(BBC) England succumbed to a humiliating four-wicket defeat against South Africa A in their only Twenty20 warm-up match before Friday’s first international.
Alastair Cook made a scratchy 22 and captain Paul Collingwood (18) hit his first two balls for four and six, but five wickets fell within three overs.
Three in a row were run-outs and they were 89 all out with 15 balls unused.
Spinners Graeme Swann and Adil Rashid claimed two wickets apiece but the home team won with 15 balls remaining.
It was not as if the England selection could have been different, with the 11 players on duty the only ones available.
Team captain Andrew Strauss no longer plays Twenty20 internationals and bowlers James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Graham Onions were nursing injury niggles.
Star batsman Kevin Pietersen will join the squad today before Friday’s opening Twenty20 international against South Africa, although he is not expected to play.
In Bloemfontein, Joe Denly struck the third ball fluently through the covers for four but the next two overs went by without a boundary, and after Cook got off the mark with a streaky edge to third man, Denly was caught by a diving Heino Kuhn behind the stumps for seven.
South African-born Jonathan Trott hit one four past square cover but was caught in a similar area which brought in his captain, who made a confident start with lusty blows over square-leg, as England ended the batting powerplay on 37-2.
