After the end of the thrilling three-match one-day internationals series, The Jos Buttler-led Egland team is squaring off against the same opponents in a three-match T20I series. The much-anticipated series opener took place yesterday (July 27) at the iconic venue of Bristol.
The hosts failed to get going in the first few overs of powerplay after being forced to bat first. After losing both their openers early, The middle-order batters led the steller recovery of the side. Jonny Bairstow, Moeen Ali, and Dawid Malan were the pick of the batters for England as they contributed with brilliant knocks of 43, 90, and 52 respectively.
In return, it was a disappointing display of batsmanship from the visitors as they had to face a humiliating defeat by a whopping 41 runs in the rain-halted encounter. The Buttler-led unit successfully managed to take a one-nill lead in the three-match T20I series heading into the 2nd game of the series.
Tristan Stubbs stars for South Africa:
Meanwhile, Tristan Stubbs who made his debut yesterday for the Proteas made the headlines with his impressive outing in the International maiden game. He led South Africa’s late fightback with an incredible inning of 72 runs off just 28 deliveries. He concluded his outing with an explosive strike rate of 257.4.
The 21-year-old showcased his potential and announced his arrival on the biggest stage with flying colors. It was an innings full of grit that kept the hopes of South Africa alive in the latter part of the game. Unfortunately, he ended up on the losing side despite a fighting inning. “Phenomenal knock from Stubbs.” said the South African skipper namely David Miller.
Tristan Stubbs featured in a few games in the recently concluded edition of the Indian Premier League. He was part of the Mumbai Indians squad as an injury replacement and was given preference over Kieron Pollard in the last few games of the franchise. This innings from the South African will definitely please the Rohit Sharma-led management of Mumbai.
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