South African players celebrate after taking the catch of Jacob Bethell vs England 2025
South Africa won the first T20 International of the three match series by 14 runs through the DuckworthLewisStern (DLS) system on a rainy September 10, 2025 in the first match at Sophia Gardens, Cardiff, beating England. It was originally planned as a 40-over game but due to constant rain the game was called off with only half of the game being played which presented a frenzied, highly stressful situation where the South Africans were more steady under pressure and fired greater at the English than the English did. Superior performances by Aiden Markram, Dewald Brevis, Donovan Ferreira and bowlers Marco Jansen and Corbin Bosch ensured the result during wet conditions and Ferreira was the Player of the Match.
Match Overview:
Rain contributed a lot to the shape of the match, postponing the start by more than two hours and making the match nine overs per side first. Sent in to bat, South Africa, after England won the toss, made a good show of 97 for 5 in 7.5 overs when another downpour cut their innings short. A new DLS target of 69 runs in five overs was then given to England which demanded an almost impossible 14 per over run rate. England lost the match in a gallant attempt led by Jos Buttler, which saw the England finish at 54/5, giving South Africa a 14 run lead.
South Africa Batting: Markram, Brevis and Ferreira Shine
The innings of South Africa was constructed under the contribution of their fast-scoring top-order batsmen who adopted the shortened format and the wet conditions. Captain Aiden Markram was at the forefront and he made a comfortable 28 out of 14 balls, two fours and two sixes. His violent motive was plain, but he was thrown overboard by Phil Salt, an opportunity lost which was very dear to England. Lhuan-dre Pretorius Markram gave good impetus early on with a 32-run partnership with Lhuan-dre. A fresh Dewald Brevis, who has just set the SA20 record price at R16.5 million, went on to prove his price with a blistering 23 off 10 balls, decapitating three sixes. His cameo kept South Africa on course to go well over 100, until rain interfered. Unbeaten on 25 balls out of 11, Donovan Ferreira finished the flourish with a late batthrash, with three sixes, which catapulted South Africa to 97-5. His player of the month award was his aggressive strokeplay which showed his importance in the pressure games. A late surge was also provided by Tristan Stubbs (13 off 6) that made the total competitive with the truncation caused by the rain.Finding it difficult with the wet ball England bowlers were performing sub-par but Luke Wood was a shining spot, with 22 followed by 2. The latest that an opener to replace Jofra Archer, Wood, was thrown out at the second ball by the golden duck and subsequently by Pretorius (2) in an unbelievable catch by Harry Brook. Sam Curran contributed 1 in 11, removing Brevis, but England had failed to control the late South African onslaught and this gave England a tough mark. England' Chase : Buttler Lone Fight With an objective of 69 in 5 overs England had to start bang and they were stunned in the initial over. Falling to Phil Salt, who sought the boundary off the first ball, to Kwena Maphaka off Kagiso Rabada, falling to a golden duck. Captain Harry Brook had gone out after duck, and Jacob Bethell, fresh after an ODI century had only 7 before he sent a shot flying to cover off Marco Jansen. These initial strikes had England at sixes and the rate of required running soared up. Jos Buttler, who walked in to open the innings, kept England chasing with a thriving quick 25 off 11 balls, three of which were sixes. His tough stance provided a sliver of hope, but bowlers of South Africa, headed by Jansen and Bosch continued to exert unrelenting pressure. Jansen (2/18) threw out Bethell and Buttler, the latter being caught behind off the last ball of the fourth over, and this virtually finished England. Bosch (2 to 20) got rid of Tom Banton, and made sure England could not fight back, and at the end of the fifth over England had to make 26 out of the remaining six balls which was virtually impossible. The late six by Sam Curran was not enough, England ran out at 54-5.
Bowling and Tactical Highlights:
Bowling attack by South Africa under the leadership of Jansen and Bosch was clinical in safeguarding the DLS-adjusted target. Jansen bounced back after injury and bowled at a rapid and accurate rate and England was limited in scoring due to the narrow lines used by Bosch. Kagiso Rabada opened the door by throwing Salt out with the first ball and the fact that Lungi Ngidi was not in the fight because of a hamstring injury did not weaken the attack by South Africa. They were successful because of their capacity to manipulate the wet conditions, and be able to remain disciplined under pressure.
The move of England to keep Jofra Archer at home because of the wet weather was wise but reasonable given that Wood rose to the occasion. Their batting was however not sufficiently deep to counter the bowling of South Africa with only Buttler and Curran (10 not out) scoring more than 10. The pace of the runs and the initial wicks had put the English middle order in the spotlight, which could not withstand the continuous pressure.
Post-Match Reflections:
Aiden Markram, concerned with the crazy game, pointed out the importance of attempted quick cameos in these situations, telling, It is like lunacy, but there is time to think. It was tossing around with the new ball, but you require one or two men to make a cameo and you can get a satisfactory score. His bat work and leadership played a key role as he followed up the 2-1 ODI series victory of South Africa over England.
England captain Harry Brook minimized the defeat, observing, we should not read too much into that. We did not perform as well as we might have performed. The loss was part of England continuing to experience difficulties in T20Is, after losing the 2-1 ODI series to South Africa, and cast doubt on the batting depth of the team in the lead up to the 2026 T20 World Cup.
Statistical Notes and Background:
The shortened nature of the contest was captured in the match with the least total number of T20I runs between England and South Africa (151 runs). The win gave South Africa their second victory in three T20Is at Sophia Gardens where they had previously beaten England by 58 runs in 2022. In 23 runs Brevis passed 2500 T20 runs in his 104th match, an achievement to the young star.
The game, which followed the SA20 auction on an off-day, provided an additional publicity to such players as Markram (R14 million), Brevis, and those who had performed in the pressure of the situation. The fact that South Africa was able to change with the conditions that were caused by the rain and capitalize on the mistakes that England made highlighted their increasing confidence in the format.
Looking Ahead:
Their win in South Africa puts them in the lead in the series by 1-0 and the second T20I will be on September 12, 2025, at the Old Trafford in Manchester. England will seek to recover in a better scenario whereas South Africa will seek to close the series with another clinical performance. The series will be concluded by the third T20I at Trent Bridge on September 14, both teams taking advantage of the matches as an important step to the 2026 T20 World Cup.
Conclusion:
Their ability to be flexible and deep even in hard situations was a testament as South Africa won the game against Wales by 14 runs in Cardiff. The leadership of Markram, the explosive finish of Ferreira and a bowling pair of Jansen and Bosch was decisive. To England, the defeat revealed strengths to be made, especially in dealing with the high pressure chase. Going to Manchester, the two teams will aim at polishing their tactics in this rain-soaked yet exciting debut.
Brief Scores: South Africa 97/5 in 7.5 overs (Aiden Markram 28, Donovan Ferreira 25; Luke Wood 2-22, Adil Rashid 1-24) beat England 54/5 in 5 overs (Jos Buttler 25, Sam Curran 10; Marco Jansen 2-18, Corbin Bosch 2-20) by 14 runs (DLS Method)