Bairstow single-handedly wins first T20I for England against South Africa

Cape Town: Jonny Bairstow hammered 86 off 48 balls to help England walk over South Africa by five wickets in the first T20I. 

Bairstow single-handedly handled the pressure quite well and played the opponent’s bowlers with sheer brilliance as his 86-runs knock includes nine boundaries and four sixes.

While batting first, South Africa posted 179-6 with Faf Du Plessis scoring the highest 58 runs off 40 balls laced with four boundaries and two maximums.

Quinton De Kock made 30 runs off 23 balls with the help of two boundaries and a six. Rassie van der Dussen scored 37 runs off 28 balls.

For England, Sam Curran bagged three wickets while Jofra Archer, Tom Curran, and Chris Jordan shared a wicket apiece.

In reply, England lost Jason Roy for naught followed by the dismissals of Jos Buttler (7) and Dawid Malan (19) which left them tattering at 34-3.

Bairstow along with Ben Stokes made 85 runs together to lay down a solid foundation for England to win. Stokes smashed 37 runs off 27 balls with the help of a boundary and three sixes.

George Linde and Lungi Ngidi bagged two wickets each while Tabraiz Shamsi took a wicket each for England.

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