News Desk:
The night at Old Trafford on Friday became a record night. England crossed 300 runs in T20 cricket for the first time. With that, Bangladesh was freed from a humiliating record!
Last night, England win T20 Match 304 runs for 2 wickets in 20 overs against South Africa. In response, the Proteas were all out for just 158 runs. As a result, England won by a massive margin of 146 runs. The three-match series is now tied at 1-1.
The day belonged to Phil Salt. After being out for a duck in the previous match in Cardiff, this opener unleashed a storm with the bat this time. He scored an unbeaten 141 runs off just 60 balls. The innings included 15 fours and 8 sixes. His fourth T20 century came in just 39 balls. This is the fastest century in any format for England. The previous record was held by Liam Livingstone, who scored a century off 42 balls against Pakistan in 2021.
Jos Buttler also made a storming start in partnership with Salt. He scored 83 runs off just 30 balls. The innings included 8 fours and 7 sixes. Together, they put on a partnership of 126 runs in 7.5 overs for the team. After Buttler was out, Harry Brook played an unbeaten innings of 41 runs.
The condition of the South African bowlers was miserable. Kagiso Rabada conceded 70 runs in 4 overs without taking a wicket. Lizaad Williams gave away 62 runs in 3 overs. Only the spinner Bjorn Fortuin was somewhat successful. He took 2 wickets and conceded 52 runs.
In response, South Africa lost wickets quickly while batting. Captain Aiden Markram fought a bit and scored 41 runs. However, the others couldn’t stand their ground. The entire team collapsed at 158 runs in 16.1 overs. For England, Jofra Archer took 3 wickets, conceding only 25 runs.
For the first time, a T20 match between two Test-playing nations scored more than 300 runs. Previously, the highest record in a match between two elite panel teams was 297 runs, set by India in 2024 against Bangladesh. With this onslaught from England, Bangladesh has freed itself from a shameful record.
The last match of this series will be held at Trent Bridge on Sunday. Who knows what records that match may hold!
