SA vs ENG 2020: Small margins made the difference in England defeat, says Quinton de Kock
South Africa captain Quinton de Kock was pleased with his side's performance despite their loss to England which consigned them to a series defeat with one game to go.
The South Africa captain thought England's quality ultimately made the difference over the last two games. He said:
"Dawid batted really well. The captain came in and finished it off. Once again the guys played really well - it just wasn't the day for us. We've got to keep going and keep learning. I said 150 could be a good score here. They're convinced, same thing last time, we lost one or two games by small margins. The group are learning, every game is different, every stadium has a different feel. We need to start learning fast."
Dawid Malan was England's top scorer, scoring 55 off just 40 balls to lead the run-chase. The world's best-ranked T20I batsman was dismissed with England still needing 13, but captain Eoin Morgan got the job done in the end, with help from Sam Curran and Chris Jordan. Malan was voted the man of the match for his half-century.
England's stars of the show were undoubtedly their bowlers, who restricted South Africa to just 146/6. Jofra Archer conceded just 18 runs in his four overs and took the key wicket of Tembe Bavuma. Meanwhile, Adil Rashid continued his excellent form by claiming the wickets of Faf du Plessis and Reeza Hendricks. The leg-break bowler only went for 23 runs in his four overs.
The win helped England close out another series with a tight win, extending their run of eight T20I series without defeat.
Chris Jordan becomes England's joint-highest wicket-taker
England pacer Chris Jordan took his 64th wicket in T20I cricket when he dismissed Quinton de Kock. The wicket helped him go level with Stuart Broad as England's leading wicket-taker in the shortest format of the game. He will now be aiming to go ahead of Broad in the final T20I.
Addressing the milestone, Jordan said:
"It's good to win the series - that's what we set out to do first and foremost. We put a lot of things right in the bowling department in this game. It's a nice milesotne, as long as I'm doing a job for the team and winning series, I'm happy to take it."
Eoin Morgan was pleased to get the win and to seal the series with a game to spare. He said:
"Experience helps, holding your nerve. Today's performance was very pleasing. Everyone in the changing room will applaud the bowling unit. Everybody contributed."
England sealed the 2-0 series victory after winning the toss and sending South Africa in to bat first. The Proteas made 146/6 on a wicket that was tough to bat on. Despite losing wickets at regular intervals, England ultimately got home, with Dawid Malan and Eoin Morgan leading them to victory.