SA v Eng 2nd T20I Review: AB de Villiers special takes South Africa to a 2-0 series win

A trademark AB de Villiers inning of 71 from 29 deliveries saw the rampant South Africa decimate a hapless England. The mammoth 9-wicket win meant South Africa not only win the match but also the T20I series 2-0. It will add confidence to the seasoned Proteas unit as their next T20I assignment is the World T20 in March.

Playing on a batting paradise at the Wanderers in Johannesburg, South Africa skipper Faf du Plessis called the toss correctly and invited England to bat first. The visitors got off to a bad start as Jason Roy’s middle stump was uprooted by the impressive Kagiso Rabada. The Proteas however, failed to capitalize on Rabada’s strike as Alex Hales and Joe Root began counterattacking with a stern ferocity. Root in particular was sever on the South African bowlers as he smashed 4 boundaries and 2 massive sixes in his compilation of 34. Root and Hales fell in the same over as an England collapse was on the cards.

Skipper Eoin Morgan and Jos Buttler led a blistering revival as the visitors found themselves in the driving seat for the first time in the match. Morgan slammed four sixes in his innings of 38. Buttler too concluded his torrid run with the bat as he Buttler scored 54 as England found themselves coasting towards a competitive total. Faf du Plessis’ decision to toss the ball to Kyle Abbott proved to be a masterstroke. The Proteas seamer not only broke the Buttler-Morgan partnership but also removed Sam Billings and Chris Jordan. What followed was an unprecedented collapse by the Brits. England were eventually restricted to 171as they lost their last 7 wickets for just 14 runs.

In response to the total of 171, Eoin Morgan handed the trusted Chris Jordan the new ball. Little did he know what was about to hit him. AB de Villiers signaled his intent early on in the innings as he smashed the England bowling all over the park. Facing Ben Stokes, Chris Jordan and Reece Topley, de Villiers showed no mercy as he put the England attack to the sword.

Running out of options, Morgan handed the ball to Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid. However, they too weren’t spared by de Villiers as the Proteas batsman seemed in an unbelievable nick. He smashed 71 off just 29 deliveries, smashing 6 fours and 6 sixes while his strike rate read a mammoth 244. De Villiers was supported by Hashim Ama who too had seemingly found his feet. Amla scored a surprising 69 off 38 balls with 8 fours and 3 sixes. He was joined by Faf du Plessis as the South Africans reached their total of 172 in 14.4 overs. AB de Villiers was awarded the man of the match for his blistering innings of 71.

The next time these two sides will meet will be on the 18th of March 2016 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Should England lose that fixture, they would have lost 5 T20Is in a row against South Africa.

Brief Scores:

England – 171 all out in 19.4 overs (Buttler 54; Abbott 3/26)

South Africa – 172/9 in 14.4 overs (de Villiers 71; Rashid 1/30)

Man of the match: AB de Villiers