Rain-hit opening T20 in Cardiff labelled 'shambles' by England captain Harry Brook

England captain Harry Brook condemned the rain-affected Twenty20 international in Cardiff as a "shambles of a night".

Late start and reduced overs

A wet outfield delayed the match until 20:50 BST and forced a nine-over-a-side contest. South Africa posted 97 for 5 in 7.5 overs before rain again intervened, setting England a revised target of 69 runs from five overs.

England fall short

The hosts managed only 54 for 5 and now trail 0-1 in the three-match series. Brook admitted the truncated game offered little opportunity for assessment.

"They got nine overs, we got five. You can’t take much from that," he said. "It was a long day and a bit of a shambles. We didn’t execute as well as we should have, but it’s hard when you only bat for five overs."

Team changes and concerns

England made a late call to rest fast bowler Jofra Archer, replacing him with Luke Wood, who finished with figures of 2-22. Brook explained the decision: "Playing him in those conditions with the upcoming schedule would have been risky." Archer is set to return in the Ashes following his first Test in four years this summer.

Brook described the match as offering "nothing to glean", highlighting the challenges of a severely shortened international fixture.

This topic was reported by BBC Sport.

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