The Proteas clinched a nail biter off the last ball in East London to take a 1-0 series lead to Durban.
Kingsmead has had some terrible luck with the weather of late, but the forecast looks positive ahead of the penultimate match of England’s tour to South Africa.
Photo Copyright – Steve Haag Sports
Second T20I | Friday 14 February 2020 | Kingsmead, Durban | 18:00
To Win
South Africa 27/20
Tie 35/1
England 62/100
South Africa
The Proteas made life difficult for themselves in the opening match of the series, going off the boil with the bat after an excellent start and being erratic with the ball.
Lungi Ngidi showed his value though, holding his nerve on his return to international cricket to secure a 1-run win with a brilliant final over.
The Proteas can definitely improve in almost every area of the game, but they are not far off being a side that can compete with the best in T20I cricket.
Temba Bavuma should continue as opening partner to Quinton de Kock after another promising stand between the two, who have batted together a lot in Test cricket, albeit down the order.
Dwaine Pretorius went unused as a bowler in East London, and it would not be surprising to see him make way for Bjorn Fortuin at the more spin-friendly Kingsmead.
England
Eoin Morgan very nearly dragged the tourists over the line single-handedly but the skipper he will be disappointed with his role in the implosion of their chase at Buffalo Park.
It was strange that Morgan did not turn to Joe Denly for more overs of spin after his seamers took a pasting in the series opener but the performances of Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid should keep both in the XI when the series moves to Durban.
Tom Curran and Mark Wood certainly won’t feel terribly secure about their places in the team especially with Saqib Mahmood, Sam Curran and Pat Brown in reserve.
England will be terribly disappointed with how they have finished off T20 matches both in the series in New Zealand and now in South Africa. Chris Silverwood will want the team to be far more clinical if they find themselves on top at Kingsmead.
Verdict: South Africa 27/20
The Proteas got a confidence-boosting win at Buffalo Park and should have the goods to take the series.
Written by James Richardson for Hollywoodbets
