BIRMINGHAM: Stuart Broad will fly to Sri Lanka on Thursday for England's defence of their World Twenty20 title buoyed by a season-ending win over South Africa.
Victory by 28 runs in a rain-affected floodlit fixture at Edgbaston on Wednesday saw England enjoy their few hours' sleep before getting on the plane after they levelled the three-match Twenty20 series at 1-1, with one no result.
England's winning score of 118 for five against South Africa, the world's top-ranked Twenty20 side, was built upon Craig Kieswetter's 50 off 32 balls and an especially rapid 32 not out in 10 by Jos Buttler. South Africa in reply were never up with the rate and finished on 90 for five in a match reduced by rain to 11 overs per side.
Left-arm spinner Danny Briggs, a star performer for English county Twenty20 champions Hampshire, marked his international debut in the format with one for 16 after being handed the new ball by England Twenty20 captain Broad.
Having lost the preceding Test series against the Proteas and been held to another draw in the one-dayers, all-rounder Broad was delighted to sign off the home season with a victory. To get on that flight with a win under our belt is brilliant," said Broad.
"It was awesome to see and a great confidence boost for the squad going to Sri Lanka.
"We've got eight of our (2010) World Twenty20 winners here and guys who are performing now, so I'm really excited about getting on that flight.
"We have some talent in this changing room. It's important we believe we can do good things and we've got that belief now," added Broad, whose squad will be without Kevin Pietersen, man of the tournament when they won the 2010 World Twenty20 in the Caribbean, as the star batsman's England exile continues.
Buttler's international best performance effectively accounted for the victory margin with the Somerset batsman hitting three sixes and two fours.
The 22-year-old's deft use of the ramp shot and some powerful hitting was mainly responsible for South Africa left-arm quick Wayne Parnell conceding 32 runs in the ninth over -- the second most expensive in Twenty20 internationals.
Broad, who holds the unwanted record after being smashed for six sixes by India's Yuvraj Singh in an over costing 36 runs in 2007, was glad to see Buttler at last replicate his county form for England. "We knew we had hitters to come in and Jos played a game-changing innings," said Broad.
"We've seen this fella do it for Somerset time and time again, so to see him do it in an England shirt was brilliant," the seam bowler added.
"We look for guys who can change the momentum of games and Jos really did win us the game.
"Going into the final three overs it looked like we needed a push and Jos got 32 in 10 balls. That would change most games."
South Africa captain AB de Villiers, who as a wicket-keeper had a good view, paid tribute to man-of-the-match Buttler by saying: "You have to give credit where it's due and he certainly took it to us. "I thought he hit a few very inventive shots and that's what's needed in this format."
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