England vs South Africa, 1st T20I at Cardiff, ENG vs SA, Sep 10 2025 - Ball by Ball Commentary

8.25pm The pitch looks green and "patchy", says Eoin Morgan. Very dry, expecting movement and carry for the seamers. "I wouldn't run my horse around this outfield, let alone my premium bowlers!"

8.20pm Right, it's toss time. England win toss and bowl!

Harry Brook: "We feel like chasing is the best option. Been a long day, but a lot of lads have played T10. Will have to pick their brains. We had a lovely start against West Indies, want to carry that momentum. Batter-heavy team. We want Woody to hit the poles early with the swing."

Aiden Markram: "We've have bowled, goes without saying. We want to keeping building on what we've been doing as a team, a couple of new faces, buzzing off the energy they bring. Five seamers, no spinners tonight."

Kwena Maphaka and Lizaad Williams are the tactical changes for this one from SA, with Maharaj rested and Lungi Ngidi ruled out with a hamstring strain.

England: 1 Phil Salt, 2 Jos Buttler (wk), 3 Jacob Bethell, 4 Harry Brook (capt), 5 Sam Curran, 6 Tom Banton, 7 Will Jacks, 8 Jamie Overton, 9 Liam Dawson, 10 Adil Rashid, 11 Luke Wood

South Africa: 1 Aiden Markram (capt), 2 Ryan Rickleton (wk), 3 Lhuan-dre Pretorius, 4 Dewald Brevis, 5 Tristan Stubbs, 6 Donovan Ferreira, 7 Marco Jansen, 8 Corbin Bosch, 9 Kwena Maphaka, 10 Kagiso Rabada, 11 Lizaad Williams

8.13pm Luke Wood is marking his run-up, so that's at least one change to England's named XI in the offing.

Still a lot of water being churned up by the SuperSoppers... it's going to be slippery out there. Wood is in for Jofra Archer, who isn't being risked in these conditions. Sounds like the only change to their team.

Ryan : "Ravi Bopara was the Man of the Match in that 2011 World cup epic....he's still smashing them around in the T20blast!!!" And James Anderson will also be at Finals Day!

8.07pm Well, well... let's play some cricket... though not before Sky have completed their re-run of the 2011 World Cup epic between these teams. Broad-Anderson-Bresnan-Swann prevail in a classic contest.

alex: "I still don't understand why after such a long delay we still need to hand half an hour between the toss and the game starting?" To be fair, the groundstaff are still busy mopping up. Particularly those damp patches on the edge of the outfield. I think they'll need this time to make it fully playable.

Mohammad: "How long is the powerplay, feels like that would be an important factor in this game?" I've not heard officially, but I would guess it'll be about 2.4 overs.

8.03pm We have a game!

Toss time - 20:20

Start time - 20:50

1st session ends - 21.29

Max overs per team - 9

The England players are on the outfield for the first time. "First thing out is the football," says Vish.

7.59pm Vish is still on hover-cover watch: "Actually no, just moved so they can mark out the 30-yard circle. Lines being painted."

Literal battlelines being drawn! I cannot contain my excitement...

7.54pm Five minutes until the all-important inspection. The tension is killing me.

"The hover cover… is being taken off the field altogether," says Vish... what drama ...

Jarryd : "Brevis and Ferreira vs Buttler and Salt. Not bad for a 5 over shootout! "

7.41pm The big covers are coming off! This is not a drill ...

Indeed, it's just the hover-cover in place for now... but the hoses are being packed away... still a smattering of a crowd waiting patiently under the floodlights. As ever in these scenarios, it appears there are boggy patches in the outfield that are causing more bother than others. But for now, it's positive developments.

And now the hover-cover is being shifted. Things are getting real out there. There is no more rain on the radar (give or take the odd splodge which may not hit anyway)...

Overs are being lost as we speak... but we could yet manage, say, an eight-over shootout from 8.45pm?

mikey: "If we do get a game, surely England bring in Wood and/or Mahmood for the spinners " Yes... four spinners in such circumstances might be overkill!

Another inspection at 8pm, if no more rain. Well, there you have it.

Ahsan: "I am at Sophia Gardens. Clear sky and no rain forecasted. There should be a reduced over game. Stay positive folks!"

7.31pm The side covers are coming off, to cheers. Which implies the inspection has not been a termination... yet. The umpires have gone back inside for now. Still plenty time will have to elapse before the ground is remotely playable.

Kevin: "We need more dome (retractable closed-roof) cricket stadiums around the world. So no more weather delays!" George Dobell, is that you?

7.22pm: The umpires are out early for the inspection... which might not be the [relatively] good news that it implies... we shall await further news.

7.11pm: "Brook's just come back from an indoor hit," says Vish. "Not sure if that adds anything, but it's something to say." It's come to this. Stick a fork in it!

Preglan : "Let them play in the rain! After watching the India match I haven't got my full fix today !"

7.03pm: "Raining again ... covers back on." Ho hum. As you were!

kaig : "have we started losing overs?" We will have done by the time any play is possible... looking at an 8.30pm start at the earliest, it seems, and it'll be a five-over shootout by 9.16pm.

Vishal S.: "It's reserve umpire's Russell Warren's birthday! Wishing him a very happy birthday. Hope he can see some action today."

6.56pm: "Actually quite nice now," says Vish. How lovely. We will have an inspection at 7.30pm... which is just over half an hour away. Sit tight!

Andrew Evans: "An old Tommy Cooper joke while the rainbows and sodden ground prevail. A man goes to a doctor and tell's him he has a cricket ball stuck up his backside. The doctor says, "How's that?" The man says "Don't you start."" This presents Vish's trousers debacle in a whole new light...

6.52pm: Colonel Mustard is not as keen as mustard: "hello! I live in Somerset, and if the weather in Cardiff is anything like the weather we've had here all day (which it will be), then I suggest you all just pack up and go home. "

Yes, it has been gopping across the County Championship all day long. Although, it should be pointed out that 10.3 overs were possible at Taunton today, which would be sufficient for a contest this evening...

Chris: "Oh come on I was excited for this contest especially after those boring one sided Asia Cup matches. Damn this English weather" ... India only needed 4.3 overs to munch themselves a nine-wicket win over the UAE... anything is possible, sort of...

6.46pm: Vish brings non-trouser-related tidings:

"Absurdly, the sun is out, we have our third rainbow of the evening and they're taking the covers off the sides of the square..." Don't be lulled by this nonsensical update...

Hitesh: "Can I complain about the English weather even though its in Wales?" Judging by Pete's 6.36pm update, yes you can. Such cross-border incursions are the reason why Wales has more castles per square mile than anywhere else on earth...

Trundler: "I was about to ask about Vish's trousers. The last we heard was at about 5 pm when he said the covers were off at both run-ups, which sounded quite daring. You did promise an update before 6. I was all agog." Matt clearly has more decorum than I do...

6.36pm: Evening all. And what a soggy, boggy evening it is turning out to be. No projected start time until at least 8pm, it seems. What frolics.

TheGrissom : "Any update on Vish's trousers?" This is what the world is waiting to hear about, clearly... for the record, I once completely detonated mine on a night out with my Cricinfo colleagues in Mumbai, while jumping across the platforms at Churchgate Station. Many thanks to the late-night tailor who rescued my dignity on that occasion!

"The tear's not really noticeable, but I'm avoiding stairs just in case," Vish confirms... sounds like a mere flesh wound to me...

Talking of such things, Firdose reminds me of a trouser incident that is surprisingly on-topic...

Pete: "I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I'm in Bristol, it's minging here, and the wind is going West."

6.34pm: Ian Ward on Sky says he's been told that it will take "at least an hour and a half" for the groundstaff to clear things up, so we are already looking at a reduced-overs game as a best-case scenario. There are still some umbrellas up in the stands, and it looks pretty dank out there. On which note, here's Andrew Miller for a stint on the keys.

Kagiso Rabada has been speaking to Michael Atherton on Sky Sports this afternoon, initially about the ankle niggle that kept him out of the ODI series. "It's been a bit frustrating. I just turned 30 so I'm getting a bit older! I have to look after myself a bit more.

[WTC win?] Real special, as you would imagine. Time moves on. There's a lot more cricket to be played. Really looking forward to it. The show goes on!

[WTC impact on SA cricket?] It was a monkey off our back, really. It sparks some extra belief when it comes to tournament trophies and events... It just gives a fresh perspective. People were happy and overjoyed, as you'd expect.

[No home Tests?] This has been an issue we've been talking about for the past three years, or even longer. It's nice to see that Test match cricket is still being watched with close eyes... Unfortunately now, the game is more about money, and what's going to make the most money. That's the challenge... You need all the other nations to make world cricket.

[Own workload?] You do start to actually think how much longer you'll be playing. You don't want to come to a stage where you have to pick and choose too much. I still want to represent SA as much as I can, including in Test cricket. There are leagues around the world. They're exciting to play in, and there's some good revenue for players to earn... Those are the factors you look at, and plan throughout the year, to make sure you can sustain a high intensity.

[In your prime?] Hopefully the best is yet to come! I'm going to try and do more of the same. I've been playing 10 or 11 years. Let's see if I can last the test of time.

[T20 set-up?] You have to be confident, and make do with the resources that you have. Some players have chosen to move on and you can't do anything about that. What's exciting is this new group of youngsters filling the team with energy. Hopefully, they can learn as quickly as possible. In saying that, there's a solid, core group of senior players."

6.18pm: It's raining again. Ughhh. The umpires are out there having a look. It's pretty heavy!

6.12pm: The groundstaff are out there tidying up, pulling off a couple of the side covers. It looks like the rain has stopped for now, but there is a lot of standing water on the covers still. "Puddles on the bowlers' run-up at the Cathedral Road End," Vish tells me. Hmm.

Here's the team that England named yesterday. How different will it look by the time they arrive in India in early February for the T20 World Cup? You'd imagine Ben Duckett and potentially Jamie Smith will be back in it. Will Liam Livingstone be able to force his way back in? Is there room for Luke Wood as a left-arm new-ball bowler?

England: 1 Phil Salt, 2 Jos Buttler (wk), 3 Jacob Bethell, 4 Harry Brook (capt), 5 Sam Curran, 6 Tom Banton, 7 Will Jacks, 8 Jamie Overton, 9 Liam Dawson, 10 Jofra Archer, 11 Adil Rashid.

6.00pm: It looks absolutely grim in Cardiff on TV. Full covers on. A few hardy spectators in the stands, but I'm not sure they'll be seeing any cricket anytime soon. The toss has officially been delayed. I was in Cardiff for an abandoned T20 international last May between England and Pakistan... this could be the second in the last three at this rate!

By the way, Vish reckons that we could start a five-over game as late as 9.14pm tonight. If that doesn't set your pulse racing...

Abhimanyu: "Surely some pressure on Brevis and especially Markram given his lean run of form after teams broke the bank on them yesterday at the SA20 auction" -- Markram absolutely blitzed it at Headingley last week. Wouldn't worry too much!

5.45pm: Some breaking news from the South Africa camp: Lungi Ngidi is out of the series. Ngidi went for scans after training in Cardiff yesterday which confirmed a right-hamstring strain, and he is flying home tomorrow. Nandre Burger, who took some serious tap in Southampton on Sunday, is his replacement in the squad and will join up with his team-mates ahead of Friday night's game in Manchester.

5.35pm: Vish: "Hooning it down." Uh oh. Looks like we're in this one for the long haul...

Gavin Simmonds: "Nevermind it not looking like a night for spin, it doesn't look like a night for cricket!"

5.23pm: "Suddenly got very dark overhead," Vish tells me. Uh oh. "AccuWeather says it'll start raining in 12 minutes..." Brace yourselves!

It doesn't sound like a night for spin in Cardiff, but England have four options in the XI that they named yesterday. Vish was on hand yesterday to watch the past, present and future of England's spin bowling combine during training, with Shoaib Bashir making a surprise appearance. Alan Gardner's preview has you covered for the team they named - though there is, of course, scope to change it until the toss.

5.10pm: Vish's latest: "Just the main hover-cover on now. The sun's been out for the last 30 mins. Still a fair bit of cloud around, but not as ominous-looking as when I arrived." Make of that what you will.

5pm: Hello and welcome to our drip-by-drip ball-by-ball coverage of tonight's first men's T20I between England and South Africa from a damp Cardiff. It's been raining just about everywhere today, but Vithushan Ehantharajah has arrived in Wales and declares: "It has brightened up. Covers off at both run-ups." He adds: "The first thing I did in the press box was tear my trousers, so will be sat down for the foreseeable." We'll bring you more news when we have it before the scheduled 6pm toss.