Joe Root blasted a 44-ball 83 to help England pull off a record run-chase in a thrilling last-over finish against South Africa in the ICC World T20 Super 10 Group 1 match at the Wankhede stadium, in Mumbai, on Friday.
- Scorecard
He and Jason Roy (43 from 16 balls) helped England clinch a two-wicket victory as they chased down a huge 230 for eight in 19.4 overs in reply to South Africa's 229 for four.
This is the highest successful run-chase in the history of the World T20 and second highest in T20 Internationals.
The highest-ever second innings T20 total was put up by the West Indies, 236, also against South Africa in January, 2015, when they chased down the home team's 231 for 7 at Johannesburg.
Earlier, South Africa rode on belligerent half-centuries from Quinton de Kock, Hashim Amla and Jean-Paul Duminy.
Amla, who hit 58 from 31 balls and de Kock, who smashed 52 from 24, set the foundation for South Africa's huge score as they put on 96 runs for the opening wicket off just 43 balls.
Duminy staged a late assault with 54 not out from 24 balls in the company of David Miller (24 not out in 11 balls) to finish the innings with a flourish in an unconquered stand of 60 off 27 balls.
Wicketkeeper-batsman de Kock set the stage alight with an all-out attack in the first six overs of Powerplay before departing for a quick 52, inclusive of three sixes and seven fours
Amla, playing second fiddle initially, opened up later to smack 58 off 31 balls with an identical number of fours and sixes as the opening duo punished the English bowlers in the first few overs.
Later, Duminy struck three sixes and as many fours to make sure South Africa maintained the tempo in the death overs. They ended up with their highest and third 200-plus score in the tournament's history.
Miller struck the last ball for his second six to end the innings in great style.
All of England's fast bowlers were wayward while spinners Moeen Ali (2 for 34) and Adil Rashid (1 for 35) were also expensive.
Put in to bat by England captain Eoin Morgan, South Africa fired from the start as de Kock kicked up a veritable storm after a calm opening over from David Willey that yielded just two runs.
Reece Topley was smacked for 15 runs in the second over by the 23-year-old left-handed wicket keeper batsman, with one six and two fours, all of them towards the off-side.
In the next over from Willey, de Kock smashed the left- arm pace bowler for two sixes to take 16 runs off six balls.
With Amla following suit at the other end by hammering Moeen Ali, who had replaced Topley, for successive fours the tone was set.
England let things drift away when Topley dropped a sitter at short extra cover off the third ball to reprieve Amla.
The right-handed batsman gleefully accepted the gift, soon after the score had breached 50 in 23 balls, by striking three fours in four balls in the fifth over from Jordan.
He then hooked the bowler for his first six over backward square leg and a square cut four off the fifth -- in all getting 22 in the fifth over at the end of which South Africa had raced to 72 for no loss.
With the last over of Powerplay, the sixth of the innings, yielding 11 runs, South Africa's were sitting pretty on 83 without loss.
De Kock duly reached his fifty in 21 balls before perishing to a catch at deep mid wicket off off-spinner Ali.
In a bid to arrest the soaring run-rate, leg spinner Adil Rashid was brought on and after being carted for two successive sixes by danger man AB de Villiers, he extracted revenge off the third by having the star batsman caught off an outside edge at point by Morgan.
At the other end Amla continued to be aggressive and reached his half-century in style, pulling Rashid for his third six, in 25 balls. At the halfway stage of their innings the Proteas had raced to 125 for 2.
Amla was trapped leg before by Ali while going for a sweep shot to bring to an end a dashing knock in the 12th over. South Africa, 166 for 3 after the 15th over, added 63 more runs in the last five oversin a late surge.
England retained the playing eleven that was mauled by West Indies in their lung-opener at this venue two days ago while this was South Africa's opening game in the tournament.
Required to score at almost 12 runs an over, England turned the chase on its head with Jason Roy and Alex Hales (17) putting on a blistering 48-run partnership for the opening wicket in just 2.3 overs.
Root came to the crease after openers Roy blitzed his way to 43 in just 16 balls with the help of three sixes and five fours to give England a superb blast-off in the Super 10 Group 1 game.
Test specialist Root, the No. 2 ranked player in the world in the longest form of the game, threw caution to the wind during his whirlwind 44-ball knock that was studded with four sixes and six fours.
Coming to the crease after England had rocketed off to 71 for 2 in 4.3 overs, Root attacked the bowling with gusto and set up the victory before departing, caught in the deep, when 11 were needed off the last 10 balls.
Amidst mounting tension England crossed the finish line after losing two more wickets with the ninth wicket pair of Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid at the crease, the winning run coming off the former's bat.
