South Africa vs England: De Villiers leads Proteas spree to thrash England

This brought not just a defeat for England, but an annihilation by a rampant South Africa team laying down a significant marker ahead of next month’s World T20 with a display so dominant it verged on the cruel. It also put into context England’s chances in the tournament.

“It was like men against boys out there,” admitted Trevor Bayliss, the England coach, of a defeat which was always on the cards once Eoin Morgan’s team subsided to 171 all out after losing their final seven wickets for 14 runs in 21 balls. However, they could not have predicted just how brutal South Africa’s assault would be.

AB de Villiers, as ever, led the charge with 71 off 29 balls, a high-octane innings at high altitude that included six fours and six sixes. By the time he departed, caught in the deep by Joe Root off Adil Rashid, the hosts already had 125 runs on the board after 8.2 overs and were well on their way to a win that carried them to a 2-0 series success.

England have come a long way since last winter’s 50-over World Cup but this was a mauling. With Hashim Amla also hitting 69 from 38 deliveries, South Africa reached their target in just 14.4 overs.

England were considered among the favourites for the upcoming World T20 in India with five T20 wins in a row coming into these two matches. That is certainly no longer the case. They end this tour with five successive limited-overs defeats and have much to ponder on their flight home today.

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Moreover, South Africa, in England’s group in India, will have inflicted significant psychological damage ahead of the teams’ meeting in Bombay on 18 March.

Perhaps the most scarred among England’s number will be Chris Jordan, who haemorrhaged 41 runs from his first two overs and then a further seven from the last four balls of the match as South Africa surged to victory.

Faf du Plessis, South Africa’s T20 captain, said: “We felt if we could land a good punch on the English they might disappear. It’s always tough when you’re playing your last game [of a tour] and you’re already thinking about going home. AB put some pressure on early doors and that completely blew them out the water.”

England looked in a good position when a 96-run stand between Morgan and Jos Buttler carried them to 157 for 3 after 16.2 overs. Buttler had just brought up his third T20 international half-century. But his departure sparked a collapse that saw the tourists bowled out for 171 with two deliveries of the innings left unused.

It was an implosion caused by bad luck and plain bad batting. Morgan’s run-out, the ball after Buttler had perished, fell into the former category as Ben Stokes hit a straight drive that Kyle Abbott got fingertips to before it cannoned into the stumps with England’s captain out of his ground.

Stokes fell to the first ball of the next over, Chris Morris taking a smart return catch. Four balls later Moeen Ali picked out JP Duminy in the deep as England slumped to 160 for 7.

With Sam Billings, in the team in place of David Willey, and Jordan at the crease England had 13 balls to get their score close to 200. Both batsmen fell to Abbott in successive balls as England slipped to 166 for 9 with seven balls remaining. Just five were used as Rashid, playing a horrendous heave, was bowled by Kagiso Rabada.

It was the way the innings had started, with Jason Roy falling in exactly the same way to the same bowler.

Root had played well, hitting 34 from 17 balls, before he was caught in the deep off leg-spinner Imran Tahir. England were 61 for 3 after eight overs when Alex Hales, sacrificed by Morgan, was run out.

Morgan responded with a punchy 38 during that partnership with Buttler. After that England were floored by a succession of brutal blows in falling to a most chastening defeat.