South Africa beat England by 14 runs in a rain-hit Cardiff opener, taking confidence from a messy night that still showed flashes of quality. They surged to 97 for five in 7.5 overs, with Aiden Markram striking 28 off 14, Dewald Brevis smashing 23 off 10, and Donovan Ferreira finishing 25 not out off 11 before the next shower halted play. England were left a steep revised chase of 69 from five overs under DLS.

England’s reply never truly settled. Jos Buttler cracked 25 off 11, but Marco Jansen’s 2-18, Kagiso Rabada’s early strike, and Corbin Bosch’s 2-20, including Harry Brook for a duck, pinned the hosts to 54 for five. Ferreira was named Player of the Match.

It was hardly a full measure of either side. Brook summed up the chaos as “a shambles,” a fair description of a stop-start night where tactics over a full 20 overs could not be judged.

The shortened game leaves the series finely poised. If the weather clears, the coming matches will be a truer test. South Africa are one win away from sealing the three-match series after taking a 1-0 lead.