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Friday April 19, 2024

South Africa beat England by three runs to win second T20

By AFP
June 24, 2017

TAUNTON: South Africa beat England by just three runs to win the second Twenty20 international at Taunton on Friday and level the three-match series at 1-1.

England, set a target of 175, were on course for a series-clinching win while Jason Roy (67) and Jonny Bairstow (47) shared a second-wicket stand of 110.

But when Roy was controversially given out obstructing the field -- the first time this had happened in a T20 international -- after being hit by a throw from the deep, having veered off his original course running between the wickets, the innings fell away.

England´s cause was not helped by batting second under increasingly dark skies in a match that started at 1600 GMT despite a lack of floodlights on the ground, although home skipper Eoin Morgan did opt to field first after winning the toss. 

A target of 12 off the last over became four off the last ball after Liam Dawson hit Andile Phehlukwayo for a boundary.

But he could not repeat the trick and South Africa had a narrow win.

The series concludes at Cardiff on Sunday.