africa in IT20s. Buttler plays with angles, opening the face and sending Ngidi past the short third man for four, then a lip-smacking wrist-flick, weight on the back foot, four through point. And a third! Power play comparisons - South Africa 50-2 at the same stage.

“Not quite Australian temperatures, “writes Richard Hirst, “but our part of SW France is gloriously sunny and warm - definitely cricket weather!” Perfection.

5th over: England 28-1 (Malan 1, Buttler 8) Nortje again, 149 kph, strong legs, swift arm. Malan, back at the ground where he made his first class debut, first toe-ends a yorker out, then is slammed in the left shoulder, then in the box area. He crouches down in some pain.

Tone White is lyrical on a Sunday afternoon. “Head down working on sunday but, yourself in charge, cricket somewhere in the world, sun sprinkled over my patch of S of France - even if I can’t go out - just knowing that there is sanity at large is comforting.The scores? Who cares, just lots of balls and bats and stumps and pads and umpires and howzats and all the rest of civilised life.
Phew! Now, where’s that number 3 sable hair brush?”

I’m intrigued - the hairbrush - for a horse? A dog?

4th over: England 25-1 (Malan 0, Buttler 7) Yet another change as Ngidi gets a go. Roy ticks over with a straight thud for a couple, then purrs, a two-footed slam through cover for four, before trying to build a very complicated aeroplane with meccano and making a complete hash of it.

A one-legged attitude, a helicopter swing of the bat and safely pocketed this time.

3rd over: England 17-0 (Roy 8, Buttler 6) Roy is given out to Nortje’s first ball, thwacked on the ankle of his back leg, but they decide to review with milliseconds on the clock and the decision is overturned, though Roy will have a huge fat bruise to contemplate in the bubble. Nortje looks even more displeased when Rabada somehow lets the ball slip through his hands after Buttler had half-pulled to mid-on.

2nd over: England 15-0 (Roy 5, Buttler 7) Rabada takes the white ball: short, swift run-up. Roy treats the ball as if it is a particularly nasty man-eating bug, Buttler hoop him for four over backward square.

And yet another email from the frozen north, “Bet you never knew you had so many readers here in Scandinavia” taps Julian Menz. “Yes, it’s a grim day here in Sweden. I was going to go down the pub to watch the football, but am staying home.”

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1st over: England 8-0 (Roy 5, Buttler 0) And, surprise, surprise, George Linde opens to Jason Roy from the Old Stables end with his left arm spin. Roy nearly replicates his dismissal in the first match to the very first ball of the game. A couple more awkward prods, before a morale-boosting thud through backward square to the boundary. Atherton thinks his batting “slump” is more to do with rustiness than weakness against spin.

A musical cricketer arrives via Mark Hooper, “Mark Butcher is a half-decent guitarist and used to be known for entertaining the pre-match Crystal Palace crowd at one of the locals near Selhurst Park.”

Will today be a Jason Roy day? He and Jos Buttler are on their way to the middle.

Really tasty goat’s-cheese bagel, though I can’t stop thinking about the stuffed parathas my friend Neeru said she was having for breakfast in Delhi this morning. Just walked in to Nasser and Wardy singing Adil Rashid’s praises and the importance of captaincy when dealing with leg-spinners.

A flurry of welcome messages: from Tom Marlow in Sweden, “Rest assured your commentary is being doggedly followed and bringing a ray of sunshine to this dank and grey Sunday afternoon”[thank you!] and Bob O’Hara in Norway.

A snappy performance in the field by England. Adil Rashid is cornered as he comes off, says the surface is, “on the slow side, there is a bit of grip there.” He feels England are comfortable chasing 147. South Africa got within touching distance of that 150 in the end, thanks to the partnership of 44 between George Linde and van der Dussen. Time for a quick bite to eat, back in five mins.

20th over: South Africa 146-6 (Rabada 5, van der Dussen 25) Eoin Morgan showing great faith in Tom Curran, trusting him with the final over. Both Rabada and van der Dussen fail to capitalise on a couple of full tosses, then Rabada drives on one knee, drilling the ball past the grasping hand of Jordan down on the boundary. A bye off the last ball and that’s that.

19th over: South Africa 139-6 (Rabada 0, van der Dussen 24) Linde and van der Dussen pick up the pace, Linde dances Jordan through third man for four, then the pair canter between the wickets, Linde throwing himself full length at the crease. That third off the last ball was greedy, but still 12 from the over.

“On the east coast here, Tanya,” replies Simon McMahon, “so no snow yet, though might have to break with tradition early this year and put the kilt away and turn the heating on for an hour if this cold spell continues. Or I could just crack open the whisky I suppose.” Would it be terribly southern to suggest both?

Stokes slips in the field, South Africa try to steal a third, but underestimate Stokes’ arm and Jordan removes the bails with Linde well short.

18th over: South Africa 127-5 (Linde 18, van der Dussen 23) Boundaries! Galore! Linde gets down on one knee and slams Tom Curran through cover for four, then lofts him for six towards the police van parked on the boundary. Fifteen off the over. Two to go.

“Hi Tanya.” “Hello Peter Rowntree!”
“I am sure that there must be quite a few good musicians amongst the current cricketer crop, guitar players and the like. But one who was quite a notable musician from time past was Phil Sharpe who was quite a useful and noted Ukulele player.”

That’s a great call. I could only thing of Henry Olonga for his opera singing.

17th over: South Africa 112-5 (Linde 6, van der Dussen 21) The pavilion at Paarl is low, with a pale-green roof, the stands nicely shaded for the ghosts who currently sit there. Archer slides in, on target, snappy, unhittable. Gives one away at the end with a too-short bouncer. Four off the over and a tasty day’s work by Archer.

16th over: South Africa 108-5 (Linde 5, van der Dussen 19) Jordan’s third over doesn’t give South Africa much respite, apart from a wild wide.

An email! Thank you Simon McMahon, “Afternoon Tanya. Mixed feelings about those pictures from Sydney and Paarl, seeing as it’s currently about 2 degrees above freezing here in (admittedly a dry, sunny) Scotland. Still, international cricket is back and that’s got to be good news wherever you are. Roll on 2021 though, I think a world record beer snake is on the cards next summer ...”

As beautiful as that Sydney sky looks, Im not I could cope with 40 degrees in the day and the 30s at night... today was their hottest ever November day. Any snow yet in your part of Scotland?

15th over: South Africa 102-5 (Linde 4, van der Dussen 15) Archer back, and immediately has a two-armed lbw shout against Linde , but England don’t review. Tv replays prove them right. Just five singles from the over and 150 is disappearing over the horizon. There is literally not a cloud at the sky.