Kevin Pietersen's return overshadowed by South Africa's pyrotechnics
England's bowlers conceded the most runs in the brief history of Twenty20 international cricket – between Test playing countries – here today and were beaten by 84 runs, just 16 runs short of the biggest margin in these matches.
Not even the return of Kevin Pietersen, two days ahead of schedule, could help England after the onslaught by the South Africa batsmen. Pietersen, who was due to play his first tour match in Potchefstroom on Tuesday, scored just 29 but looked fit and eager in his first match since mid-summer.
He took the place of Paul Collingwood, who was ruled out in the morning due to a stiff back, with Alastair Cook taking over the captaincy. It was the first time Pietersen had played for England since the second Ashes Test in July, after which he underwent surgery to his right achilles.
Cook said there was no doubt Pietersen was fit to return, adding: "He's made some great progress over the last few days. Ideally he probably would have had another match and more match practice. Since the Ashes Test match he hasn't batted, but with Colly going out he had to come in.
"He's 100% fully fit. The only thing was the match practice – he would have liked a knock in the middle before, but it wasn't to be. He's been itching to get back since that second Test match. Obviously he's had a real tough problem with his achilles, which he has thankfully got over."
For Cook, leading England for the first time, it was the cruellest of baptisms. South Africa's score of 241 for six was 20 more than the 221 that Australia made against England in Sydney in 2007, the previous record between major nations, although Sri Lanka did make 260 against Kenya in Johannesburg two years ago. The 17 sixes was another record in Twenty20 international cricket. It was also South Africa's highest score in such cricket, outstripping by 30 the 211 they made against Scotland at The Oval in last summer's World Twenty20. The opening stand of 170 between Graeme Smith and Loots Bosman was another record for such matches, consigning to history Chris Gayle and Devon Smith's 145 for the West Indies.
England bowled badly. There were far too many length deliveries. There were also too few slower balls. And too often the slower delivery was attempted only to arrive at the other end of the pitch as a slow full-toss or a miserable half-tracker.
Jimmy Anderson showed what could be achieved, bowling his four overs for 28 runs, remarkable amid such carnage, while Joe Denly's solitary over of twirl cost a modest nine runs and brought him a wicket. At the other end of the spectrum, Sajid Mahmood's four overs went for 61 and Adil Rashid's single over cost 25, with four sixes, as the hundred came up in the eighth over. There were so many fireworks that it was a wonder there were not any global warming protesters.
But this innings by South Africa was also the apotheosis of Twenty20 cricket. Under a blue sky and on the truest of surfaces, muscular batsmen thrashed the ball out of the ground and scampering children and revelling adults adored it (apart from the few pink ones carrying the limp flag of St George). This is what Twenty20 cricket was invented for, what those marketing men were dreaming of when they first scandalised the game's traditionalists by coming up with the idea. Smith and Bosman provided the ultimate expression of how the game might be played and even Eoin Morgan's brilliant innings at the Wanderers was overshadowed here.
When South Africa won the toss, again, and scored 14 runs from their first three overs the England players never suspected that this was as good as it would get for them. Smith and Bosman flayed 93 runs from the next five. It was Mahmood and Rashid who perished in that storm-eye and when Luke Wright came on he had his first ball hoisted over midwicket for six. Man of the match Bosman, swiping mostly to leg, hit 94 from 45 balls, with five fours and nine sixes, and Smith's 44-ball 88 included eight fours and six sixes.
England needed over two runs a ball from the start. There is no hiding place for a batsman as introverted as Cook in these circumstances and the highest two scorers were South Africans. Jonathan Trott made 51 and Pietersen struck two sixes and a four. Afterwards the South Africa coach, Mickey Arthur, his eyes twinkling with gamesmanship, was critical of England's approach. "I was very surprised England didn't bat with Eoin Morgan and Jonathan Trott at the top of the order, with Kevin Petersen at three," he said. "I thought England were very predictable and for Adil Rashid to bowl only one over showed that they don't have much faith in him."
