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England beat South Africa by nine wickets in third men's T20 – as it happened

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Dawid Malan hit 99 not out as England chased down a formidable target of 192 in nerveless fashion to seal a 3-0 series win

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Tue 1 Dec 2020 15.39 ESTFirst published on Tue 1 Dec 2020 10.12 EST
Dawid Malan is applauded off the field of play by batting partner Jos Buttler as the South African team look on.
Dawid Malan is applauded off the field of play by batting partner Jos Buttler as the South African team look on. Photograph: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images
Dawid Malan is applauded off the field of play by batting partner Jos Buttler as the South African team look on. Photograph: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

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Malan on 99 as England seal series sweep

Dawid Malan left himself stranded on 99 not out as he and Jos Buttler fired England to a 3-0 series sweep over South Africa with a stunning run chase in Cape Town.

Heading to Newlands 2-0 up, Eoin Morgan’s side were presented with their stiffest challenge yet, as South Africa set a target of 192 on a used pitch. They breezed to a nine-wicket win thanks to a staggering stand between Malan and Buttler worth 167 in just 85 balls.

Man of the match in Paarl, Malan was in sensational form again as he smashed five sixes and 11 fours in his 47-ball knock, but was so laser-focused on the result he left himself short of a second T20 century by running a quick single to win it with 14 balls still remaining and Buttler unbeaten on 67.

The tourists were far from perfect with the ball, with Rassie van Dussen (74no) and Faf du Plessis (52no) also excellent with a fierce century partnership of their own. There was a landmark moment for Chris Jordan, who became England’s record T20 wicket-taker when he dismissed Quinton de Kock, overtaking Stuart Broad’s mark of 65. PA

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“Extremely pleasing,” says Eoin Morgan. “At the toss probably both of us got it wrong [by wanting to bat first], thinking it was going to be quite a stodgy wicket. It played really well, meaning that the margin error for the bowlers was really small. The wicket continued to get better and better, and Dawid and Jos were absolutely outstanding. To win a game in that fashion builds a lot of confidence in the dressing-room.”

If this was England before an injection of confidence, I shudder to think what they’ll be like in the 50-over series. Asked where they need to improve, Morgan says “the bowling was a little bit off... Striving for that collective performance on any given day is important.”

His decision to stick with the first XI was certainly vindicated. And so was his decision to leave out Joe Root, who may well return on Friday – as Malan flies home.

I’ll see you then. For now, all we can do is gawp at the power of England’s batting. To anyone old enough to remember how awful they’ve often been at one-day cricket, it is truly staggering.

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Malan is duly named Player of the Series, and also Player of the Match. “Gotta give it to them,” says Quinton de Kock, “they blew us away.”

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The series ends in a whitewash, which is very hard on South Africa. They nearly won the first game, competed decently in the second, and did well to set a big target tonight after a sluggish start. And still they lost 3-0. It may not be much consolation that the undoubted man of the series, Malan, has a South African accent.

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So England went to No.1 in the T20 rankings, and Dawid Malan showed why he’s the world No.1 batsman. He now averages 53 in T20 internationals, with a strike rate of 149 runs per hundred balls. He’s a sort of studious whirlwind.

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A tale of two stands

The stands at Newlands stand sadly empty, but the stands compiled by two pairs of batsmen where overflowing. Faf du Plessis and Rassie van der Dussen made a game of it by adding 127 off 66 balls, unbroken. But then Dawid Malan and Jos Buttler took one look at that stand and built a skyscraper of their own: a partnership of 167 off 90 balls, also unbroken. Buttler finished on 67, Malan on a tantalising 99.

Since the brief flurry of wickets at the start of the evening, we’ve seen 294 runs for one wicket off 156 balls. Maybe John Starbucks (5th over) was right: it is a batsman’s game.

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England win by nine wickets and top the rankings

Malan pushes for a single, doesn’t go for the second, and gets stranded on 99! But he’s made the most memorable 99 not out for England since Alex Tudor in 1999. And that’s game over. England win the series 3-0, and go top of the world in Twenty20. Since they won the World Cup, they’ve got even better.

Jos Buttler and Dawid Malan celebrate amongst the South Africans. Photograph: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images
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Mid-18th over: England 191-1 (Buttler 67, Malan 98) Sipamla returns and Malan lofts him for, you guessed it, another six, straight this time, before chipping for four over extra cover. The scores are level and Malan’s got 98...

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17th over: England 179-1 (Buttler 66, Malan 88) de Kock plays his last card, bringing back Nortje, but then has to watch helpless as the extra pace carries Malan’s top edge over his shoulder. Buttler makes more orthodox use of the pace on the ball, angling a cut for four. The partnership is now 154 off 85 balls – truly monstrous.

“Is there a more underappreciated player than Dawid Malan at the moment?” asks Guy Hornsby. “He’s like Chris Gayle and Ben Stokes in the guise of an accountant. Underestimate him at your peril. How you can leave him out is beyond me.” I wonder if the selectors are thinking of putting him back in the Test team – perhaps not for Sri Lanka and India, but for the Ashes.

16th over: England 168-1 (Buttler 60, Malan 83) Lungi Ngidi somehow bowls an over for only three runs. Give that man a medal – but England need only 24 at a run a ball, which should still be a doddle.

Here’s Brian Withington. “Something of a post-apocalyptic vibe,” he observes, “at the aptly named Six Gun Grill, with deserted stands and building site environ. Almost expecting to see a leather-jacketed YJB arrive at the crease on a roaring Harley Davidson brandishing a sawn-off. If needed.”

15th over: England 165-1 (Buttler 58, Malan 82) Buttler, facing Shamsi, comes up with the most outrageous shot yet: a mishit pull that still goes for six, just over the man at midwicket. Malan rubs it in with a reverse sweep for four, plays and misses, then carves for four over extra-cover, and finishes off with an on-drive for six more. He could get a hundred if he’s not careful.

Since Reeza Hendricks was out, which feels like several years ago, we’ve had 292 runs for one wicket off 25.3 overs. The wicket was that of Jason Roy, who may be wondering what he’s done to offend the cricket gods.

14th over: England 143-1 (Buttler 51, Malan 68) Malan swings Ngidi for another effortless six, and then a full toss lands on the edge of the cut strip and vaults way over the head of de Kock. He must be quite tempted to give up the captaincy. Opening, keeping and captaining: something’s got to give.

13th over: England 130-1 (Buttler 50, Malan 61) What would Eoin Morgan do, de Kock wonders. He’d bring back his main man, Nortje. It half-works as Nortje concedes only five, but Buttler glances a single to reach 50 off 34 balls. The last 27 of those have come off 11 balls: it’s like watching one of those planned demolitions.

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12th over: England 125-1 (Buttler 49, Malan 57) Fully in the groove now, Buttler swings Shamsi for six over midwicket. Malan responds with a gorgeous chip over extra-cover for four, to reach his fastest fifty for England off only 26 balls. He does like to celebrate and this time it’s a six, slog-swept. That’s 19 off the over, 40 off the last two, and a hundred partnership off 53 balls. That’s even quicker than du Plessis and van der Dussen. Phenomenal batting.

Dawid Malan smashes another six. Photograph: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images
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11th over: England 106-1 (Buttler 43, Malan 44) Buttler seems to have noticed that he was dawdling, by his high standards. When Sipamla comes back, Buttler goes deep in the crease to hammer six over long-on, and six more over square leg. Then he misses a tennis smash at a slow bouncer, for which the unfortunate Sipamla is penalised with a wide. After a two and a couple of singles, Buttler finishes the over with a superb stroke, whipped through the covers like something from the squash court. That’s 21 off the over. England need 86 off nine, and SA desperately need a wicket.

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10th over: England 85-1 (Buttler 23, Malan 44) Malan again celebrates his escape with a four, sweeping a loose ball from Shamsi. He is motoring along at almost two runs a ball (44 off 23), whereas Buttler is labouring along at less than one (23 off 24). At the halfway stage England still have their noses in front. And the drizzle is now being chased away by the wind. It’s all happening.

9th over: England 77-1 (Buttler 21, Malan 38) Quinton de Kock, who makes fewer bowling changes than Eoin Morgan, lets Linde finish his spell, but may regret it as Malan slams a cover-drive. South Africa need to get rid of him, and they miss a golden chance as the batsmen steal a second and Bavuma’s exemplary throw is fumbled by de Kock. Sportingly, de Kock holds both hands up, a gesture which should have saved the officials about three minutes’ delay in confirming that it’s not out. Now we have some drizzle, with England narrowly ahead on Duckworth-Lewis-Stern.

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8th over: England 69-1 (Buttler 20, Malan 31) Suddenly it’s spin at both ends as Tabraiz Shamsi brings out his left-arm wristy stuff. Malan greets him imperiously, with a reverse sweep for four. He’s been outscoring Buttler, which doesn’t happen often in white-ball cricket – Zak Crawley managed it in their monster partnership in England’s last Test. Twelve overs left, and 123 needed.

7th over: England 61-1 (Buttler 18, Malan 25) Linde returns, and he’s still keeping it tight. Buttler tries a reverse sweep, but it only goes about ten yards, and therefore may not have the desired effect of rearranging the field. Linde has bowled three overs for 18, a triumph in the circumstances, and the required rate creeps over 10.

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6th over: England 56-1 (Buttler 16, Malan 22) Malan celebrates his reprieve with a cut for four, and then there are a few singles, before poor Ngidi serves up a full-toss and Buttler helps himself from the buffet. The PowerPlay, easily their best of the series, ends with England narrowly on top.

Wicket? Malan given LBW b Ngidi 16

Lungi Ngidi’s first ball is a good one, hitting middleish, but did it pitch outside leg? Buttler thinks it might have, so we have a review. He called the Roy one right...

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5th over: England 45-1 (Buttler 11, Malan 16) As Roy has gone, Linde can take a break. On comes Lutho Sipamla, Rabada’s understudy, who bowls muscular medium-fast. He starts with a no-ball, called curiously late, and the free hit is a true freebie – a short ball outside leg, which Malan just has to help on its way for six. Sipamla recovers well, beating Buttler outside off.

“Gary Naylor may well be correct,” reckons John Starbuck, picking up on the thoughtful point from the 15th over. “It could be that the evolution of the shorter forms, as in the IPL, has happened most on sub-continental pitches, not known for their swing as in England. Yes, I know we invented ODIs and T20s, but the prospect of seaming bowling must have put off many batters and, as we all know, they are the ones to dictate the game. It’s no great surprise that big boundary strokes are the main pulling power.” True, but the easier a game is for the batters, the more likely it is to be won by a bowler – one spell of two for 20 can be decisive.

4th over: England 34-1 (Buttler 9, Malan 8) Buttler had just made up for a slow start by pulling Nortje for six, off the front foot. And Dawid Malan, who’s usually a slow starter, races out of the blocks with a pull for four and a nick for four more. Game on!

Wicket! Roy LBW b Nortje 16 (England 25-1)

First blood to Nortje! His pace, and a bit of movement back in off the seam, are too much for poor old Roy, who departs like a cartoon character, with the weight of the world on his shoulders. He made 16 off 14 balls, which is far from terrible.

3rd over: England 18-0 (Roy 16, Buttler 2) Roy manages to chip Linde for two, endures a pair of dots, then finally sweeps him for four. Double figures! He misses out on a short ball, but dances down the track to lofts the last one for six. That’s the first big over for England: now they just need 17 more.

2nd over: England 6-0 (Roy 4, Buttler 2) Armed with a new bat, Roy uses it shrewdly to deflect Nortje for two to backward square and then a single to third man. This is already one of Roy’s better innings of 2020. Jos Buttler opens his account with a pull for two to midwicket, hurried but controlled.

1.1 overs: England 1-0 (Roy 1, Buttler 0) At the other end, it’s fast right-arm in the form of Anrich Nortje, pronounced Norkear. With his first ball, he coolly breaks Roy’s bat.

1st over: England 1-0 (Roy 1, Buttler 0) It’s Jason Roy’s worst nightmare: opening up against George Linde, the little-known slow left-armer who got him out here the other day. Roy does well to take a single off the second ball. But Linde does well too, reeling off four dots to Jos Buttler. South Africa are right on top.

“Re the signalling to the players,” says Gary Naylor, “I think it’s Jofra’s and Sam’s seats on the flight home. Looks like where their minds are just now.” Nice jibe, but that seems harsh on Sam Curran, who remained completely switched on. He drew the false shot that should have been van der Dussen’s undoing in the 19th over, and then he did his damnedest to pull off a two-man catch on the boundary. We can forgive Jofra too – he has spent too much time in bubbles this year, and he’s bowled so many great spells.

An innings of two halves

From their first 11 overs, South Africa managed only 70. From the next four, they added 37 – better but still not spectacular. And then they went ballistic. The 16th over, bowled by Tom Curran, cost 16, and then du Plessis and van der Dussen tucked into Jofra Archer of all people, helping themselves to 22 – the most Archer had ever conceded in one T20 over.

An over from Jordan then went for nine, one from Sam Curran for 17, and the last, from Jordan, for 20. This was a tremendous display of clean hitting. If there had been a crowd in, they would have been thrilled.

The signs were there

It turns out that the England balcony were holding up signs, saying things like 4E, which seem to have been messages from the team analysts to the captain and the bowlers. Full marks for innovation, and none for impact – unless they irritated the South Africans, and inspired that blitz.

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SA finish on 191-3

20th over: South Africa 191-3 (du Plessis 52, van der Dussen 74) The thankless task of bowling the last over falls to Jordan, who starts with a leg-stump full toss, duly clipped for four by van der Dussen. The partnership is now 111, a new SA record for the fourth wicket in T20s. van der Dussen celebrates with a six that’s a kind of straight sweep, down on one knee. This is his best in T20 internationals. Jordan does well to concede only a two off the next ball, and then even manages a dot, but the fifth is a tame length ball that goes for yet another straight six. The last ball is technically dropped, as Sam Curran dives almost over the boundary at deep square and tries to pass the parcel to Archer, but doesn’t quite reach him.

The partnership is 127, unbroken, off 66 balls – a fabulous turnaround after a limp start. The last five overs went for 84. Can England match that? The gauntlet has been thrown down.

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