South Africa 191 for 5 (Hendricks 70, Markram 51*, Willey 3-25) beat England 101 (Bairstow 27, Shamsi 5-24) by 90 runs
For the first time since 2013, England will end a home summer without winning a white-ball trophy. They lost both the ODI and T20I series to India, shared the ODI series with South Africa and were beaten 2-1 in the T20I series, after crashing to a big defeat in decider in Southampton.
England's batting was in the spotlight after they were asked to complete the highest successful chase at the Ageas Bowl in all T20s, and fell far short. They lost 10 wickets for 73 between the fourth and 17th over to hand South Africa's their second-biggest win after their 130-run victory over Scotland in 2009. It is also South Africa's first T20I series win in England and first white-ball series win in the country since 1998.
South Africa defended skilfully, as none of their bowlers conceded at more than six runs an over and Tabraiz Shamsi picked up a career-best 5 for 24 but their win was built on a big total. They accumulated steadily, from a strong powerplay of 53 for 1, through some fairly sedate middle overs (they scored 84 runs in 10 overs), before a flourish at the end. David Miller, in his 100th T20I for South Africa, led the late charge of 64 runs in the final five overs and shared in a 41-run fourth-wicket stand, in 23 balls, with Aiden Markram. South Africa's only six came in the penultimate over, testament to their ability to make use of a large outfield to find twos and the skill with which they found gaps for their 25 fours.
In his first appearance in this series, Markram scored his seventh T20I fifty, after Reeza Hendricks brought up his 10th, and third successive half-century in this series, to set South Africa up. Hendricks finished as the leading run-scorer in the series, with an average of 60.00. Shamsi, after a wicket-less first outing in Bristol, was the leading wicket-taker with eight at 12.50.
Where was Willey?
A valid question after that first over. David Willey was rotated out of the playing XI for the first two T20Is but made an immediate impact on his return when he removed Quinton de Kock with the third ball of the innings. Willey pitched it up from the get-go, de Kock defended, then he prodded and then he attempted a lazy drive, with no foot movement and dragged the ball on to his leg stump. For the third match in succession, de Kock was the first man out and he could so very nearly have been followed by Rilee Rossouw. Willey got the ball to move away from the left-hander twice and then to straighten and hit his back pad. Jos Buttler was convinced to review but ball-tracking showed it was just going over leg stump and Rossouw survived. Still, it was an impressive opening over, the first scoreless one of the series. Willey bowled three overs up front and returned at the death, where he took two wickets in the final over.
Reeza and Rilee reunite
The two former Knights team-mates (the franchise that played out of Bloemfontein in South Africa) came together again for the first time in Cardiff, with 73 for the second-wicket, before they put South Africa on track with a 55-run stand in this match. Hendricks and Rossouw complement each other well, with Rossouw the more powerful hitter and Hendricks able to thread through gaps. Their right-left combination and athleticism between the wickets means they're constantly keeping the opposition attack on their toes. Rossouw was particularly severe on Chris Jordan, who he hit for four fours in the final over of the Powerplay in a demonstration of finesse - the dab through backward point - and luck - the chop past the stumps - and power - the back-to-back drills through the offside. Just as the pair looked fairly immovable, Moeen Ali drew Rossouw forward with a delivery that spun past the outside edge and bowled him. Strangely, that was the only over Moeen bowled.
And then Markram makes his point
England put the brakes immediately after the powerplay and South Africa went 6.2 overs without a boundary before Markram pulled Jordan through midwicket for four. In the same period, they only faced three dot balls. Markram was left out of the first two matches in favour of Heinrich Klaasen but showed why his presence in the middle-order is so essential to South Africa's line-up. He shared in an 87-run third-wicket stand with Hendricks, and a 41-run fourth wicket partnership with Miller to push South Africa over 180. Most of Markram's innings was about strike rotation, with 21 singles and five twos in his innings, reaching fifty from 36 balls.
Maharaj-Nortje one-two does for openers
South Africa made clever use of their left-arm spinner and fastest bowler in England's powerplay and both were rewarded with wickets. They shared the new ball for a combination of slow strangle on one end and absolute gas at the other, with Nortje reaching a pace of up to 93mph/149kph before Maharaj switched to Nortje's end. Buttler tried to make room for himself to cut Maharaj through the off side but sent a thick edge to Lungi Ngidi at backward point. Nortje then came back on, hurled down a 91mph/146kph fireball, Jason Roy swiped across the line, top-edged and de Kock did the rest. Roy averages 12.67 from six home T20Is this summer and last scored a fifty eight innings ago. Nortje went on to pepper Jonny Bairstow with quick ones and touched 94mph/151kph in that over.
Stubbs steals the show
He did it with the bat in Bristol, and scooped a spectacular catch in Southampton to all but end England's chances. Tristan Stubbs was at cover when Moeen hit Markram to his left, and seemed to have found a gap. Stubbs moved quickly and then launched himself full-length, stuck out his left hand and snatched the ball from almost behind him to leave England 59 for 4 after 10 overs. They needed 133 runs off the last ten overs and were bowled out in 17 overs.
