Summary

  • England win with four balls to spare

  • Bairstow 86* off 48 balls

  • Stokes 37 (27), debutant Linde 2-20

  • Bairstow & Stokes add 85 from 34-3

  • SA 179-6: Du Plessis 58 (40)

  • Van der Dussen 37, S Curran 3-28

  • 1st T20, Cape Town; three-match series

  • South Africa's first game since March

  1. Postpublished at 19:01 Greenwich Mean Time 27 November 2020

    Tymal Mills
    England bowler

    Bairstow is doing a brilliant job - he's playing really, really well - and Ben Stokes is a real superstar of English cricket. There are under 100 runs needed and we're in for a brilliant finish.

  2. Eng 96-3published at 12 overs

    Target 180

    Now he's playing trick shots, opening the face to steer a wide one to the third man boundary, one bounce. At the same point, South Africa were 96-2. Fine margins.

  3. Postpublished at 18:59 Greenwich Mean Time 27 November 2020

    Jonathan Agnew
    BBC cricket correspondent

    With Stokes and Bairstow around and Morgan to come, you can never write England off.

  4. Eng 92-3published at 11.4 overs

    Target 180

    More brute force from Bairstow, who bullies a pull to the mid-wicket fence, beating the dive of a fielder who didn't have far to move.

  5. Postpublished at 18:57 Greenwich Mean Time 27 November 2020

    Jonathan Agnew
    BBC cricket correspondent

    England are rallying. They are still in the hunt.

  6. Eng 88-3published at 11.3 overs

    Target 180

    Beuran Hendricks comes back with his left-arm pace. With Linde bowled out and Shamsi only having two left, the majority of the rest will be from the pacers. Saying that, they will bowl A LOT of slower balls. Almost to extent we should call their normal pace a quicker ball.

  7. Eng 85-3published at 11 overs

    Target 180

    The fifty partnership between these two came up in 31 balls. The required rate is just above 10 an over. England have been going at 10s for five overs. Game on.

  8. 6 runs

    Eng 83-3published at 10.3 overs

    Target 180

    Brutal. Absolutely brutal.

    Bairstow picks an Ngidi slower ball, hangs back and murderously pulls it over mid-wicket. That's landed at the top of the grass bank. Huge.

  9. get involved

    Cricket ground bucket listpublished at 18:51 Greenwich Mean Time 27 November 2020

    Text 81111

    There are only two left on my cricket ground bucket list - Basin Reserve and Georgetown (the latter so I can say I've watched England on every continent).

    Paul in Southsea

    Basin ReserveImage source, Getty Images
  10. Eng 75-3published at 10 overs

    Target 180

    He might have been belted by Stokes in his last over, but that's a superb performance on debut by George Linde. 2-20 from his four overs, including the wickets of Roy and Malan. Some lovely left-arm tweak.

  11. 6 runs

    Eng 73-3published at 9.3 overs

    Target 180

    Stokes + Bairstow + Newlands = sixes.

    This time it's Stokes, sweeping Linde over cow corner. England are hitting their way back into this.

  12. Postpublished at 18:48 Greenwich Mean Time 27 November 2020

    Tymal Mills
    England bowler

    Bairstow may be proving a bit of a point here, striking the ball with venom. He'd prefer to opening, I'm sure.

  13. dropped catch

    Bairstow dropped on 24published at 9 overs

    Eng 65-3

    Officially a drop, but it would have been one of the greatest catches every taken.

    Faf du Plessis at long-on, flying like Superman to try to cling on to another mighty Bairstow whallop. One-handed, goalkeeper-style, high above his head. It doesn't stick, but it saves six.

  14. 6 runs

    Eng 61-3published at 8.2 overs

    Target 180

    Six more! A slog sweep.

    Beware the wounded Bairstow...

  15. Postpublished at 18:43 Greenwich Mean Time 27 November 2020

    Tymal Mills
    England bowler

    England were a bit rusty with the ball. It's been a struggle with the bat and the required rate is above 10 runs an over.

  16. 6 runs

    Eng 55-3published at 8.1 overs

    Target 180

    This is Bairstow playing like MS Dhoni. Very full from Shamsi, with Bairstow helicoptering it over long-on for a maximum.

  17. get involved

    Get Involvedpublished at 18:41 Greenwich Mean Time 27 November 2020

    #bbccricket

    Matty Nic: This game is poised for Stokes to hit a match-winning 150*.

  18. Eng 48-3published at 8 overs

    Target 180

    Linde has 3-10 from three overs. Edge of Glory belts out across the stadium. That's where George Linde is...

  19. How's stat?!published at 18:40 Greenwich Mean Time 27 November 2020

    Andy Zaltzman
    Test Match Special statistician

    That's the third time in their past seven games England have scored at under a run a ball in the powerplay. They hadn't done so in their previous 30 matches - since the World T20 final in 2016.

  20. Eng 45-3published at 7.4 overs

    Target 180

    As an aside, we're often told that Australia play in green and gold. They don't. They play in yellow. The South Africa kit is green and gold.

    Nice from Stokes, a skip to drive Linde to the cover fence, then another journey down the pitch. He's running at Linde.