Ex-Paarl local Dawid Malan returned to Boland Park yesterday to smash England to victory over South Africa in the second of three T20Is.
Malan’s superb knock of 55 off 40 balls was enough to help his team chase down SA’s 146/6 with four wickets to spare on what proved to be a slow and difficult batting wicket.
Put in to bat first, the hosts’ batsmen simply couldn’t build enough momentum and with a long tail-end, players were reluctant to take big risks as they lost wickets at crucial points.
Captain Quinton de Kock top-scored with 30, with Rassie van der Dussen (25* off 29 balls) and George Linde (29 off 20) also chipping in with decent totals.
As it were, it was always going to be a tough score to defend.
But spinner Tabraiz Shamsi (3/19) kept SA in the game.
After Lungi Ngidi removed Jason Roy (14), it was all about Shamsi as he took the next three wickets – Jos Buttler clean bowled for 22, Jonny Bairstow caught at deep midwicket for three and Ben Stokes (16) caught behind.
When he finished his four overs, SA were still in the game with England (85/4) needing 62 off six overs with six wickets in hand.
But Malan was the big fish and after klapping Ngidi (2/51) for 16 in four 18th-over balls, he was superbly caught by Reeza Hendricks on the boundary.
The damage was done, though, and Eoin Morgan (26*) and Chris Jordan (6*) finished off the job to secure England a 2-0 series victory after also winning Friday’s first clash at Newlands by five wickets.
The two teams now return to the Mother City's famous ground for tomorrow’s final T20I.