South Africa stroll to victory
South Africa beat England by seven wickets in the opening match of Group E in the Super Eights at Trent Bridge.
England's 111 all out was their lowest in Twenty20 International cricket as the hosts were blown apart by a supremely confident South African unit.
Just three English batsmen reached double figures before Jacques Kallis used all his experience to top-score with 57 not out in the reply.
Chasing such a meagre total there was little need for the South African batsmen to panic and even the early loss of their captain did little to unsettle them.
Graeme Smith (11) top-edged Stuart Broad and wicketkeeper James Foster took charge as the ball sailed in between three fielders backward of square with a fine tumbling catch.
Although scores were level at the nine-over stage (South Africa 42-1/England 42-3) the safety valve of knowing what they were chasing meant the South Africans always had the game under control.
Herschelle Gibbs could have been run out on 10 but the throw from Collingwood at short third-man was too high for Foster to gather as the batsman was sent back by Kallis.
Scores remained level until an Adil Rashid long-hop was pulled for six by Kallis. The South African opener's second-wicket partnership with Gibbs reached the half-century point in the next over off 54 balls - sedate by Twenty20 standards but all that was required under the circumstances.
Gibbs hit Swann for the second six of the innings but the off-spinner got his revenge in the same over when the batsman missed a quicker, flatter delivery and was bowled for 30.
With just 19 needed off the last five overs, Kallis sliced Broad to the third-man boundary to reach his 50 off 46 balls AB de Villiers gave Ravi Bopara a difficult catching opportunity running in from long-off, when the right-hander was on 3, but the England man just failed to get his hands under the ball. De Villiers did fall in the next over when he slashed a square cut off Rashid to Collingwood at slip.
Kallis, fittingly, was the man to finish the game off when he cut James Anderson to the backward point boundary for the winning runs with 10 balls to spare.
England suffered a disastrous opening, after winning the toss, and they never really looked capable of posting a target worthy of the powerful South African batting line-up.
Bopara played on to a Dale Steyn slower off-cutter in the first over and Luke Wright then got a thin edge to wicketkeeper Mark Boucher in Wayne Parnell's opening over.
Kevin Pietersen belatedly got his side underway with two boundaries either side of the wicket in Steyn's second over.
England's star batsman then greeted Kallis into the attack with two boundaries from the all-rounder's first three balls.
However, just as Pietersen seemed capable of an innings to remember he was dismissed by a catch of the highest order.
Roelof van der Merwe has earned his place in South Africa's Twenty20 side on the back of some outstanding form in domestic and IPL 20-over cricket.
The 24-year-old is most familiarly known as a bowling all-rounder but you can add crack fielder to his art following a stunning diving catch at mid-on to send Pietersen back to the dug-out for 19.
That wicket formed part of a maiden from Albie Morkel - the first of the tournament. Strangely that over constituted the only spell from Morkel, although the rest of the attack played their part in stifling the England batting effort.
Owais Shah (38) and Paul Collingwood (19) compiled the best partnership of the innings of 53 - 21 being the next best - but it was only towards the end of their stand that they looked in control.
Sadly, for England, the demise of Collingwood - bowled by Kallis (2-20) backing away to leg - triggered the loss of their last seven wickets for 33 runs.
Parnell (pick of the bowlers with 3-14) ended the innings with two identical dismissals as left-handers Broad and Anderson were both comprehensively bowled, leaving England with one delivery unused.
England's next match now becomes a must-win for the hosts - a tall order against holders India.