So, AB is in already. Not in the best of form, the SA destroyer. He is off the mark with a nudge to leg after a leg-side wide from Willey. Hendricks is in the runs soon after with a punch through cover that Jordan drags back and keeps to three.

Excellent start for the hosts, though.

Ebony Rainford-Brent
Ex-England batter on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra

It's good from Willey, he's on the mark. It swung a little bit but then cut a lot off the pitch. Smuts didn't quite move his feet.

David Willey to start with the ball for England. JJ Smuts to face. Word is he can hit it. We'll see...

We've got kids holding flags, music in the air and fireworks. Teams are out and we are moments away from this first T20 getting under way...

Ebony Rainford-Brent
Ex-England batter on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra

Roy is very free-flowing with the bat, but he couldn't get himself going in the Champions Trophy. He is very talented and will be around for a long time to come. He'll be alright. This is a perfect opportunity to come back.

Image source, Getty Images

Jos Buttler posted his highest ever T20 International score when England last appeared at this venue; smashing an unbeaten 73 off just 49 balls against Sri Lanka in July 2016.

The Lancashire man is reaching a big personal milestone in this format as well. He is just 57 runs away from becoming only the fourth man to record 1,000 T20 runs for England.

The three other men on that list? Eoin Morgan, Alex Hales and Kevin Pietersen.

Image source, Getty Images

South Africa come into this match having won three of their last four T20 Internationals against England. They did lose the most recent and most important, however, in the group stage of the 2016 World Twenty20 (with then then second-highest run-chase in T20 history). Forget the final. Just forget it!

England have registered four T20I victories in their last five outings in home conditions, while the Proteas have claimed seven wins in their last nine attempts on the road.

Where's your money?

Sonney Stelling: Not saying the England T20 kit is bad, but I may end up cheering for SA.

See? Bad kit. Speaking of which, what is the worst piece of kit you've ever seen on a cricket field? I'm thinking bad hats, dodgy jumpers or nearly perished jock straps.

You can contact us using the hashtag #bbccricket on Twitter.

By the way, that kit I was talking about...

Image source, Getty Images

Following the game from overseas tonight? Good news... you can listen to TMS via this external link., external

England XI: Hales, Roy, Bairstow, Morgan, Buttler, Billings, Dawson, Crane, Willey, Jordan, Wood.

South Africa XI: Hendricks, Smuts, De Villiers, Behardien, Mosehle, Pretorious, Parnell, Phehlukwayo, Shamsi, Tahir.

Hampshire leg-spinner Mason Crane, who is making his debut for England today, on Sky Sports: "I'm really proud. When you make your England debut, all your hard work has culminated in something. Working with Stuart McGill during the winter really helped, I have brought the skills back with me and tried to nail them in the county game for Hampshire."

England captain Eoin Morgan: "I haven't won a toss in quite a while, so it doesn't bother us whether we bat or bowl first.

"Mason Crane makes his debut. Finding a young leg-spinner who is so experienced is a huge asset - it's exciting to turn to a player like that. It's a long-term plan for us with Mason."

South Africa captain AB de Villiers: "It looks alright, like a normal wicket, maybe a touch slower. We'll try to get a total and defend it.

"We have four very talented new guys who have been consistent at home and we're expecting good things of them.

"The energy is back. It's been a tough few days. We're ready to play some good cricket.

"We want to win. We knew it won't be easy but we have some fireworks in the side."

AB calls heads. Heads it is. SA will set a total.

Image source, Getty Images

It is not quite a fresh start for England today, but there is definitely the feel of a side seeing what up-and-coming options it has beyond the established first XI.

Ben Stokes, Joe Root, Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid have been omitted from the squad, allowing the likes of Liam Livingstone, Tom Curran and Mason Crane to show us what they've got.

Mindful of the fact that a lot of cricket has been played in a short space of time and there is a Test series around the corner, South Africa have opted to give some of their big-hitters a breather, so out go the likes of Hashim Amla, Quinton de Kock and Kagiso Rabada and in come the relatively inexperienced Jon Jon Smuts (great name), Reeza Hendricks and Andile Phehlukwayo.

Image source, Getty Images

Yes, get the plastic wrapping off that frankly terrible new playing top, get the fireworks out of the box and prepare to press play on your upbeat tunes compilation because it is Twenty20 time again. As Ric Flair would say, woooooooooooooo!

Over the next five days, we have a trio of encounters between England and South Africa (another team licking their Champions Trophy wounds), starting this evening on a roasting south coast. Seriously, it is hotter than a freshly toasted pitta.

So if you still have some 50-over blues, allow Jason, Jonny, AB and Reeza to smash them away over a cathartic 40 overs of knack-slapping.