Alex Hales and Jos Buttler delivered an exceptional batting display as England cruised into the T20 World Cup final with a 10-wicket defeat of India.

Hales (86 not out) and Buttler (80 not out) put on a T20 World Cup record partnership of 170 on Thursday to claim an emphatic victory and tee up a showdown with Pakistan.

England elected to field first at the Adelaide Oval and had India tied up at 75-3 inside 11.2 overs, Adil Rashid (1-20) clinching the key wicket of in-form Suryakumar Yadav (14).

India dug deep as Virat Kohli, who had previously scored five centuries in Adelaide, became the first player to hit 4,000 T20I runs and Hardik Pandya exploded at the other end to guide them to 168-6.

Kohli was dismissed just after making 50, caught brilliantly by Rashid from the bowling of Chris Jordan, who took 3-43 on his return in Mark Wood's absence.

Hardik picked up the slack in the final few overs, with his wonderful 63 from 33 deliveries coming to an end when he stood on his own wickets from the last ball of the innings.

Yet any India momentum was swiftly halted as Buttler and Hales bludgeoned their way to 63 by the end of the powerplay.

Hales then found another gear, rattling to a 28-ball 50, and India had no answer to England's on-song openers.

Buttler, having smacked a huge six down the ground, was dropped by Yadav, with the ball trickling to the boundary to compound India's misery, and England had a place in the final secured with four overs to spare when their captain sent Mohammed Shami for six to wrap up an outstanding win.

Hales' comeback complete

It has been a long road back for Hales, who was banned after testing positive for a recreational drug in 2019. 

Having replaced the injured Jonny Bairstow for this tournament, Hales has been sensational in Australia and on Thursday turned in one of the all-time great performances to make up for lost time. He became the third England player, after Jos Butler, and Eoin Morgan, to register 2,000 T20I runs.

Buttler brilliance sets up MCG rematch

While Kohli and Hardik let loose late on, Buttler's captaincy must be lauded, with England having limited their opponents for much of their innings.

Buttler, now onto 19 T20I half-centuries, then delivered with the bat, fittingly finishing the job with a sublime shot.

After falling short in the semi-finals against New Zealand last year, England will face Pakistan in Melbourne, 30 years on from a World Cup final between the nations at the same venue.

Jos Buttler believes Ben Stokes will "grow and grow" as England aim for T20 World Cup glory in Australia.

Stokes' unbeaten 42 helped guide England to a four-wicket win over Sri Lanka on Saturday at the Sydney Cricket Ground, ensuring they progressed from Group 1 alongside New Zealand, last year's runners up.

It means the reigning champions and hosts Australia failed to reach the last four, with England set to face the winner of Group 2 in Adelaide for a place in the final.

England appeared to be cruising towards victory when, having limited Sri Lanka to 141-8, Buttler and opening partner Alex Hales plundered their way to 75 without loss.

Yet the loss of five wickets for 36 runs in the space of seven overs resulted in a nervy finish for England, and Stokes had to step up late on to set the stage for Chris Woakes to strike the winning boundary with two balls to spare.

"Not a great watch, to be honest – didn't enjoy that much," Buttler said at the post-match presentation.

"We knew, coming here, we had to find a way to win the game, thankfully we did that."

Asked if Stokes was the ideal player for the scenario, Buttler replied: "Absolutely, it's the kind of situation he's made for, I'm delighted for him and when he's at the crease, that gives you a sense of calm.

"He can play a lot of roles, he effects the game in all facets, he's a proper competitor and it's getting to the stage of the competition where you'll just see him grow and grow."

Stokes missed last year's T20 World Cup, and only returned to action in the format in a warm-up series against Australia ahead of this edition of the tournament, with his score on Saturday his best since he managed 46 against India in March 2021.

Another key player for England against Sri Lanka was Adil Rashid, whose figures of 1-16 saw him named the Player of the Match.

When asked if he was worried by the fast start Sri Lanka made with the bat, Buttler said: "Yeah, a little bit, they got off to a really good start and having lost the toss we knew the wicket would probably slow up as we went along.

"I thought it was a fantastic over from Adil Rashid at the back end of the powerplay to change the momentum. He's been someone we've always turned to and I was really pleased with his performance.

"I think a lot of people always look at the end column, maybe he hasn't picked up the wickets he usually does. I don't think he's bowled with much luck, to be honest. He's had a few chances that were missed, I think he's still bowling well, and on surfaces like this he's a really tough bowler to face."

Rashid took the wicket of opener Pathum Nissanka, whose 67 had anchored Sri Lanka's innings. 

Pathum has now accumulated over 1,000 T20I runs, becoming the 10th player from his nation to reach the milestone.

Jos Buttler feels England are in a "a really good place" after they kept their T20 World Cup fate in their own hands with a 20-run win over New Zealand.

England really needed a victory at the Gabba on Tuesday to stay in the hunt for a semi-final place and they rose to the occasion, with Buttler leading by example.

The captain top scored with 73 from 47 balls, becoming England's highest T20I run-scorer in his 100th match for his country in the shortest format after being dropped by Kane Williamson on eight and Daryl Mitchell when he had 40 to his name.

Buttler and Alex Hales (52 off 40) set England on their way to posting 179-6 in Brisbane and Group 1 leaders New Zealand fell short on 159-6 in reply.

The in-form Glenn Phillips (62 from 36) and captain Kane Williamson, who scored a run-a-ball 40, had given the Black Caps a good chance of sealing their place in the last four with a third-wicket stand of 91.

England were able to move up to second above Australia and Sri Lanka with a victory due to have a superior net run-rate, though, with Sam Curran (2-26) and Chris Woakes (2-33) the pick of the bowlers 

A win over Sri Lanka at the SCG on Saturday should be enough for England to qualify, although third-placed Australia could significantly improve their net run-rate when they take on Afghanistan on Friday.

Wicketkeeper-batter Buttler said: "I think it's a big relief to be heading to that last game knowing we have a chance at progressing.

"So, yeah, we go there really excited. I think the team is in a really good place after tonight. It showed great character in a must-win match.

"We'll head to Sydney full of confidence and expecting a really tough game against Sri Lanka.

"There is a little bit of a benefit obviously playing that last game to know exactly what is required of us."

Captain Williamson doffed his cap to England after a first defeat of the tournament for New Zealand, who will be expected to seal a semi-final berth when they play Ireland in Adelaide on Friday.

"Credit to the way England played, they played beautifully, put us under pressure from the get-go and were clinical. It was a slightly above-par total," said the batter.

"We tried to take it deep, but credit to the way they bowled. It was a fair surface, we were in it in the second half but needed a few things to go our way. We tried to target certain areas of the ground and take it deep."

England and Australia's hopes of reaching the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup continue to hang in the balance after their clash was washed out without a ball being bowled on Friday.

England's meeting with their rivals had been billed as a crucial game for both teams after Jos Buttler's side suffered a shock defeat to Ireland, while the hosts joined them on two points in Group 1 after losing to New Zealand and beating Sri Lanka.

Heavy rain in Melbourne resulted in a delay over of almost two hours before the abandonment was confirmed, with officials having completed two inspections of the MCG's sodden turf.

After seeing the points shared, England will now likely have to win their final two group fixtures – against New Zealand and Sri Lanka – to have any hope of reaching the last four.

Speaking to Sky Sports before it was confirmed there would be no play, Ben Stokes insisted England would relish the pressure of facing two do-or-die matches.

"It's almost going to be like playing a final every game. That's what these competitions are all about," Stokes said. "You're always under pressure to perform in these.

"You can't expect everyone to deliver all of the time, but it's just about your bouncebackability and we've generally been quite good at that."

Buttler, meanwhile, had been due to make his 100th T20I appearance on Friday, and was bitterly disappointed to see the match called off.

"It was due to be a massive occasion, we're very disappointed," Buttler told Sky Sports.

"It would have been a great place to do it, but we have full focus on our next match and keeping our tournament alive. We've been playing some good cricket leading into the tournament.

"It was a really disappointing performance the other night, but we've retained full faith in the group and have confidence in the players for the rest of the tournament."

England face New Zealand at the Gabba in Brisbane on Tuesday, one day after Australia take on Ireland at the same venue.

Jos Buttler hopes to refocus England for a "massive" T20 World Cup encounter with Australia following their "poor" loss to Ireland at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Wednesday.

A rain-affected encounter ultimately came to a close with a famous victory for Andrew Balbirnie's side, with a five-run triumph via the DLS method.

With a win and a loss to their name so far, England's hopes of progression through to the semi-finals from a competitive Group 1 have taken a hit, though New Zealand's washout against Afghanistan will come as a boost.

Regardless, Buttler was left frustrated by his side's performance, and acknowledges their next match at the MCG, with their Ashes rivals, will be a do-or-die test.

"We were poor," he told the BBC's Test Match Special. "We were a long way short of where we needed to be, and we let Ireland get away from us. We won the toss, but we didn't take advantage.

"Friday is massive. This result has put a lot of pressure on us now, but it is as big as it can get, to get us up for it at the MCG."

Balbirnie, whose 62 helped lay the groundwork for Ireland's victory, hailed the result as "pretty special", particularly to achieve it on Melbourne's hallowed ground.

"It's amazing, and it is emotional," he said. "We've never played a game of cricket here. 

"To come here and play the tournament favourites, with so many big names, and put on a show in front of friends and family and so many people around the world is very satisfying.

"To do this at one of the most amazing cricket grounds in the world is pretty special."

Jos Buttler and Chris Woakes impressed before England were denied the chance to press for a 3-0 series clean sweep against Australia by rain in Canberra.

Captain Buttler cracked 65 from 41 balls as England posted 112-2 from 12 overs in the third T20I, their innings having been disrupted twice by downpours at Manuka Oval.

Buttler's fellow opener Alex Hales made a disappointing duck, while Dawid Malan scored 23 and Ben Stokes added an unbeaten 17.

The fifth over of England's innings saw a minor flash point as Australia paceman Starc appear to threaten a 'Mankad' dismissal when he claimed Buttler, later named player of the series, was leaving the crease at the bowler's end too early.

England held a 2-0 lead coming into the final match of the series, after posting eight-run wins in Perth and the first leg of a Canberra double-header, and they had another victory in their sights, particularly when the home team made a dreadful start to their reply.

Australia lost Aaron Finch to the first ball of their innings, with the captain reaching outside off stump and flogging Chris Woakes to Harry Brook at deep point.

Woakes had two wickets in two balls when Mitchell Marsh fell, Mark Wood taking the catch after the batter looked to be caught in two minds and got a leading edge to short third man. Steve Smith fended off the hat-trick ball.

Australia got to 30-3 in their reply from 3.5 overs, with Woakes (3-4 from two overs) having also dismissed Glenn Maxwell, when rain stopped play again.

Five overs needed to be completed for a result to be called, but there was no prospect of play resuming, the teams denied what could have been a useful finale to the contest ahead of the upcoming Twenty20 World Cup campaign.

England's T20 World Cup preparations are on track after an entertaining win by eight runs in the first match of their T20I series against Australia on Sunday.

Openers Jos Buttler (68) and Alex Hales (84) were central to England setting a commanding target of 209 in Perth, with their stand of 132 almost double that of any other partnership for either team.

No one else managed more than 13 for England, but Chris Woakes (13 not out from five) provided a late injection to help them pass 200 and set Australia a significant target.

Australia's response was valiant. David Warner (73) looked sharp, aided by Mitchell Marsh (36) and Marcus Stoinis. During the latter's 35 off just 15 balls, Australia looked to have turned the tide.

Mark Wood (3-34) was key to disrupting Australia's momentum as he claimed the scalps of Stoinis and Warner, though the hosts still went into the final over knowing 16 runs would seal victory.

Matthew Wade's (21) four at the start of the last over stoked hope, but Sam Curran ensured there was no dramatic late turnaround with two wickets in the space of three balls.

Hales a double threat

While Curran played an important part at the end and Buttler gave England's innings some real potency, Hales starred both with the bat and in the field.

Hales' match-high score came from 51 balls as he found a fine balance between power and composure to hang around until the 16th over, while he also made two catches.

Curran repays the faith

Having the ball for the final over was not only a show of faith, but also a real test for Curran – Australia's target of 16 at that point was hardly inconceivable.

But he held his nerve, eventually claiming two wickets and seeing England over the line in an exciting finish to the first of three clashes between the sides.

Matthew Wade says a crushing defeat to England in the last T20 World Cup was a "lightbulb moment" for Australia as the two sides prepare to do battle in a three-match series.

England hammered Australia by eight wickets with 50 balls to spare in the group stage of the T20 World Cup last year, but Aaron Finch's side went on to win the title for the first time.

Australia opted to go with a longer batting line-up after that crushing loss rather than pick five bowlers and reaped the rewards, beating New Zealand in the final.

The holders start the defence of their crown on home soil against the Black Caps at the SCG on October 22, but before then they take on an England side who are among the favourites to dethrone them.

Wicketkeeper-batter Wade feels the manner in which they were dismantled by England was a "turning point".

He said ahead of the opening match of the series at Perth Stadium: "They destroyed us in the World Cup. It was probably a turning point for the way we go about playing T20.

"We had to start to go a little bit harder, especially towards the top and then back end it with seven batters. We stuck to that formula after they destroyed us in the World Cup.

"So we're looking forward to playing them and see whether our game style [continues to work] – since then [it] has changed a little bit and hopefully we can go blow for blow with them.

"We've got seven batters now – we played six batters for a long time … but now we've got the power and we've got the depth of batting that I think you need to go with a team like England. You need to be able to score 200 to beat them on their day."

Captain Jos Buttler returns for a calf injury to lead England and Test skipper Ben Stokes is back after missing the 4-3 series win in Pakistan, but Liam Livingstone (ankle) remains sidelined.

England have won four of the past five T20Is between the two fierce rivals, but Australia have been victorious in seven of the last eight contests on home soil.

Smith in the spotlight

Australia completed a 2-0 whitewash of West Indies at The Gabba on Friday, but Steve Smith missed out once again as he fell for 17.

The former captain has not scored a T20I half-century since November 2019 and could do with some runs against England.

With Tim David having staked his claim for a place in the side and all-rounder Marcus Stoinis returning, Smith is in the spotlight.

Hales and Salt battling for opening berth

The return of Buttler at the top of the order means England will have to choose between Alex Hales and Phil Salt for the other opening spot.

Hales made a half-century in his long-awaited England comeback in the first match of the series against Pakistan, but fell for under 20 on three occasions.

Salt blasted a stunning unbeaten 88 from 41 balls in the sixth T20I in Lahore, but it remains to be seen if he will retain his place.

England captain Jos Buttler says he is "100 per cent" fit for the T20I series with Australia after recovering from a calf injury.

Buttler suffered the injury while playing in the Hundred in August and did not take part in England's series win over Pakistan.

But he returns on Sunday against world champions Australia, where they will play three matches ahead of the World Cup.

"I'm back to 100 per cent," Buttler said. "Had a good time in Pakistan rehabbing, probably could have played earlier, but with the World Cup around the corner, it was the right thing to do."

Buttler is expected to open with either Alex Hales or Phil Salt, and he is confident in England's batting capabilities.

"We have great options at the top of the order with guys in really good form in Pakistan," he added.

"They're both excellent options. Whoever I partner with will have a great go at it."

Buttler also revealed that Liam Livingstone is a doubt for the World Cup, starting later this month.

He explained Livingstone is "a little way off at the minute", saying: "Hopefully he'll get back to full fitness before the start of the World Cup."

Interim England captain Moeen Ali says Jos Buttler is unlikely to feature on their tour of Pakistan, as he works to be fit for the T20 World Cup next month.

Buttler succeeded Eoin Morgan as England's white-ball skipper earlier this year following the latter's retirement, having played a pivotal role in their 2019 World Cup success in the fifty-over game.

But a recurrence of a long-standing calf issue while playing in The Hundred has left him nursing a knock just weeks away from the start of this year's short-form tournament in Australia.

England will warm up with a mammoth seven-match series over the next fortnight against Pakistan, with Moeen handed the armband in Buttler's stead, and he has now revealed that he does not know if his team-mate will figure.

"We're not sure," he stated. "He did his calf in The Hundred. He's done it before, so he's just [being] a bit more careful. Maybe at the back end of the tour, he will play one or two games, but we're not sure yet.

"It depends on how he feels. Obviously, with the World Cup in Australia, he's huge for us, and we want him fully fit for the whole competition.

"There won't be any risking him. He will decide if he is going to play in maybe the last one or two games."

England's trip to Pakistan marks a historic series and a particularly special one for Moeen, who is of Pakistani descent, as he gets to lead out the side.

"With my roots being from here and to lead England in such a big and historic series, it's huge," he added. "It's a very proud moment for me and my family, my mum and dad and everybody.

"Of course my family are very happy and my friends and my community, and everybody who I feel like I represent they’re very happy for me. Captaining England in any game anywhere in the world is a huge honour."

England follow their tour of Pakistan with a trio of warm-up games against Australia, before they get their campaign underway against Afghanistan in Perth on October 22.

Chris Woakes and Mark Wood have been passed fit to make England's squad for the T20 World Cup, which includes Test captain Ben Stokes.

Woakes had previously been a doubt for the October-November tournament due to knee surgery, while Wood required an operation on his elbow.

But both men have made Jos Buttler's 15-man group for the World Cup and the prior three-match tour of Australia.

Woakes and Wood were also included in a larger travelling party for the September tour of Pakistan, which was also confirmed on Friday.

Chris Jordan and Liam Livingstone, who have respective finger and ankle injuries, will skip that series as they have been granted more time to recuperate, but both are still on course to feature at the World Cup.

Stokes – still engaged in a Test series against South Africa – also will not face Pakistan but will make the World Cup, returning to Twenty20 International cricket for the first time since March 2021.

Since then, Stokes has taken a break from cricket to look after his mental health, returned as Test skipper and retired from ODIs to help manage his workload.

The plan was always for Stokes to still feature at this year's T20 World Cup, and he is indeed involved.

Limited-overs captain Buttler is another whose fitness will be assessed carefully, however, with a calf problem meaning Moeen Ali will deputise as skipper for the start of the Pakistan series.

The squad for that tour includes five new faces in Jordan Cox, Tom Helm, Will Jacks, Olly Stone and Luke Wood.

England squad for T20 World Cup and Australia series:

Jos Buttler (Lancashire), Moeen Ali (Worcestershire), Jonathan Bairstow (Yorkshire), Harry Brook (Yorkshire), Sam Curran (Surrey), Chris Jordan (Surrey), Liam Livingstone (Lancashire), Dawid Malan (Yorkshire), Adil Rashid (Yorkshire), Phil Salt (Lancashire), Ben Stokes (Durham), Reece Topley (Surrey), David Willey (Yorkshire), Chris Woakes (Warwickshire), Mark Wood (Durham).

Travelling reserves:

Liam Dawson (Hampshire), Richard Gleeson (Lancashire), Tymal Mills (Sussex).

England squad for Pakistan series:

Jos Buttler (Lancashire), Moeen Ali (Worcestershire), Harry Brook (Yorkshire), Jordan Cox (Kent), Sam Curran (Surrey), Ben Duckett (Nottinghamshire), Liam Dawson (Hampshire), Richard Gleeson (Lancashire), Tom Helm (Middlesex), Will Jacks (Surrey), Dawid Malan (Yorkshire), Adil Rashid (Yorkshire), Phil Salt (Lancashire), Olly Stone (Warwickshire), Reece Topley (Surrey), David Willey (Yorkshire), Chris Woakes (Warwickshire), Luke Wood (Lancashire), Mark Wood (Durham).

Matthew Mott and Jos Buttler have agreed England's Twenty20 International series defeat to South Africa was "a line in the sand moment".

Mott was recently appointed England's new limited-overs head coach, with Buttler newly installed as white-ball skipper.

But the pair have not enjoyed the sort of strong start seen in the Test arena under Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes.

England lost ODI and T20I series' to India, both 2-1, before facing South Africa.

A three-match ODI series was drawn, but Buttler's men then let slip a 1-0 lead in the T20Is to lose again.

England looked to be on the right path with their opening 41-run win, only for subsequent reverses by 58 and 90 runs to prompt serious concern.

Following that latest dismal defeat, Mott was not shying away from the need for vast improvement.

"I've just spoken to Jos very briefly, and this is a line in the sand moment for the team," the coach told Sky Sports.

He added: "We were down on confidence with bat and ball. It was disappointing.

"I thought we put ourselves in a good position to win the series, and we'll have take a lot out of that game."

This sequence of underwhelming results comes ahead of a T20 World Cup at the end of the year, too.

"It's been a bit of a struggle," Mott told BBC Sport. "We've had ups and downs throughout the summer.

"We've played two great teams and come out second both times, so we're disappointed."

Adil Rashid suggested any tactical U-turn from England's white-ball teams could mean years of progress being lost as he predicted continued aggression would bring its rewards.

The spinner is set for a key role as England tackle South Africa in a three-match T20I series that begins at the County Ground in Bristol on Wednesday.

Rashid, with 81 wickets in 73 T20I outings, ranks second only to Chris Jordan on the list of England's bowlers with the most victims in the short-form international game.

There has been a rocky start to the new era for England that has seen Matthew Mott come in as white-ball coach and Jos Buttler replace Eoin Morgan as captain.

England lost ODI and T20I series to India, both by a 2-1 margin, and then drew 1-1 with the South Africans in ODIs after the third match was abandoned due to rain at Headingley.

But Rashid says it would be a mistake to panic and implement changes, particularly in light of the T20 World Cup coming up in October.

He told Sky Sports: "Sometimes you win some and sometimes you lose some. But if we maintain our mindset and have that positive, aggressive brand of cricket we're playing, I'm sure we'll do well.

"More often than not, if you have that mindset and are playing with that aggressiveness and you're fully committed to it, it will come off. I think we're in a good place.

"Why would we change? I think we've done well the last seven or eight years, we've done well in 50 overs and T20, and I think we'll continue doing what we have been doing."

Rashid said England's mindset was to be "playing as if it's our last game", adding: "I think the focus is the World Cup but before that, we've still got plenty of cricket to be played and hopefully we can run into some good form by then."

Yorkshire star Rashid said he was "not even thinking" about the prospect of playing Tests again – "because there's so much white-ball cricket".

Rashid has played 118 ODIs and 73 T20I matches, and won the last of his 19 Test caps against West Indies in January 2019. 

England out to make amends, Proteas look to catch a break

After Wednesday's opener, England and South Africa will carry on their rivalry in Cardiff on Thursday and Southampton for the finale on Sunday.

England's T20I setback against India halted a run of three successive series victories, and they have never lost back-to-back home series before in the shortest international format. They have beaten South Africa in five of their last six T20I matches, but that lone defeat came in their last meeting, at last year's World Cup.

There has been a swing of momentum towards England in the T20I rivalry between the sides, with England winning their last three bilateral series after two drawn series and a loss in the three prior. South Africa last beat England in such a series in February 2016.

If South Africa are to prevail, their catching might need to surpass recent standards. England have a catch success rate of 86 per cent (155 of 180 chances) in men's T20Is since the beginning of 2020, which is the best in the elite-level game, but South Africa sit 10th on that list with a 76 per cent record.

Buttler and De Kock chase landmarks

The runs have dried up for new captain Buttler, who has managed just 147 across eight innings in limited-overs internationals this month. He is 56 runs away from becoming the batter with the most runs in men's T20Is against South Africa, having amassed 416 to date, putting him behind Martin Guptill (424) and David Warner (471).

On the South African side, Quinton de Kock is 72 short of overtaking JP Duminy to become his country's leading run-scorer in all men's T20Is. He and the now-retired Duminy are tied for the most fifties in the format for the Proteas, both having made 11 half-centuries.

Jos Buttler urged England to back themselves and take risks after they hammered South Africa by 118 runs to set up a one-day international series decider.

The Proteas beat Buttler's side by 62 runs in a high-scoring match at Chester-le-Street on Tuesday, but they were brought back down to earth in a rain-affected contest at Old Trafford three days later.

England posted 201 all out in a game reduced to 29 overs per side due to rain, Liam Livingstone top-scoring with 38 and man of the match Sam Curran making 35 off only 18 balls.

The tourists were then skittled out for only 83 – their joint-second lowest ODI total – in reply after slumping to 6-4, Reece Topley (2-17) and David Willey (1-9) setting the tone with the new ball.

Spinners Adil Rashid (3-29) and Moeen Ali (2-22) then came to the fore as England gave themselves an opportunity to win the series at Headingley on Sunday.

It has been a disappointing start to his reign as captain for Buttler, but the wicketkeeper-batter is confident England can build on a commanding performance in Manchester.

He said during the post-match presentation: "I'm delighted with the win, the guys played in the fashion we want to play with as a team. Can we do it better? Absolutely.

"I tell the guys to back themselves, take the risks, impose themselves on the opposition. Me and Liam tried to get a rebuild going, Liam and Sam Curran had the bravery to take on the options.

"The guys are bowling brilliantly, Topley and Dave with the early wickets. Jonny [Bairstow] said batting in the powerplay wouldn't be easy if we held our lengths. We haven't fired with the bat in white-ball cricket, but we know how dangerous we can be when we do."

South Africa captain Keshav Maharaj said his side must learn from a poor display with the bat.

The spinner said: "It was a score that could be chaseable, but we never adapted. We needed a good foundation, some questions about some dismissals, but it's back to the drawing board.

"I enjoy the captaincy, but [dealing with defeat] it's part and parcel of the job."

Jos Buttler must be granted time and patience to help England "evolve" as a white-ball side after a disappointing start to his captaincy following Eoin Morgan's international retirement.

That is the message from Joe Root, whose 86 at Durham on Tuesday was not enough to stop Buttler's team falling to a 62-run defeat against South Africa.

England lost back-to-back white-ball series against India before the defeat in the first of a three-match ODI series with South Africa following Buttler the appointment of Buttler as Eoin Morgan's successor. 

Buttler has also failed to deliver with the bat since taking the captaincy, passing 50 just once in his past seven innings - including three single-figure scores.

Though the wicketkeeper-batter has lost five of his first seven games in charge, Root has backed Buttler as England go through a transitional period following Morgan's retirement.

"I think for Jos and a number of the guys who've been around this setup for a couple of years, there's been a lot of change in a very short space of time," said the former Test captain.

"And that sometimes can just take a little bit of getting used to and there's not been that time yet where you can really sit and reflect and sort of work things out.

"So I think there has to be some sort of understanding towards that. But they are big figures that you mentioned, influential players, and that creates great opportunities for guys to step right up and really take hold of a few positions within the team and not just in terms of performance, but in filling those leadership voids as well.

"There are some very talented players, some great cricket minds that can go on and do some special things like Eoin has done and Ben [Stokes] has done as well for the last seven to 10 years."

The ODI retirement of Test captain Stokes, who has stepped away from 50-over internationals as he says playing in all three formats is "unst, gives Buttler another issue to contend with in his middle order.

While Stokes embodied the attacking and front-foot approach that Morgan's team embraced en route to winning the Cricket World Cup final in 2019, Root urged England to now adapt and evolve.

"I think as a team, you've always got to look to evolve," he added. "You always do. And I think we did that very well over a four-year period. 

"I don't think we just said 'right this is how we're going to do it for four years and we can't move away from that.'

"I think we grew and we evolved and developed and became good in different situations in different conditions around the world. We had to be if we were going to be consistent and take some of the best teams on in their own conditions.

"I think that's exactly as things will have to happen moving forward as well. I know Jos has got a great cricket mind, he understands this game brilliantly.

"He's going to be a great captain. And I don't think these results are a fair reflection of the way that he's going about his business as a leader.

"Sometimes it does take time for things to bed in. I don't think it will take that long with him. I just think that we haven't had a lot of the format. We've had a very busy schedule."