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Simon Burnton’s match report is in, so I’ll leave you with that. Thank you for your company and emails. Good night!
In other news
Player of the match is Rilee Rossouw
“I still feel a little dizzy [after being hit on the jaw/neck] but the doctor is taking care of me, so we’ll see tonight. I feel good. I felt confident going into this series after the run I had with Somerset. I am very proud to be selected for South Africa again. I did my best [to get to a hundred] but Jordan played very well and unfortunately he didn’t come out today. I’m happy I got the W.”
David Miller’s Verdict
“It’s a big change from last night. We took all our catches tonight, last night we didn’t. The guys executed a lot better, we were a lot sharper, the batsmen were phenomenal – wow be a great performance.
“We had a meeting or two this morning just to clear up last night. We had to pick ourselves up and we did in this game. I’m really angry with the bowlers, they made it easy for me by taking wickets till the end. It’s 1-1, one to go.”
Jos Buttler’s verdict
“The wicket played well so we thought about their total over parity. A few of us started but nobody played a defining innings like Rilee Rossouw. We just didn’t hit the level we know we’re capable of, as far as to consistency, so that’s something we have to look at. It’s going to be a big decision at the Ageas Bowl.”
This is a good win for South Africa, especially after such a sloppy performance last night. Rilee Rossouw hit 96 not out to take them to a score of 207 for three. This looked like parity but they bowled and bowled superbly and were in control for most of England’s run. There were three wickets each for Tabraiz Shamsi and Andile Phehlukwayo, who disappeared all over Bristol, while Keshav Maharaj and Lungi Ngidi took outstanding catches to dismiss the dangerous pair of Moeen Ali and Jonny Bairstow.
It sets things up nicely for a decider in the Ageas Bowl on Sunday afternoon, a fine preview to the Euro 2022 final.
Updated at 9.45pm BST
South Africa win by 58 runs
WICKET! England 149 all out (Gleeson c de Kock b Ngidi 0) Gleeson is caught at review, caught on the leg by de Kock, and that completes an emphatic win for South Africa!
Updated at 21.46 BST
WICKET! England 148-9 (Jordan c de Kock b Ngidi 5)
Jordan approaches a slower bounce from Ngidi to De Kock. Review, more than a little timidly; he knows he’s out and the replays confirm it.
Updated at 21.39 BST
18th over: England 148-8 (Jordan 5, Gleeson 0) “My answer to your question would be … let Bairstow open,” writes Tim de Lisle. “Preferably with a pinch of salt.”
Hey, very good. It would give Buttler more time to adjust to his new life, although I appreciate that there won’t be much of that before the World Cup. Seems a little premature to me, considering how good he is at the top of the order. If it was just another bottle opener, I’d like it, but it’s special.
Updated at 9.37pm BST
WICKET! England 148-8 (Rashid b Phelukwoyo 3)
Rashid walks to Phehlukwayo, misses a ramp and is bowled off the pads. England goes quietly.
WICKET! England 141-7 (Livingstone c de Kock b Phehlukwayo 18)
end of the game Phehlukwayo has Livingstone caught behind, chasing an attempted yorker wide. The bowlers who went the distance yesterday, Shamsi and Phehlukwayo, have led South Africa to victory tonight.
Updated at 9.48pm BST
15th over: England 137-6 (Livingstone 14, Jordan 4) Livingstone drives Rabada for four, and it’s a no ball too. Or is it? Apparently there are technical issues, and Livingstone doesn’t play what should have been a free kick.
Jordan back cuts his first ball for four, making it 18 from the last over, and the no-ball looks scratched. Guess we’ll hear more about that if England lose by a run.
“You have no idea about the back heel,” says David Green, “but a googly slamming you through the door is certainly the equivalent of nutmeg.”
So what is the football equivalent of the Natmeg?
Updated at 21.36 BST
WICKET! England 128-6 (Bairstow c Ngidi b Rabada 30)
Another great catch! The South Africa game was a disaster in Bristol, but tonight he was flawless. Bairstow had hit successive boundaries off Rabada, including an extremely lively Natmeg, and was looking for another when he steered a slower bouncer over short third. Ngidi ran back, looked the ball over his shoulder and held onto it despite slipping. Tremendous things.
Lungi Ngidi with another brilliant catch. Photograph: Ashley Western/Colorpsort/Shutterstock Jonny Bairstow is not 30 years old. Photograph: Geoff Caddick/AFP/Getty Images
Updated at 9.38pm BST
I hope people understand @CurranSM’s selflessness with his firing. His job would have been to go out and lend a hand and not stay, always put the team first 👌
— Ben Stokes (@benstokes38) July 28, 2022
14th over: England 119-5 (Bairstow 22, Livingstone 9) A better finish for England, with Bairstow (mostly) handling Phehlukwayo for 12. There were two boundaries, a cut from Bairstow and a good bit from Livingstone at third.
England need 89 from 36 balls.
13th over: England 107-5 (Bairstow 15, Livingstone 5) This seems to be slipping away from England, although they don’t miss a game with these two wild ones at the crease. They decide to play low-risk cricket in Shamsi’s last over, working the ball for seven runs.
Shamsi ends an excellent, probably match-winning spell with figures of 4-0-27-3, and a host of fielders scramble to embrace him. Well done indeed.
“I’m afraid Turkey won’t make it to the World Cup final,” says Robert Lewis. “So far they haven’t put up much of a fight, and Romania has beaten them. In fact, they have beaten only one other nation in their history, which is the mighty Bulgaria. However, an encouraging number of Turkish-sounding names in the team, which bodes well for the future.”
12th over: England 101-5 (Bairstow 11, Livingstone 3) This is an excellent point from Tim, with Jos Buttler’s form starting to feel less like a blip and more like a pattern. But how do you take down the best T20 opener in the world? It must be even more difficult when you are the best T20 opener in the world.
#ENGvIND #JosButtler discovering something #AlecStewart might have told him. If the captain, keeps the wicket and then opens the batting, you end up producing fluid cameos, because your eye is in but the battery needs charging
— Tim de Lisle (@TmdeLisle) July 28, 2022
Updated at 9.14pm BST
11th over: England 92-5 (Bairstow 5, Livingstone 0) This is an admirable comeback from Shamsi, who was all out for 49 from three overs last night. Today he has figures of 3-0-21-3.
WICKET! England 92-5 (Curran c Maharaj b Shamsi 2)
Sam Curran comes in ahead of Liam Livingstone to keep the left/right combination. But England are off the left-handers now, as Curran has belted Shamsi straight to long-on! It’s a much easier catch for Maharaj this time, and Curran goes to the third ball for two. England is no longer in trouble; now they are all kinds.
Updated at 21.12 BST
WICKET! England 88-4 (Alic Maharaj b Shamsi 28)
What a catch! Moeen bowls Shamsi down the ground, where Maharaj charges around the boundary and steps forward to take a superb two-handed catch! Moeen opts for a lovely 28 off 17 balls, and England are in trouble.
Keshav Maharaj takes a catch to dismiss Moeen Ali. England is in trouble. Photograph: Stu Forster/Getty Images
Updated at 9.17pm BST
10th over: England 87-3 (Ali 28, Bairstow 3) Moeen drives Maharaj just before long on, where Phehlukwayo does well to save the boundary. He has another escape off the last ball when a top edge glances at short fine leg for a couple. Eight of the most, all in ones and twos, and that’s drinks.
9th over: England 79-3 (Ali 22, Bairstow 1) “What is the cricket equivalent of football’s heel?” says Kim Thonger. “I say he’s a shameless creep?”
A reverse sweep? Or does it have to go directly behind the batter? I guess it depends on whether you’re talking strictly Russian-style back heels or if you’d include standing leg kicks behind.
WICKET! England 77-3 (Roy c Hendricks b Shamsi 20)
More frustration for Jason Roy. He hacks Shamsi high in the air towards long on, where Hendricks steps in to take a good low catch. Roy goes for a labored 20 off 22 balls. It can be a blessing for England.
This is out. Photograph: Geoff Caddick/AFP/Getty Images
Updated at 21.01 BST
8th over: England 72-2 (Roy 20, Ali 16) Moeen looks in lovely touch, and has easily gone to 16 off nine balls. Roy, who has struggled for most of his innings, gets mad at Maharaj at extra cover for four. England need 136 from 72 balls.
Here’s more from Romeo about the T20 World Cup Qualifiers. “The final group games to decide the finalists, the winners of which go through to the European regional finals (which send two teams to the real World Cup in 2024), are on Saturday and the final is on Sunday,” he says. “It seems that the final will be between Austria and one from Switzerland, Norway or France. Net Run Rate calculations will almost certainly be needed to decide which and all games are live, for free, on ICC.tv.”
Updated at 20.57 BST
7th over: England 62-2 (Roy 15, Ali 12) Tabraiz Shamsi, who was wild in Bristol last evening, comes in the first over after the Powerplay. Moeen hits a boundary down the ground and England take a single off the other five deliveries.
“In response to Brendan Large, you may not be surprised to hear that yes, I think there is merit in some batsmen coming out regularly, especially when they are in the form that Jason Roy continues to demonstrate,” says Brian Withington. “Hopefully he will score a brutal hundred…