Bowlers, Bairstow brush aside South Africa

Jonny Bairstow made a dashing 60 not out as England defeated South Africa by nine wickets in the first Twenty20 International in Southampton on Wednesday.

England, set just 143 to win, reached its target for the loss of only one wicket in 14.3 overs. Alex Hales was 47 not out, his unbroken second-wicket stand with Bairstow worth 98 runs.

But the foundations for a victory which put England 1-0 up in this three-match series were laid by its bowlers. They restricted South Africa to 142 for 3 after AB de Villiers, the South Africa captain, won the toss.

De Villiers made 65 not out and Farhaan Behardien an unbeaten 64 in an innings where Mark Wood took 2 for 36. The fourth-wicket pair's unbroken partnership was worth 110 runs after they came together with South Africa 32 for 3 - which represented a recovery after it had slumped to 7 for 2.

But South Africa's total still looked short of a competitive score on what is usually a good batting pitch. Liam Dawson (four overs for 17 runs) and Mason Crane (four overs for 24), the debutant, both bowled tidily on their Hampshire home ground.

David Willey and Wood, England's new-ball duo, both struck with their opening deliveries. Willey's had Jon-Jon Smuts out for a golden duck when he pushed forward tentatively and played on.

Wood then followed suit when Reeza Hendricks pulled his first ball to a leaping Willey at mid-wicket. David Miller fell for 9 when caught behind off Wood.

De Villiers, stepping well outside off stump, slog-swept Willey to complete a 49-ball fifty. Behardien pulled Wood for four for his fifty and next ball hit him straight back over his head for six but it was too little too late.

In the chase, Jason Roy, returning to England duty, was in good touch. After managing just 51 runs in eight One-Day International innings so far this season, Roy made 92 for Surrey in its One-Day Cup semifinal win over Worcestershire last week.

On Wednesday, he struck three sixes before, on 28, he was lbw to Andile Phehlukwayo after missing an extravagant reverse-sweep.

Bairstow, however, kept the runs coming with sixes off Imran Tahir and Tabraiz Shamsi, the debutant left-arm spinner. His innings followed his 43, made after replacing Roy, in England's eight-wicket Champions Trophy semi-final loss to Pakistan, the eventual tournament winner, in Cardiff last week.

South Africa's day was summed up when Hales drove Tahir to long-on, only for Behardien to drop a routine catch with the ball going for four. Tahir's next delivery was smashed for six by Hales as South Africa failed to get the boost it was looking for after its first-round exit at the Champions Trophy.

The series continues at the Taunton headquarters of southwest county Somerset on Friday before concluding in Cardiff on Sunday.