PAARL: Jonny Bairstow hit a century but England were defeated in what effectively was a two-phase warm-up match against the Cricket South Africa Invitation XI at Boland Park here on Saturday.

Bairstow, who scored just one and nine in the first Test in December, followed by four in the first warm-up game against the same opponents on Friday, found his form in making 100 off 83 balls before retiring.

Joe Root hit 91 and Joe Denly made 85 in an England total of 346 for seven.

The Invitation XI then had a 30-over innings, chasing an agreed target of 188, which they won by four wickets off the last ball.

England set the locals a second target of 85 off 10 overs so that they could get some ‘high pressure’ training. The Invitation team reached that target too, losing four wickets and getting home with two balls to spare.

England play South Africa in Cape Town on Tuesday in the first of three One-day Internationals.

Brief scores:

ENGLAND 346-7 in 50 overs (J.M. Bairstow 100 retired, J.E. Root 91, J.L. Denly 85; S. Tait 4-56, B. Swanepoel 2-58); CSA INVITATION XI 193-6 in 30 overs — target 188 — (G.J. Snyman 67, K.W. Sekhukhune 54, B. Swanepoel 25; M.W. Parkinson 3-9, J.L. Denly 2-15).

Published in Dawn, February 3rd, 2020