South Africa beat England by 14 runs in rain-hit Cardiff T20
Proteas set 97 before DLS revised England target to 69 off five overs; England finish 54-5
South Africa defeated England by 14 runs via the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method after a rain-affected opening Twenty20 international at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff.
A delayed start and two separate weather interruptions reduced the contest to nine overs per side before further rain meant South Africa batted only 7.5 overs and England's chase was cut to five overs with a revised target of 69. The Proteas reached 97 for five in their shortened innings, and England were 54 for five when play ended.
Captain Aiden Markram top-scored for South Africa with a brisk 28 off 14 balls as the tourists attacked from the outset. Dewald Brevis added an entertaining 23 off 10 before he was removed by Sam Curran, who had been recalled to the England side and dismissed Brevis with his first delivery. Donovan Ferreira finished unbeaten on 25 off 11.
Late in the warm-up build-up, England made a change when Jofra Archer was left out of the XI and Luke Wood was brought in. Wood struck in the first over, removing Ryan Rickelton, and finished with figures of 2 for 22 as England attempted to restrict the Proteas in the shortened innings.
When rain returned, the match officials revised England's chase under DLS to 69 runs from five overs. The hosts were forced into a high-risk approach and lost early wickets. Phil Salt was dismissed at fine leg from the very first ball of the chase, Jacob Bethell fell for seven when he chipped to cover, and captain Harry Brook was out without scoring after a chaotic four-ball duck. Jos Buttler provided resistance with 25 off 11 balls, including three sixes, but England were left requiring 26 from the final five deliveries after reaching 43 for five.
Sam Curran struck a six which briefly offered hope, but South Africa's bowlers closed out the win. Marco Jansen and Corbin Bosch took two wickets apiece in England's curtailed innings. Jansen finished with 2 for 18.
The result hands South Africa a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. The teams will meet again on Friday at Old Trafford, where the forecast again predicts rain.
The match underlined the impact of weather on a tightly scheduled white-ball series and the pressure shortened formats place on batting sides forced to chase revised targets. No injuries were reported following the match, and both teams are expected to name largely similar XIs for the next meeting, subject to conditions and fitness assessments.