Cardiff [UK], September 11 (ANI): In a thrilling encounter at Cardiff, South Africa edge past Australia by 14 runs in the first T20 via the DLS method in a rain-affected match on Thursday in London.

Dewald Brevis, Aiden Markram, and Donovan Ferreira shone with the bat, and the South African bowlers successfully defended a revised target of 69 in five overs.

The game was initially delayed by two hours before the hosts won the toss and elected to bowl, in what was supposed to be a nine-over contest.

England seamer Luke Wood made an immediate impact, dismissing Ryan Rickelton for a golden duck with the second ball of the match. The left-arm seamer continued his fine form, striking again in his second over, with Lhuan-dre Pretorius edging a shot to the mid-off fielder.

However, during this time, Markram was looking at his fiery best. He hit all his boundaries during his 14-ball 28 straight down the ground to get South Africa's innings racing while his partners fell at the other end.

Proteas skipper Aiden Markram was in fine form, smashing all his boundaries straight down the ground, scoring a quick 28 off just 14 balls, while his batting partners struggled to stay at the crease.

Markram got a reprieve on 24, but he couldn't make it count as spinner Adil Rashid removed him. Brevis immediately showed why he was so sought after in the SA20 auction with consecutive sixes off Liam Dawson down the ground.

Brevis unleashed his power, adding a third six off Rashid Khan, while Donovan Ferreira hammered two more boundaries, propelling the score to 20 runs in the sixth over alone.

Though Brevis departed, the assault continued as Tristan Stubbs burst onto the scene, smashing a boundary off his first ball and adding a maximum before falling to Jamie Overton. Ferreira then launched his third six of the night, before rain intervened once more with South Africa at 97/5 in 7.5 overs.

The game resumed 50 minutes later, with England chasing a revised target of 69 runs in 5 overs. However, the hosts suffered a horrible start as Kagiso Rabada dismissed Phil Salt on the very first ball.

Jos Buttler was England's sole bright spot, starting aggressively with a four and a six off the speedster, showcasing his intent to get off to a flying start

Jacob Bethell pulled a shot to the stands but fell to the next delivery. Harry Brook was dismissed for a duck off just four balls, further exacerbating England's struggles. Jos Buttler continued to fight, unleashing a six with a pull shot over cow corner before eventually edging one behind.

With England requiring 26 runs in the last over, Sam Curran smashed a six, but Corbin Bosch had already cleaned up Tom Banton for a run-a-ball five by then. Bosch conceded only five runs in his last four balls as the visitors took a 1-0 lead.

Brief Scores: South Africa 97/5 (Aiden Markram 28, Donovan Ferreira 25*; Luke Wood 2-22). Vs England 54/5 (Jos Buttler 25, Sam Curran 10*; Marco Jansen 2-18). (ANI)