Jos Buttler hailed an "incredible" knock from India's Suryakumar Yadav after earning his first victory as England captain, with the hosts clinging on for a consolation win in the third T20I at Trent Bridge.

England held on despite Yadav scoring a terrific 117 off 55 balls, falling just one run short of matching India's best ever showing in the format – Rohit Sharma's 118 against Sri Lanka in 2017 – as Buttler's men clawed back some pride at the end of a 2-1 series defeat.

They were indebted to Dawid Malan's 77 as they racked up 215-7 for their highest ever T20I score against India and a first win since Eoin Morgan's international retirement.

While Buttler was delighted with England's response with the bat after they were bowled out for just 148 and 121 in the first two matches of the series, he reserved his highest praise for India star Yadav.

"It was good fun, a fantastic game of cricket, much more like we're used to seeing from our side," Buttler told Sky Sports. "I was really pleased with the response with the bat especially.

"It was an incredible knock from Suryakumar, one of the best hundreds I've seen, and he put us under a lot of pressure.

"The guys bowled really well at the end there. I was pleased to see [Richard] Gleeson back up another performance, CJ [Chris Jordan]'s been excellent all series, so I'm delighted for those guys."

England's Reece Topley was named player of the match after claiming three wickets but was also keen to lavish praise on India's best performer.

"I was speechless at some of the shots, they were unbelievable. He looks a hell of a player," Topley said.

"I've not come across him too much, so I was just in awe most of the time, to be honest."

After watching Yadav come agonisingly close to matching his own record T20I total, Rohit was delighted with the 31-year-old's performance in a thrilling chase.

"It was a fantastic chase, and we are proud of our fight," Rohit said.

"Suryakumar Yadav was magnificent to watch. I have been watching him for a while, and he loves this format, he is unorthodox and has a wide range of shots. 

"He never lets the tempo go. He has grown as player and is going from strength to strength."

Jos Buttler secured the first win of his tenure as England captain as the hosts clung on for a 17-run triumph over India in a thrilling third T20I at Trent Bridge. 

Dawid Malan's rapid 77 fired the much-improved hosts to 215-7, a huge tally which India looked capable of reaching after the outstanding Suryakumar Yadav scored 117 off just 55 balls.

But Reece Topley (3-22) claimed three wickets as England held off India's chase to record a morale-boosting triumph, their first since Eoin Morgan's international retirement.

Looking to recover from comprehensive back-to-back defeats, Buttler's men produced a far better performance with the bat in Nottingham as their skipper's fourth-over dismissal allowed Malan to step up for a terrific 39-ball knock.

Losing Jason Roy (27) and Phil Salt (eight) to Umran Malik and Harshal Patel within the first 10 overs did little to stem the hosts' momentum as Liam Livingstone (42 not out) joined Malan in an 84-run partnership before India belatedly stepped up their attack in the 17th over.

Ravi Bishnoi accounted for Malan and Moeen Ali – the latter for a duck – in rapid fashion before Harry Brook (19) and Chris Jordan (11) fell, but India's bowling display fell a long way short of their scintillating outing at Edgbaston last time out as England still posted a mammoth total.

Indeed, the 13 sixes racked up by England represented their most in a T20I innings against India, and they looked set for a comfortable victory when the tourists made a dreadful start with the bat.

India lost Rishabh Pant (one), Virat Kohli (11) and Rohit Sharma (11) during a desperate first five overs, only for the imperious Yadav to drag them into contention with his first international hundred.

But Yadav's 19th-over dismissal at the hands of Ali slowed India's progress, as England clung on to end an underwhelming series on a high.

Magnificent Malan carries England

Malan's 77 – the fourth-best knock of his T20I career and his best against India – proved crucial as England racked up their highest ever score against India in the format, despite another early exit for Buttler.

Yadav falls short despite terrific haul

Yadav was incredibly unfortunate to end up on the losing side after his outstanding innings, falling just short of leading India to a remarkable chase as well as missing out on making history on an individual level. 

His 117 was just one short of the highest score ever posted by an India player in the format, with Rohit having smashed an almighty 118 off just 43 balls against Sri Lanka in December 2017.

India captain Rohit Sharma was delighted with his 'clinical' team, after they secured series victory over England with a comfortable 49-run win in the second T20 international at Edgbaston.

Sharma's team batted first and found themselves at 89-5 after Hardik Pandya was caught by Dawid Malan off the bowling of Chris Jordan.

This brought Ravindra Jadeja to the crease, and he smashed 46 runs off 26 deliveries to help India set England a total of 171 runs to win.

England's chase was quick to falter though, with Jason Roy getting out with the first ball of the innings after an impressive delivery from Bhuvneshwar Kumar was hit to slip by the opener.

The captain Jos Buttler was quick to follow after scoring only four runs, and the poor performance from England's top order was telling as they ended up all out for just 121.

Sharma was quick to praise his side after they claimed victory in the series ahead of the final game at Trent Bridge on Sunday.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Sharma commented: "We knew we were up for a challenge against them, but again we came out and were quite clinical in what we wanted to do.

"And clear-minded as well, with what we wanted to execute with the bat and with the ball as well.

"When you win games it's always nice, you feel confident. There's a lot of confidence amongst the group, which to me is quite important.

"I really wanted to see how we perform after a win, and we want to keep continuing to do that and see how we can challenge us more and more as a group."

Sharma gave particular acclaim to Jadeja after his crucial innings, adding "Jadeja with his experience, recently getting a 100 on this ground as well, he seems to be confident in what he wants to do.

"At no given point did we feel that he was panicking, given the experience that he has.

"It was good to finish off on a score which I thought was par on that pitch, and then we were quite clinical with the ball."

Shai Hope has signed for the Guyana Amazon Warriors as the draft for the 2022 season of the Caribbean Premier League was completed on Thursday.

The Jamaica Tallawahs have announced their overseas signings for the 2022 Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) which gets underway on 31 August.

Left-arm seamer Mohammad Amir will be joining the Tallawahs for the first time having represented the Barbados Royals last season, claiming 11 wickets at an average of 13.54.

The other four overseas players have all had experience with the Tallawahs in the past. Nepalese leg-spinner Sandeep Lamichhane was with the franchise in 2020 where he took 12 wickets and went at an economy rate of just 5.27 runs an over.

Imad Wasim, Chris Green and Miguel Pretorius were all with the Tallawahs in 2021 and will return this season as overseas signings. Brandon King and Fabian Allen have also been signed by the two-time champions.

Power hitter Rovman Powell has been retained by the franchise along with Kennar Lewis and Shamarh Brooks.

The Tallawahs will have seven more spots to fill at the Hero CPL draft with details of these picks released during the draft show which will be broadcast this Thursday – 7 July – at 9am Eastern Caribbean Time.

The fixtures for the 2022 Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) and the inaugural Women’s Caribbean Premier League (WCPL) have been confirmed. The tournament will visit St Kitts & Nevis, Saint Lucia, Trinidad & Tobago and culminate in the final in Guyana.

The opening day of the tournament will see the Trinbago Knight Riders Women take on the Barbados Royals women before the current Men’s champions, St Kitts & Nevis Patriots, begin their title defence against the Jamaica Tallawahs.

The women’s CPL will feature four matches in the inaugural 2022 season in addition to the seven women’s games at the SKYEXCH 6IXTY which takes place immediately before Hero CPL.  This is 11 matches in total, representing a big step forward in the scheduling of women’s franchise cricket in the region, with plans to grow this in subsequent years.

“It is very exciting to be able to confirm the fixtures for this season with this announcement being all the more special with the WCPL taking place for the first time in 2022,” said CPL CEO Pete Russell. “We can’t wait to be back travelling around the Caribbean and we are looking forward to welcoming our wonderful fans to stadiums across the region.”

2022 CPL schedule below:

 Wednesday 31 August, 3 pm

Trinbago Knight Riders Women vs Barbados Royals Women

Wednesday 31 August, 7 pm

St Kitts & Nevis Patriots Men vs Jamaica Tallawahs Men

Thursday 1 September, 10 am

Saint Lucia Kings Men vs Trinbago Knight Riders Men

Thursday 1 September, 3 pm

Guyana Amazon Warriors Women vs Trinbago Knight Riders Women

Thursday 1 September, 7 pm

St Kitts & Nevis Patriots Men vs Barbados Royals Men

Saturday 3 September, 10 am

Jamaica Tallawahs Men vs Guyana Amazon Warriors Men

Saturday 3 September, 3 pm

Barbados Royals Women vs Guyana Amazon Warriors Women

Saturday 3 September, 7 pm

St Kitts & Nevis Patriots Men vs Trinbago Knight Riders Men

Sunday 4 September, 10 am

Barbados Royals Men vs Saint Lucia Kings Men

Sunday 4 September, 2:30 pm

WOMEN’S FINAL 

Sunday 4 September, 7 pm

St Kitts & Nevis Patriots Men vs Guyana Amazon Warriors Men

Saint Lucia

Wednesday 7 September, 10 am

Barbados Royals Men vs Trinbago Knight Riders Men

Wednesday 7 September, 7 pm

St Lucia Kings Men vs Jamaica Tallawahs Men

Thursday  8 September, 10 am

Guyana Amazon Warriors Men vs St Kitts & Nevis Patriots Men

Thursday  8 September, 7 pm

Saint Lucia Kings Men vs Barbados Royals Men

Saturday 10 September, 10 am

Jamaica Tallawahs Men vs Trinbago Knight Riders Men

Saturday 10 September, 7 pm

Saint Lucia Kings Men vs Guyana Amazon Warriors Men

Sunday 11 September, 10 am

Jamaica Tallawahs Men vs Barbados Royals Men

Sunday 11 September, 7 pm

Saint Lucia Kings Men vs St Kitts & Nevis Patriots Men

Trinidad

Tuesday 13 September, 7 pm

Trinbago Knight Riders Men vs Barbados Royals Men

Wednesday 14 September 10 am

Jamaica Tallawahs Men vs St Kitts & Nevis Patriots Men

Wednesday 14 September, 7 pm

Trinbago Knight Riders Men vs Guyana Amazon Warriors Men

Thursday 15 September, 10 am

Barbados Royals Men vs Jamaica Tallawahs Men

Saturday 17  September, 10 am

St Kitts & Nevis Patriots Men vs Saint Lucia Kings Men

Saturday 17  September, 7 pm

Trinbago Knight Riders Men vs Jamaica Tallawahs Men

Sunday 18 September, 10 am

Barbados Royals Men vs Guyana Amazon Warriors Men

Sunday 18 September, 7 pm

Trinbago Knight Riders Men vs Saint Lucia Kings Men

Guyana

Wednesday 21 September, 10 am

Barbados Royals Men vs St Kitts & Nevis Patriots Men

Wednesday 21 September, 7 pm

Guyana Amazon Warriors Men vs Jamaica Tallawahs Men

Thursday 22 September, 10 am

Trinbago Knight Riders Men vs St Kitts & Nevis Patriots Men

Thursday 22 September, 7 pm

Guyana Amazon Warriors Men vs Saint Lucia Kings Men

Saturday 24 September, 7 pm

Guyana Amazon Warriors Men vs Trinbago Knight Riders Men

Sunday 25 September, 10 am

Jamaica Tallawahs Men vs Saint Lucia Kings Men

Sunday 25 September, 7 pm

Guyana Amazon Warriors Men vs Barbados Royals Men

Tuesday 27 September, 10 am

Qualifier 1 -  1st place finisher vs 2nd place finisher

Tuesday 27 September, 7 pm

Eliminator – 3rd place finisher vs 4th place finisher

Wednesday 28 September, 7 pm

Qualifier 2 – Winner of Eliminator vs Loser of Qualifier 1

Friday 30 September, 7 pm

Final – Winner of Qualifier 1 vs Winner of Qualifier 2

India saw off a dramatic Ireland response to edge a thrilling second T20I on Tuesday as they held on for a four-run victory at Malahide.

The visitors completed a clean sweep of the two-match series thanks to a superb second-wicket stand of 176 between Sanju Samson and Deepak Hooda, eventually reaching 225-7.

That partnership proved enough to stave off what would have been a famous Irish triumph, but only by a narrow margin after skipper Andrew Balbirnie's 60 off 37 balls dragged the hosts close to victory.

With a six required for a stunning win, Mark Adair could only manage a single on the final ball to ensure India clung on in what proved a far tougher match than their blowout seven-wicket win on Sunday.

Ahead of next month's three-game tour against England, which follows this week's rearranged fifth Test match at Edgbaston, the visitors will feel they have been now suitably tested.

Samson and Hooda overcame the early loss of Ishan Kishan for three to make it a magnificent display with 77 and 104 respectively, combining for a cumulative 28 boundaries between them.

Though a flurry of late wickets looked to have checked India's stride, their total still seemed to represent a tall order for Ireland to chase, particularly after Balbirnie fell to make it 107-3 in response after 10.3 overs.

But Harry Tector (39) and George Dockrell (34) helped lead a stirring reply to take the match down to the wire, where the hosts fell agonisingly short of a historic result.

Kishan yet to lock in spot?

With three in this match and 26 on Sunday, Kishan hasn't had a two-game streak to remember - and with just one 50 in his past five T20Is, there is an argument - perhaps bizarrely - that his spot at the top of the order for this year's T20I World Cup remains in flux. The left-hander will likely be safe even with a poor run against England however, thanks to doubling as wicketkeeper.

Tector tough to touch

Harry Tector was in the mood to bat fast again, and clubbed his 39 from 28 balls, with five boundaries. It comes on the back of a standout innings in the first match, and a trio of impressive scores in February, including a half-century off 37 balls against the United Arab Emirates.

England limited-overs captain Eoin Morgan has created a "white-ball dynasty" but has chosen the right time to retire from international cricket.

That is the message from former England captain Michael Atherton, who was speaking after news circulated that Morgan is expected to announce his retirement on Tuesday.

Morgan has endured a tough spell with the bat in recent times, managing to pass 50 just once in his past eight ODI innings and failing to score in his last two outings against the Netherlands.

England have still won eight consecutive ODIs, their longest such winning streak since a sequence of the same length in 2017, but Morgan promised to step down when he was no longer contributing as a batter.

Vice-captain Jos Buttler appears poised to take the captaincy from Morgan, who has rejuvenated the white-ball fortunes of England since being appointed as skipper in 2014.

England won the Cricket World Cup in the 50-over format with a dramatic victory over New Zealand at Lord's in 2019, three years after reaching the World Twenty20 final.

Morgan's side also reached the T20 World Cup semi-finals in 2021, and Atherton believes the 35-year-old is making the right choice to step down with his legacy still intact.

"He created a one-day dynasty. Having taken over at a low point – the 2015 World Cup, which went badly – he decided it was time to change England's approach," Atherton told Sky Sports.

"For seven years, England have been as good at white-ball cricket as anybody. And that's the first time really you can say that about our one-day side.

"He will go down as one of England's most significant captains, but I think he has picked exactly the right time to go.

"He said the other day, 'I'm feeling old', and he told Middlesex he couldn't play two T20 games in succession. If you can't do that, how are you then going to captain in a World Cup when they come thick and fast?"

Morgan is set to retire as the all-time leading run-scorer for England in ODI and T20I cricket, with 6,957 and 2,458 runs respectively.

Having also played 23 ODIs for Ireland, his 225 ODIs and 115 T20s are England records for appearances, and Nasser Hussain says Matthew Mott's side will lose their greatest ever leader and a brilliant batter.

"I had an interview with Rob Key when Rob Key got the job, and I asked him about Eoin Morgan and the white-ball side," former England captain Hussain added.

"He said that one thing about Eoin Morgan is that he will always do what is best for the team. If he's not contributing to the team and if he feels him being out of the team is better for that team, then he will go. That will be the decision that Morgan is making.

"He has been short of form, short of fitness and there are other people now – there are so many white-ball batters who could be playing. 

"It's not the 10 players he is taking on the field with him, it's in the one he's leaving behind because he's in that spot, and Morgan will always think of that one.

"One thing for certain is that he has been our greatest ever white-ball captain. He's a World Cup-winning captain, and he is a superb player.

"He was the one that was reverse-sweeping, reverse-scooping and playing all of these funky shots. He was way ahead of his time both as a player and as a captain."

England white-ball captain Eoin Morgan is set to retire from international cricket.

Morgan is expected to announce his retirement during a press conference at Lord's on Tuesday, with vice-captain Jos Buttler poised to replace him.

The 35-year-old batter has transformed the white-ball fortunes of England since his appointment in 2014, leading his side to World Cup glory with a dramatic win over New Zealand at Lord's in 2019.

Morgan also guided England to the T20 World Cup final in 2016, before reaching the semi-finals of the same competition five years later.

While England have become a huge force in limited-overs cricket during Morgan's tenure, the left-hander has struggled with the bat in recent times.

England completed an ODI series sweep over Netherlands last week – extending their winning run to eight matches in the 50-over format – but Morgan failed to score in two matches before missing the final clash due to injury.

The Dublin-born Morgan has passed 50 just once in his past eight ODI innings since scoring 106 against Ireland in February 2020, and had vowed to step down when he felt he could no longer contribute.

England face India in a three-match T20I series starting on July 7 and are set to do so without their all-time leading run scorer in T20I and ODI cricket.

Morgan has scored 7,701 ODI runs and 2,458 runs in the shortest format at international level. His 248 ODIs and 115 T20s are also England records for appearances.

A brilliant leader and destructive batter, Morgan made his international debut for Ireland back in 2006 before committing to play for England. He played 16 Tests between 2010 and 2012.

Matthew Mott will expect England to continue playing the aggressive brand of cricket that Morgan instilled as his side go in search of T20 World Cup glory in Australia later this year.

They will then head to India next year attempting to defend their world title in the 50-over format.

India and South Africa shared the spoils in their T20I five-match series after the decider was abandoned due to rain.

Having clawed back from 2-0 down in the series to set up a winner-takes-all meeting on Sunday, India made a slow start in Bengaluru in a match that was initially reduced to 19 overs because of poor weather.

Lungi Ngidi removed both Ishan Kishan (15) and Ruturaj Gaikwad (10) to leave India 28-2, with Shreyas Iyer and captain Rishabh Pant at the crease.

But the downpour resumed, leading to the abandonment of the match with just 21 balls having being bowled.

India skittled South Africa over for only 87 to seal a huge 82-run win in Rajkot, levelling up their T20I series at 2-2 and teeing up a mouth-watering decider on Sunday.

Avesh Khan claimed outstanding figures of 4-18 as India eased to a victory even more comprehensive than Tuesday's 48-run win in Visakhapatnam.

India earlier lost Ruturaj Gaikwad (5), Shreyas Iyer (4) and Ishan Kishan (27) during the opening seven overs, but that was nothing compared to the tourists' spectacular collapse, as Rassie van der Dussen top scored for the Proteas with just 20 runs.

The hosts had been reduced to 40-3 after being put in by Temba Bavuma, but a stand of 65 between Hardik Pandya (46) and Dinesh Karthik (55) following Rishabh Pant's departure for 17 got them motoring.

Karthik's superb half-century helped carry India to a respectable 169-6, and he was only dismissed by Dwaine Pretorius midway through the final over before South Africa put in a dreadful performance with the bat.

Quinton de Kock (14) was the first to go, followed within three balls by Pretorius for a duck after captain Bavuma retired with an elbow injury.

Things only got more painful from there as Avesh ran riot, adding the scalps of Van der Dussen (20), Marco Jansen (12) and Keshav Maharaj (0) to that of Pretorius, while Yuzvendra Chahal (2-21) also made his mark as India kept their hopes of a stunning series turnaround alive.

Avesh wreaks havoc

Avesh capitalised on another fragile display with the bat and the momentum is firmly with Indiai.

If Tuesday's attempt at a chase had been poor – Heinrich Klaasen's 29 representing their best showing, Friday's was truly woeful, with only De Kock, Van der Dussen and Jansen reaching double figures during a chastening chase.

Pandya and Karthik step up

India had been wobbling early on, but Pandya and Karthik stepped up following top-order failures.

In particular, Karthik's 55 off 27 balls carried the hosts into the final over, and helped to leave the series delicately poised.

Hardik Pandya will captain India in the absence of Rishabh Pant for the two-match T20I series in Ireland, while Rahul Tripathi has received his first call-up.

India announced their 17-man squad on Wednesday for the Ireland series, which starts on June 26 in Malahide.

Pant and Shreyas Iyer will be a part of India's Test squad for the rearranged fixture against England, giving Pandya the opportunity to captain the white-ball side and Bhuvneshwar Kumar to deputise as vice-captain.

Pandya is acting as Pant's vice-captain for the ongoing five-match T20I series against South Africa, which India trail 2-1.

Tripathi has been rewarded for a fine Indian Premier League campaign, scoring 413 runs for Sunrisers Hyderabad an average of 37.6.

"I am very happy that the selectors and everybody believed in me and whatever hard work I have put in, I have got the rewards," Tripathi told PTI after the announcement. 

"And hopefully, if I get an opportunity to play, I will try and give my best."

Sanju Samson has been recalled, while Suryakumar Yadav returns after recovering from a forearm injury that ruled him out of the IPL and South Africa series.

Experienced campaigner Dinesh Karthik will come in as wicket-keeper in the absence of Pant, though Ishan Kishan or Samson can also fill in behind the stumps if needs be.

VVS Laxman will coach India on the tour, with Rahul Dravid overseeing the Test side in England.
 

India’s T20I squad: Hardik Pandya (Captain), Bhuvneshwar Kumar (vice-captain), Ishan Kishan, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sanju Samson, Suryakumar Yadav, Venkatesh Iyer, Deepak Hooda, Rahul Tripathi, Dinesh Karthik (wicket-keeper), Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Harshal Patel, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh, Umran Malik.

Harshal Patel and Yuzvendra Chahal starred as India wrecked the South Africa top order in Visakhapatnam, sealing a massive 48-run victory to reduce their T20I series deficit to 2-1.

The hosts needed to win to keep their hopes of a series triumph alive after going down to Heinrich Klaasen's career-best 81 in Sunday's four-wicket defeat.

And superb bowling displays from Harshal (4-25) and Chahal (3-20) meant they did exactly that after Ruturaj Gaikwad (57) and Ishan Kishan (54) hit half-centuries for the hosts, who scored 179-5.

The tourists produced a disappointing performance with the bat as they toiled to 71-5 and ultimately fell well short of their much-improved hosts, eventually bowled out for 131 in the final over.

Having been put in to bat by South Africa, Gaikwad and Ishan wasted little time in establishing a strong platform for the hosts, the former becoming the first dismissal of the contest in the 10th over, by which point India had 97 on the board.

While Dwaine Pretorius (2-29) eventually claimed the wickets of both Ishan and skipper Rishabh Pant (6) to keep the Proteas in contention, their hopes of wrapping up the series early were quickly shattered when they took up the bat.

The dismissal of skipper Temba Bavuma for just 8 set the tone for a dismal South African display, with Reeza Hendricks (23), Rassie van der Dussen (1), Pretorius (20) and David Miller (3) all following in a miserable start.

With India in full control, Chahal and Harshal ran riot, the latter claiming his fourth wicket when dismissing Tabraiz Shamsi for a golden duck with the final ball of the contest as the dominant hosts kept the series alive.

Dominant duo run riot

Having struggled to make headway against South Africa in the first two contests of the series, the Indian attack was back to its best in this potentially decisive third clash. 

Harshal set the tone by sending Bavuma and Hendricks tumbling early before finishing with four, while Chahal stepped up to claim his own treble, ensuring there was to be no repeat of Klaasen's heroics by dismissing him for 29.

Home openers on form

Gaikwad and Ishan's gave India a superb platform to build from, with the former recovering from his poor start to the series – in which he had previously scored just 24 runs across two innings – as the pair each hit crucial half-centuries.

Heinrich Klaasen smashed a career-best 81 as South Africa claimed a 2-0 T20I series lead with a four-wicket victory over India.

Ishan Kishan (34) and Shreyas Iyer (40) offered India a bright start at the Barabati Stadium on Sunday.

But the hosts' middle-order batters struggled before Dinesh Karthik scored a brisk 30 off 21 balls to propel India to 148-6.

Having chased an improbable 212 in the first meeting, South Africa initially struggled this time around with Bhuvneshwar Kumar reducing the tourists to 29-3 after an opening spell of three wickets for 10 runs.

Captain Temba Bavuma watched as wickets fell around him but posted an important 35 before being bowled by Yuzvendra Chahal (1-49).

Bavuma combined in a vital 64-run partnership with Klaasen, whose brutal 81 came off just 46 deliveries before he was removed by Harshal Patel (1-17) and Wayne Parnell (one) fell to Kumar (4-13).

David Miller (20 not out) then saw South Africa over the line with 10 balls to spare as the Proteas furthered their advantage in the five-match series.

Rapid Rabada

Rabada became the fourth South African bowler to claim 50 wickets in men's T20Is when he dismissed Ruturaj Gaikwad for one in the first over.

The fast bowler achieved the feat in his 42nd game, making him the third-fastest bowler from South Africa to a half-century of dismissals, behind only Dale Steyn (35) and Imran Tahir (31).

Hendricks misses opportunity

Chasing a far from imposing total, Reeza Hendricks had the chance to make his mark as an opener, replacing South Africa stalwart Quinton de Kock.

However, the 32-year-old made just four before being bowled by Kumar as he failed to leave a lasting impression in a rare opportunity at the top of the order.

A remarkable innings from captain Dasun Shanaka won the third and final T20I for Sri Lanka against Australia in Pallekele on Saturday.

Australia had already sealed the series and looked on course for a whitewash until Shanaka (54 not out from 25 balls) started hitting boundaries at will to turn things around.

Aussie skipper Aaron Finch and David Warner got the tourists off to a strong start, hitting 43 within six overs before the former was bowled by Maheesh Theekshana for 29.

It was all looking too easy for Australia until a team hat-trick shook them in the middle of the innings, with Glenn Maxwell (16), Warner (39) and Josh Inglis (0) falling in consecutive balls.

Steve Smith (37 not out) and Marcus Stoinis (38) settled things back down, adding 48 before Stoinis was stumped by Kusal Mendis as the Aussies set a target of 177.

The hosts were in a promising position at 67-1, but once Pathum Nissanka (27) and Charith Asalanka (26) were gone, things looked bleak.

However, Shanaka all of a sudden went after every ball, and a partnership of 50 from 21 balls with Chamika Karunaratne (14 not out) set up a final over needing 19 runs for victory.

Kane Richardson bowled two wides, before two singles and three boundaries left Sri Lanka needing just one off the final ball, which arrived as Richardson sent down another wide.

Ultimate captain's innings from Shanaka

Heading into this game, many were doubting whether Shanaka should even be in the team. They are probably not questioning him now.

Shanaka hit five fours and four sixes as he almost single-handedly turned the game around, including a vital 14 from three balls in the final over. 

Hazlewood goes from hero to villain

Josh Hazlewood had been particularly stingy with his bowling, with figures of 2-3 after three overs.

However, his final over went for 22, with Shanaka hitting him for two fours and two sixes to inflate the experienced bowler's final numbers to 2-25 from four overs.