A brilliant innings by Eoin Morgan that deserved to win any match gained its due reward last night, but only after more Duckworth/Lewis frustration for South Africa thanks to shrewd captaincy by Paul Collingwood and dead-eye bowling from James Anderson.

The most exciting newcomer to the England team since Kevin Pietersen, Morgan inspired Collingwood’s side to their biggest total in a Twenty20 international and hit their highest individual score, an unbeaten 85 from 45 balls.

Two of his five sixes soared out of the ground. But even such impressive figures only hint at the boldness and skill of his batting, which combined power with timing and placement.

Famously, South Africa went out of the 2003 World Cup when they misread a D/L sheet and blocked what proved to be the last ball of the game against Sri Lanka in Durban when a single would have taken them through. In March, West Indies accepted an offer of bad light during a one-day international against England in Guyana, little realising that they were behind on calculations.

There was no misreading this time. With rain becoming heavier and forked lightning almost directly overhead, the thirteenth over of the reply felt sure to be the last. The scoreboard showed that South Africa needed eight to win. Collingwood recalled Anderson, his best bowler, who restricted A. B. de Villiers and Albie Morkel to five singles and a wide.

The difference between victory and defeat came down to an inch of De Villiers’s bat. Attempting to swing the sixth ball through mid-wicket, he met it with the toe of the willow and saw it trickle into the leg side.

“It became a game within a game,” Collingwood said. “But we put in a good performance all round.” His team will go to Centurion tomorrow for the final game of the two-match Twenty20 series in good heart.

A total of 202 for six passed England’s previous best of 200 for six, made against India in Durban during the first World Twenty20 in 2007, a game remembered best for Yuvraj Singh’s six sixes in an over from Stuart Broad. England lost that contest and even a score of such magnitude last night stood within compass on a pitch with bounce and carry.

To get there, South Africa needed a strong start. They were given exactly that by Loots Bosman and Graeme Smith as they raised the fifty from only 31 balls, six fewer than England.

Bowlers from both sides generally dropped too short and found yorkers difficult to produce. Bosman set a rapid tempo and his opening partner soon caught up with his run-rate.

Spin proved just as enticing, Graeme Swann’s first and third balls disappearing over the ropes. There was a clear sense of relief when Smith mistimed a cut against Luke Wright and Bosman chanced his arm once too often in the next over. But the opening partnership of 97 had come at almost 12 runs per over and a tight finish was on the cards.

Having subsided to 89 all out in their only warm-up Twenty20, against South Africa A, England made an awful start when Joe Denly was adjudged leg-before to the first ball of the match. It was impossible to know whether spectators booed Jonathan Trott on his arrival because Tragedy, by the Bee Gees, was blaring so loudly around the ground.

Trott answered formidably, striking four fours in succession off Dale Steyn before attempting an impossible run to De Villiers at backward point. Yet England continued undeterred, with Collingwood’s muscular jabs reminding of his assault against Lasith Malinga during the Champions Trophy here two months earlier.

The inhibited have no place in the 20-over game. Morgan, here striking the ball in orthodox fashion through the covers, there crouching on one knee to flip a six over very fine leg, found an ally in Collingwood, whose 57 came from 32 balls and included four sixes. They added 98 for the fourth wicket. At least Smith, the South Africa captain, could anticipate where Collingwood might put the ball. Morgan’s confidence and ability to reverse-hit made that close to impossible.

One of his sixes, against Steyn, hit the fourth storey of a block of flats outside the ground; fortunately the ball struck brickwork rather than glass. “Absolutely exceptional,” was Collingwood’s verdict.

England
J L Denly lbw b Langeveldt 0
A N Cook lbw b McLaren 11
I J L Trott run out 33
*P D Collingwood c Botha b McLaren 57
E J G Morgan not out 85
L J Wright c De Villiers b Steyn 2
†M J Prior c Morkel b McLaren 0
T T Bresnan not out 3
Extras (lb 5, w 6) 11 Total (6 wkts, 20 overs) 202 G P Swann, S I Mahmood and J M Anderson did not bat.
Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-25, 3-61, 4-159, 5-167, 6-169.
Bowling: Langeveldt 4-0-39-1; McLaren 4-0-33-3; Steyn 4-0-40-1; Morkel 2-0-32-0; Van der Merwe 2-0-17-0; Botha 4-0-36-0.

South Africa
*G C Smith c Morgan b Wright 41
L L Bosman c Collingwood b Swann 58
J P Duminy lbw b Mahmood 6
A B de Villiers not out 10
J A Morkel not out 9
Extras (w 3) 3 Total (3 wkts, 13 overs) 127 †M V Boucher, R McLaren, R E van der Merwe, J Botha, D W Steyn and C K Langeveldt did not bat.
Fall of wickets: 1-97, 2-101, 3-112.
Bowling: Anderson 3-0-24-0; Bresnan 2-0-25-0; Mahmood 3-0-31-1; Wright 2-0-17-1; Swann 3-0-30-1.
Umpires: M Erasmus and B G Jerling.
Tomorrow’s fixture: Second Twenty20 international (at Centurion).