Duo praised as England bounce back quickly from T20 World Cup disappointment

South Africa v England, Scorecard

England captain Heather Knight praised a pair of her experienced teammates as her side bounced back from their disappointment at the recent ICC Women's T20 World Cup to defeat South Africa in the opening match of their T20I series in East London.

It was the first match since England failed to reach the knockout stages of last month's T20 World Cup and the European side showed their prowess as they successfully chased down the Proteas' total of 142/5 with four deliveries remaining at Buffalo Park.

England had all-rounder Nat Sciver-Brunt (59) and keeper Amy Jones (31) to thank for the victory, with the pair putting on 50 runs for the fifth wicket to guide the tourists within sight of the win, before Freya Kemp (5*) and Sophie Ecclestone (0*) finished the job in the first match of the three-game series.

Knight said prior to the series that 'it was really important that we don't rip up trees' in the wake of England crashing out of the T20 World Cup before the semi-finals and the veteran skipper was proud of the way her side responded against South Africa.

The England captain singled out Sciver-Brunt for her Player of the Match heroics during the run chase and noted Jones' valuable contribution towards the victory.

“The smartness of Nat’s innings and the partnership with Amy was brilliant," Knight said after the triumph.

"Nat is a calm head under pressure so I’m delighted she got us over the line.

"A win to start the series is so important. There’s a few things to sharpen up on but we are in a pleasing position."

While Laura Wolvaardt was disappointed her side couldn't quite clinch the victory, the South Africa captain was pleased with the way her teammates fought it out right until the end.

Wolvaardt was one of three South African batters that reached 20 with the bat and failed to go on and get a big score and the right-hander believes her side could have easily posted a larger total and set England a tougher chase.

"We knew if we could get to 150 it would have been a good total, it’s unfortunate we couldn't defend it," Wolvaardt said.

"There's a lot of positives to take out of this game. We were on the wrong side of the result but lost in a few pressure moments that we can talk about."