Jonny Bairstow is out of position in this star-studded Twenty20 batting line-up at No4 but how he rose to yet another new challenge here with a quite brilliant display of hitting to blast England to an opening victory of their South African tour. That meant Bairstow had to drop to a position where he has least experience in the top six for this first of three Twenty20 internationals but that did not stop him rescuing England when it seemed South Africa would pull off a surprise win at an empty Newlands. South Africa made a stuttering start as perhaps befitted a team who had not played a game together since the start of the Covid crisis in March but they hit their stride through the figures of captains past and present in Faf du Plessis and Quinton de Kock. But the momentum was with England for the first time in the match and when they are in that kind of mood no chase seems impossible. That ended any doubt England had, Bairstow completing the job by hitting the first two balls of the last over from Lungi Ngidi for four and six.

Source: Daily Mail November 27, 2020 20:13 UTC