. Photograph: Stu Forster/Getty Images
Vic Marks' match report
20th over: England 171-6 (Dawson 7, Plunkett 0) Phehlukwayo slips a wide yorker through Dawson to secure a superb comeback victory for South Africa. England will feel they threw it away - they were 125 for one in the 14th - but South Africa, roused by an angry spell from Chris Morris, bowled excellently at the death. It means we have a series decider at Cardiff on Sunday, and also that we’ll be hearing plenty about Jason Roy’s controversial dismissal for obstructing the field. It was a brilliant game and an absolute triumph for Somerset. Thanks for your company, goodnight!
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SOUTH AFRICA WIN BY THREE RUNS!
Well bowled Andile Phehlukwayo!
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19.5 overs: England 171-6 (need 4 from one ball) Dawson nails a superb one-bounce four to long off. England need four to win or three for a Super Over.
WICKET! England 167-6 (Livingstone run out 16)
Oh dear. Livingstone tries to steal an imaginary second to keep strike, Dawson isn’t watching and South Africa have all the time in the world to run Livingstone out.
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19.3 overs: England 166-5 (need 9 from 3 balls) Just a single again. This is brilliant from South Africa.
19.2 overs: England 165-5 (need 10 from 4 balls) Just a single.
19.1 overs: England 164-5 (need 11 from five balls) If the scores are tied we’ll have a Super Over. It’ll be pitch black! Phehlukwayo will bowl the last over, and Dawson takes a single off his first ball.
19th over: England 163-5 (Livingstone 14, Dawson 1) The game was scheduled to finish at 8pm, so the light is a significant factor now. England need 12 from the last over.
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WICKET! England 162-5 (Morgan c de Villiers b Paterson 6)
Morgan has gone! He hit a low full toss towards mid-on, where de Villiers took the catch even though he couldn’t see the ball! He put his hands straight over his face in relief that a) he caught it and b) he didn’t wear it. Incredible stuff.
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18.3 overs: England 157-4 (Livingstone 14, Morgan 2) Paterson will bowl the penultimate over. Livingstone, who has played a scratchy innings, misses three consecutive deliveries outside off stump - but the last two are called wide, to the consternation of South Africa. I wish there was a playercam on Chris Morris right now. Livingstone then crunches a yorker down the ground, breaking his bat in the process. Pieces of his bat flew everywhere! There’s a delay while a new bat is brought out. England need 17 from nine balls.
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18th over: England 154-4 (Livingstone 13, Morgan 1) England need 21 from two overs. The light isn’t great now, and there are no floodlights. That may be a factor.
“Hi Rob,” says Michael Hann. “Much as I was enjoying Jason Roy’s innings, I am genuinely pleased to see him being given out obstructing the field, for crossing the pitch to run between the stumps and the throwing fielder (the thrown ball hit him, and he was given out). Some of you may recall the incident between England and New Zealand in 2008, when NZ were furious that Grant Elliott was given run out after colliding with Ryan Sidebottom, leaving him unable to make his ground. I suggested on a Guardian cricket thread at the time that Elliott should have been given out, but not run out - for obstructing the field. He looked up, and clearly and deliberately ran into Sidebottom’s path, to prevent him getting to the ball. People were outraged at my suggestion. I was always taught the batsmen run on opposite sides of the strip, but in recent years they have engaged in gamesmanship by both running on the side the ball is being fielded - it’s clearly trying to obstruct the field. Glad to see umpires doing something about it. Have a look at the Elliott incident.”
Yes, cricket does have a slightly erratic moral compass. See also: Mankading.
WICKET! England 153-4 (Buttler b Phehlukwayo 10)
Beautifully bowled! Phehlukwayo takes care of Buttler with an immaculate yorker, and England need 22 from 14 balls.
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17th over: England 146-3 (Livingstone 7, Buttler 8) South Africa were right to bowl out Morkel and Morris - doing so got them back into the match - but it means they are down to the change bowlers for the death overs. Paterson returns to the attack. A couple of you have mentioned that he has an interesting action, and I see what you mean. Buttler works him for four and then survives an LBW appeal by virtue of being outside the line. Livingstone then mishits a pull that lands short of long on. He’s not playing fluently; he may have been a bit unsettled by all that jazz with Morris.
Was there 100% proof that Jason Roy obstructed the field on purpose? On field umpire gave soft decision of not out? #controversial
— Alec Stewart (@StewieCricket) June 23, 2017
#GrenfellTower Please support our game with @HouseofCommons on Tuesday: https://t.co/WleU3jRpIs pic.twitter.com/USBdVWMQ5X
— Lashings All~Stars (@LashingsWorldXI) June 22, 2017
16th over: England 135-3 (Livingstone 7, Buttler 0) The new batsman is the returning hero Jos Buttler. Chris Morris is playing the villain. He rams a superb bouncer past Livingstone before attempting to establish once and for all whether looks can kill. Livingstone charges Morris’s last delivery, with the ball ending in the hands of slip. South Africa thought it was off the edge; the umpire Rob Bailey thought it came off the shoulder. Morris is fuming - and you can understand why, because Ultra-Edge suggests there was a top-edge onto the shoulder as Livingstone tried to deposit him towards Glastonbury. Morris ends a brilliant spell with figures of two for 18. England need 40 from 24 balls.
WICKET! England 133-3 (Roy obstructing the field 67)
Morris has pretty much told AB de Villiers that he will be bowling this over. He wants another crack at Livingstone. The first ball brings an appeal for obstructing the field against the non-striker Roy, and they are going upstairs. He was sent back by Livingstone and swapped over to the other side of the pitch to get in the line of the throw. I think he’ll be out here. And if he’s not, Chris Morris is going to go postal!
Here comes the decision ... he’s out! There are boos around Taunton but that’s an understandable decision. Roy played a fine, important innings of 67 from 44 balls.
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15th over: England 133-2 (Roy 67, Livingstone 6) Shamsi has bowled pretty well and has avoided significant punishment. Six from another boundaryless over, so England need 42 from 30 balls.
14th over: England 127-2 (Roy 65, Livingstone 2) Liam Livingstone has been promoted ahead of Eoin Morgan. He’s a tall batsman who gives the ball some almighty hammer. Morris gives him a serve, and then another, and then a third at the end of the over! No idea what that’s all about but Morris is stomping around with murderous intent. Great stuff.
“Is there anyone at Taunton reading a Band-by-Band (BBB ….. did i just invent that?) Report about Glastonbury?” says Alan Smith. “I think we need to be told?”
WICKET! England 125-2 (Bairstow c Behardien b Morris 47)
Bairstow falls three short of fifty, driving Morris to mid-on. That was another splendid innings, 47 from 37 balls.
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13th over: England 124-1 (Roy 64, Bairstow 47) A good over from Shamsi - four from the first five balls - is tarnished when Bairstow pulls four round the corner. This is turning into a run-stroll for England rather than a run-chase. Meanwhile, the Gaffer speaks sense, as always.
Well batted @JasonRoy20 Back doing what he does best. Let's not forget "form is temporary, class is permanent" 👍👏
— Alec Stewart (@StewieCricket) June 23, 2017
12th over: England 116-1 (Roy 62, Bairstow 41) Morkel is no-balled for disturbing the stumps during his bowling action. Bairstow crashes the free hit through extra cover for four. Morkel has bowled pretty well yet ends with grisly figures of 4-0-43-0 after consecutive boundaries from the increasingly fluent Roy. He has 62 from 37 balls and has played tremendously.
“It may be many years before the ground hosts another game, but Taunton will always have a special place in Indian hearts thanks to THAT partnership between Dravid and Ganguly against Sri Lanka at the 1999 World Cup,” says Dileep Premachandran. “After the recent coach fiasco, both men are centre stage again for various reasons. You think back to that sunlit day, and realise just how rapidly an era has passed.”
Quite. Something else happened that day as well. It was a long time ago, but only if you measure it in years.
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11th over: England 102-1 (Roy 54, Bairstow 36) The left-arm wrist-spinner Tabraiz Shamsi is coming into the attack, presumably with a bit of trepidation. Roy almost drags the first ball onto his stumps before reaching an excellent fifty with a huge straight six. That’s his first fifty of the international summer. As Roy Keane used to say to Dwight Yorke: welcome back.
“Re: over 9,” begins Ian Stewart. “Don’t tell Tim Woolias that Steps have reformed.”
Or that they’ve gone in a new, death-metal direction.
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10th over: England 92-1 (Roy 45, Bairstow 35) Morkel returns to the attack, with South Africa desperate for a wicket. A sizzling short ball beats everyone and goes for four byes, and then Bairstow nails a thrilling flat pull for six. He is a beast of a batsman.
9th over: England 80-1 (Roy 44, Bairstow 28) Loads of runs, a fast pitch and a great atmosphere: today has been a triumph for Taunton. The left-arm spinner JJ Smuts comes into the attack, and Bairstow hits consecutive boundaries down the ground. He has 28 from 23 balls. Bairstow isn’t in the form of his life; this is his level, the one he’s been at for a couple of years.
Meanwhile, we have a reader at Glastonbury! “Evening Rob,” writes David Beckham Tim Woollias. “I’m at the Park stage waiting for a ‘surprise’ act that is rumoured to be Elbow, the Killers, the 1975 or just about everyone.”
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8th over: England 68-1 (Roy 42, Bairstow 19) It’s not easy to get on top of the short ball on this pitch but Roy manages it, walloping a pull through midwicket for four off Phehlukwayo. Bairstow then hits consecutive boundaries down the ground, a classical drive followed by a ferocious tennis shot. An eventful over concludes with a very good shout for LBW when Bairstow walks across the stumps and misses. Rob Bailey says not out and there are no reviews in T20. Replays show it was shaving leg stump and would have been umpire’s call.
7th over: England 55-1 (Roy 37, Bairstow 11) Paterson zips a short one past Roy’s attempted tennis shot, with just four singles from the over.. South Africa have taken to a difficult task with admirable relish.
6th over: England 51-1 (Roy 35, Bairstow 10) Roy drags the new bowler Phehlukwayo towards cow corner, where Hendricks does superbly to save the boundary. England are well on course, even though their progress hasn’t been smooth against some lively pace bowling.
“David Beckham’s at Glastonbury at the mo - wonder what the chances are of him making an impromptu appearance at the County Ground,” says Andrew Benton. “Does Johnny Depp know what cricket is?”
I’m sure there’s an Edward Scissorhands joke about England’s fielding in the 1990s. Maybe even a mediocre one.
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5th over: England 45-1 (Roy 31, Bairstow 8) The right-arm seamer Dane Paterson replaces Morne Morkel, goes for 10. Roy pulls round the corner for four, which takes him to his highest international score of a difficult summer. He looks well on the road to recovery now. Bairstow then gets his second boundary, flicking Paterson just over the leaping Morkel at short fine leg.
“Rob,” says John Starbuck. “If anyone is actually at Glasto and reading the OBO can they let us know please?”
Well. Can you?
4th over: England 35-1 (Roy 27, Bairstow 4) Morris rips a lovely delivery past Bairstow’s outside edge, part of an exceptional over that is tarnished only partially when Bairstow laces the last ball through extra cover for four.
“Is Wood injured, or rested? Why in earth was he risked in a T20 in the first place?” says Tom Van der Gucht. “Surely they should’ve swaddled him in cotton wool and bubble wrap upon completion of the Champions Trophy to avoid any injury risk. If he is crocked, the England bowling line-up for the Tests could look pretty green! With Woakes, Broad and Anderson all racing for fitness, it would be interesting to see who the selections would plump for. A bit like in the India series in 2007 when Anderson, Sidebottom, Tremlett and Panesar all had to step up to the plate.”
Rested. Yeah they have a few contenders. A five-man attack probably allows you to play Wood in the most important Tests and use him in short bursts. Rashid should be the spinner but it’ll be Moeen, so then you need two more seamers. I suspect Ball and Roland-Jones are the next cabs on the rank.
3rd over: England 31-1 (Roy 27, Bairstow 0) Jason Roy takes four fours from Morkel’s second over! The first two were fortunate, inside-edged past the stumps, but he followed those with two terrific shots through midwicket and the covers.
2nd over: England 15-1 (Roy 11, Bairstow 0) “Rob,” says Dan Silk. “I’ve not been privileged to see Tom Curran close up before, and so the exciting hairstyle on display is new to me (photo presently atop the OBO). Is it actually the skin of some unfortunate animal, perhaps a small otter? And does this mark the start of a new trend, so we can expect to see Root wearing a hedgehog, Stokes probably part of a ginger wolverine, and indeed the Aussie team in assorted home marsupials? Or am I reading too much into this and it will go the way of the Dernbach?”
WICKET! England 15-1 (Billings c Miller b Morris 3)
Chris Morris’s opening delivery bursts past Roy’s attempted cut. There is lovely pace and bounce in this pitch, and later in the over Roy inside-edges an on-drive over square leg for four. This has been an encouraging start for South Africa, who need wickets if they are to win this match - and now they’ve got one! Billings mispulls Morris towards mid-off, where Miller slides to take a comfortable low catch.
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1st over: England 5-0 (Roy 4, Billings 1) South Africa need early wickets to undermine England’s runchase. They have a stronger attack today, not least because of the return of Morne Morkel. He gets some extravagant bounce in his first over, with Roy missing a swipe at a ball that trampolines past the top edge. No boundaries in the first over.
“Watching T20 cricket is the only way I get to experience modern music,” says Ian Copestake. “I do think though a miserablist playlist for T20 might work. A wicket falls so bang on Love will Tear Us Apart.”
20th over: South Africa 174-8 (Morkel 0, Paterson 4) Paterson smacks his first ball, the last of the innings, expansively over extra cover for four. That means England will need 175 to win. It’s a sizeable target, but on this ground they are favourites to win. See you in 15 minutes for the runchase.
WICKET! South Africa 170-8 (Behardien LBW b Jordan 32)
Behardien turns down a single off the first ball to keep the strike - and justifies the decision by lifting a full toss over square leg for six next ball. Those are his last runs, however, and he is plumb LBW to the penultimate delivery of the innings from Jordan.
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19th over: South Africa 164-7 (Behardien 26, Morkel 0) Tom Curran ends a really encouraging debut with figures of 4-0-33-3. Before the wicket of Phehlukwayo he was belted for six by Behardien. The much maligned Behardien has played well today, making 26 not out from 16 balls. Morkel turns down a single off the last delivery so that Behardien can keep strike.
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WICKET! South Africa 164-7 (Phehlukwayo b Curran 0)
Have some of that! Curran gets his third wicket with a cracking yorker that batters into Phehlukwayo’s off stump.
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WICKET! South Africa 157-6 (Morris c Roy b Curran 12)
Another wicket for the impressive Tom Curran, with Morris clouting a slower ball to long on. Curran has been excellent, particularly in this second spell. On this evidence, he has about 48 different slower balls.
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18th over: South Africa 156-5 (Behardien 18, Morris 12) Morris hoicks a full toss from Jordan to deep midwicket, where Livingstone drops an absolute sitter. Oh my, that didn’t look good. A good over for South Africa, 12 from it.
“On the subject of AB’s name, I always think his parents missed a trick in not calling him Charles or Cornelius,” says Adam Roberts. “Then he would be ABC De Villiers.”
He’d also have been bullied so much at school that he would have become an introvert whose only passion in life was solo dice games, meaning we’d never have seen him play cricket.
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17th over: South Africa 144-5 (Behardien 12, Morris 7) Behardien pings Willey over extra cover for four, the first boundary by somebody not called de Villiers since the 11th over. He’s dropped next ball by Jordan at mid-off. It looked a sitter at first, but it was travelling and it burst through Jordan’s hands to hit him in the jaw.
“The thing about de Villiers,” says Ian Copestake, “is that he does not just give himself width but gets below the ball, hitting it from as low a position as possible so it can go high.”
You certainly can’t say that about Adam Spamhead.
16th over: South Africa 136-5 (Behardien 6, Morris 5) Tom Curran returns to the attack, mixing up his pace and length during an excellent over. He showed off all his toys in that over, which cost just six.
“I’m with you on Plunkett, Rob,” says Guy Hornsby. “There’s nothing so lovely as a late-career renaissance, a Bobby Womack of willow and leather. It’s easy to forget he made his debut in 2005 in Lahore. He was a fresh-faced 20, and I was barely in my fourth decade. It was a different time. He’s really gained the nous only a 15-year career gives you, so it’s glorious to see this twilight phase so richly rewarding.”
Indeed. Not just a renaissance but a reinvention as well. He’s worth considering for the Test team, especially with the doubts over Anderson, Broad, Woakes and Wood.
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15th over: South Africa 130-5 (Behardien 4, Morris 1) South Africa need the new batsman Chris Morris to go ballistic if they are to reach a decent total.
WICKET! South Africa 127-5 (de Villiers c Morgan b Willey 46)
Hoo hoo, what a shot from de Villiers! He walks across his stumps to lift Willey miles over fine leg for six. It’s gone out of the ground and into the river! After a difficult few weeks, it’s nice to see AB with a smile on his face.
Ach, he’s not smiling any longer - he has gone next ball. He sliced Willey high into the off side, with one hand coming off the bat, and Morgan took a calm catch. de Villiers goes for an entertaining 46 from 20 balls.
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14th over: South Africa 120-4 (de Villiers 40, Behardien 1) The new batsman is poor old Farhaan Behardien, who has arguably played two match-losing innings on this tour already. de Villiers scrunches a drive between extra cover and mid off for four, and Plunkett ends with excellent figures of two for 36.
“Well, excuse me!” says Adam Spamhead. “I’m actually a pretty big deal in my postcode.”
That isn’t necessarily a virtue when you live on a private island.
WICKET! South Africa 113-4 (Miller c Buttler b Plunkett 8)
The crafty Liam Plunkett strikes again. Miller tries to cut a slower short delivery that takes the top edge on its way through to Jos Buttler. Plunkett has become a gem of a white-ball bowler, a specialist in taking wickets in the middle overs.
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13th over: South Africa 113-3 (de Villiers 34, Miller 8) de Villiers sweeps Dawson lazily for six to move to 33 from 14 balls. A single next ball takes him to 34 from 15. Dawson ends with figures of one for 38, a decent effort in the circumstances. He’s got something about him.
12th over: South Africa 100-3 (de Villiers 27, Miller 2) Jordan, who is faster than he looks, zips a good delivery past Miller’s attempted cut. A terrific over yields just four singles.
“AB de Villiers confirms that nominative determinism exists,” says Ian Copestake. “I imagine he would not have amounted to much had he had been called Alan Spamhead.”
11th over: South Africa 96-3 (de Villiers 25, Miller 0) That was the last ball of the over. Dawson has again done an impressive job.
WICKET! South Africa 96-3 (Smuts c Plunkett b Dawson 45)
Smuts falls to a filthy full toss from Dawson, somehow contriving to top-edge it to Plunkett at short fine leg. He played well, making 45 from 35 balls.
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10th over: South Africa 84-2 (Smuts 34, de Villiers 24) Plunkett’s third over goes for 21! de Villiers hits consecutive boundaries off Plunkett to start the over and finishes it by lifting a six high over extra cover. He has 24 from 10 balls and might even have time to reach a century.
“I just had an idea to even out the bowler/batsman inequality these days,” says Romeo. “Along the lines of a limit to how many engines you can use in F1, tell the batsmen that if they damage (or break) their thick-edged but ultimately fragile bats they have to keep going with it or be relegated to Division Two with a massive points deduction and no Test matches.”
And no supper an’ all.
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9th over: South Africa 63-2 (Smuts 33, de Villiers 5) de Villiers hits consecutive boundaries off Plunkett, a pull followed by a safe edge to third man.
“Dear Rob, I don’t know how soon is soon,” says Tim Sanders. “I wonder if he might miss out for the first test, but I think Hameed will play at some point this summer. Anyway, I’m very happy to be on a T20 OBO discussing the importance of leaving the ball properly.”
8th over: South Africa 60-2 (Smuts 32, de Villiers 3) The new batsman is the preposterous genius known as AB de Villiers. He drives his first ball sweetly for two. Plunkett has extremely good figures of 2-0-8-1.
WICKET! South Africa 57-2 (Mosehle c Buttler b Plunkett 15)
A terrific bouncer from Plunkett hurries onto Mosehle, who tries to duck and ends up looping the ball just short of point. He also breaks his bat for the second time in the innings. He won’t be breaking any more because he falls later in the over, gloving a slower bouncer down the leg side to Buttler. Plunkett is bowling splendidly.
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7th over: South Africa 55-1 (Smuts 31, Mosehle 13) This is turning into the runfest we expected. Smuts monsters Liam Dawson for a big six over midwicket, although the canny Dawson does well to avoid additional damage for the rest of the over.
“Hello Rob,” says Tim Sanders. “Reports from the England Lions game suggest that Hameed was out chasing a wide delivery, which was a surprise given how beautifully he has been leaving the ball. It suggests that he might be briefly bewildered by the ups and downs of being selected, stepping up splendidly to Test cricket and then getting injured. It might also be the challenge of playing one-day cricket alongside the first-class game. There’s every reason to believe that he’ll be back on track soon.”
I’m sure he will. But how soon is soon? How soon is now?
6th over: South Africa 45-1 (Smuts 23, Mosehle 12) There are two sides to international cricket - and after a triumphant first over, Tom Curran’s second disappears for 15. Smuts smears the first ball into the stumps at the non-striker’s end and away for four, with the umpire Michael Gough jumping out the way in the comedy style. Then Mosehle clatters a majestic six over midwicket, breaking his bat in the process.
“I miss McCullum as a batsman and seem to be a tad in awe of him as cool-sounding commentator with great insight as he knows what is going to happen before it happens,” says Ian Copestake. “Imagine getting into a fight with the flipper. He’d definitely tell you what he was going to do to you before he did it.”
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5th over: South Africa 30-1 (Smuts 18, Mosehle 2) Plunkett bowls an excellent first over, with a couple of strangled LBW shouts against Mosehle. England are on top at the moment, though there is a nagging sense that AB de Villiers is going to do something ridiculous later in the innings.
4th over: South Africa 27-1 (Smuts 16, Mosehle 1) Mangaliso Mosehle has been pushed up to No3. Curran almost gets a second when Smuts drags the ball just past his leg stump. That’s a fine first over in an England shirt - four runs and one wicket.
WICKET! South Africa 25-1 (Hendricks b Curran 7)
Tom Curran takes a wicket with his second ball in international cricket! Hendricks tried to whip a short ball across the line and dragged it down onto his stumps. He might have gone the ball before, when he top-edged a pull over short fine leg. That’s quite a start from Curran the elder, who sets off on a wild celebration. And why not.
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3rd over: South Africa 23-0 (Smuts 15, Hendricks 4) A boundaryless over from Willey, which is a first and possibly a last for this game.
“I’m guessing Hameed’s suffering with his broken finger,” says Patrick O’Brien. “Only young and can take a while for a batsman to get back in nick with a seemingly innocuous injury. He’ll come good again. I say this with all the confidence of a resolute number 11 bat for a parks team!”
Yeah I have few doubts he will become one of England’s greatest post-war openers. It does complicate things in the short term, though. A week ago I’d have said he had to play the first Test. I’m not so sure now.
2nd over: South Africa 20-0 (Smuts 14, Hendricks 3) Chris Jordan assumes the position at the other end. England have omitted Mason Crane today, which is probably a smart move given the probability of humpty. Brendon McCullum, who is a lovely addition to the Sky commentary team, is already raving about how sweet bat on ball sounds today. Almost as good as this.
Jordan overdoes the attempt to keep bat away from ball, bowling three wides in the over. JJ Smuts takes advantage by pumping the ninth and final ball of the over down the ground for the first six.
1st over: South Africa 8-0 (Smuts 8, Hendricks 0) JJ Smuts, who was out for a golden duck on Wednesday, watches David Willey’s first delivery swing past his off stump. He clouts the next ball through extra cover for the first boundary of the day. A flying stop from Morgan at backward point saves a second boundary, but then the usually impeccable Jordan is nutmegged at mid-off, with the ball racing away to the fence.
Great buzz at Taunton. Somerset could have sold the 12.5k tickets for this T20 international three times over. This is a real cricket town..
— Paul Newman (@Paul_NewmanDM) June 23, 2017
“Orlroight moi luvver!” screams Bumble in the Sky commentary box. There’s a cracking atmosphere at Taunton, with the expectation of a very high-scoring game. A score of 200 looks like a minimum rather than par.
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“You started the preamble one day ago?” says Stuart Rarity. “That is keen!”
You have no idea how much I love my work, Stuart. No idea. Rare is the night I don’t dream about Aftab Habib’s Test career.
“Of the last two players Lancashire have provided to England, Haseeb Hameed has forgotten how to bat and Simon Kerrigan can’t even get in the team anymore,” says Phil Sawyer ahead of Liam Livingstone’s debut. “We’d be very grateful if England could please avoid breaking LL Cool Stone (don’t blame me for the nickname, blame the county live blog’s Will Macpherson). We have a lot of hopes pinned on this young lad.”
Yes, what the hell has happened to Hameed? I have never seen a young England batsman play better than he did in India, and now he can barely get into double figures.
Some pre-match reading: good news, bad news and sad news
The teams
England Roy, Billings, Bairstow, Morgan (c), Buttler (wk), Livinstone, Dawson, Willey, Jordan, Plunkett, Curran.
South Africa Smuts, Hendricks, de Villiers (c), Miller, Berhardien, Mosehle (wk), Morris, Phehlukwayo, Shamsi, Morkel, Paterson.
England have won the toss and will bowl first
There are two debutants in the England side: the huge-hitting Liam Livingstone and Surrey’s Tom Curran. If you’re not excited about what Livingstone might achieve in the next few years, you should visit a doctor at your earliest convenience (or read up on him if it’s a case of simple ignorance rather than being dead inside).
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Preamble
Hello you. We both know awards are meaningless, until the day we win one. With that in mind, it gives me great pleasure to tell you that, if England beat South Africa today, they will move up to No1 in the prestigious, world-famous ICC T20 rankings. If they lose, they will drop to third in the rankings that nobody cares about.
Going top of the T20 table for the first time since 2012 wouldn’t be much consolation for last week’s confusing, distressing Champions Trophy defeat to Pakistan, but it would be further evidence that England have become a formidable team in what we are contractually obliged to describe as white-ball cricket. And it would ensure a series win with a match to spare.
This is the first international match at Taunton since 26 May 1999, when Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid enjoyed a day of record-breaking and Aravinda de Silva made an eight-year-old Jos Buttler cry. The match is a 12,500 sellout and the short boundaries should ensure there is more than one festival in Somerset tonight, with runs rather than music on our agenda. And we’ll be finished in time to watch Radiohead’s Glastonbury performance on TV. It’s just like being there!
The first ball will be bowled at 5pm.
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