England vs South Africa T20 head to head looks at the historical record of these 2 international teams in T20 matches including number of wins, highest and lowest scores and player records in ENG vs RSA T20 head to head games.
To date, England vs South Africa T20 head to head records is very much a tail of 2 halves. The first 10 matches that ended in results between these 2 sides saw South Africa being victorious 7 times while in the next 10 matches England have dominated winning 8 of those games including 5 in a row as the 2 sides head into a Super 12 match in the 2021 T20 World Cup.
While England’s white ball revolution over that time has certainly contributed to an upturn in results, it also can’t be underestimated the impact that South Africa having lost some of its star players to franchise cricket and indeed other nations around the world has had on their place at the top table of cricket in any format.
A combination of good, fast pitches, short boundaries and at least in the case of matches played in South Africa, altitude have lead to some truly massive T20 scores in fixtures between these 2 teams which are detailed below.
England vs South Africa T20 head to head player records
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England vs South Africa T20 head to head record
| ENG Wins | RSA Wins | N/R or tie |
| 11 | 9 | 2 |
England vs South Africa T20 head to head record by match location
| Location of match | ENG Wins | RSA Wins | N/R or tie |
| England | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| South Africa | 6 | 5 | 0 |
| The Caribbean | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Bangladesh | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| India | 1 | 0 | 0 |
England vs South Africa T20 head to head record by competition
| Competition type | ENG wins | RSA wins | N/R or tie |
| Bilateral Series | 9 | 6 | 2 |
| World Cup | 2 | 3 | 0 |
England vs South Africa recent T20 matches
| Venue | Year | Toss | 1st innings | 2nd innings | Result |
| Cape Town | 2020 | RSA bat | RSA 191/3 | ENG 192/1 | ENG 9 wickets scorecard |
| Paarl | 2020 | ENG field | RSA 146/6 | ENG 147/6 | ENG 4 wickets scorecard |
| Cape Town | 2020 | ENG field | RSA 179/6 | ENG 183/5 | ENG 5 wickets scorecard |
| Centurion | 2020 | RSA bat | RSA 222/6 | ENG 226/5 | ENG 5 wickets scorecard |
| Durban | 2020 | RSA field | ENG 204/7 | RSA 202/7 | ENG 2 runs scorecard |
Leading run scorers in England vs South Africa T20 matches
| Batsman | Team | Total Runs |
| AB de Villiers | South Africa | 390 |
| Jos Buttler | England | 390 |
| Eoin Morgan | England | 385 |
| Jonny Bairstow | England | 337 |
| Jason Roy | England | 317 |
Leading wicket takers in England vs South Africa T20 matches
| Bowler | Team | Total Wickets |
| Chris Jordan | England | 15 |
| Lungi Ngidi | South Africa | 12 |
| Tom Curran | England | 12 |
| Imran Tahir | South Africa | 9 |
| Andile Phehlukwayo | South Africa | 9 |
Highest score in an England vs South Africa T20 match
The highest score in an England vs South Africa T20 head to head match was made by South Africa when they scored 241 in the 2nd match of the ENG vs RSA bilateral series that took place in 2009 at Centurion.
Having won the toss and elected to bat first, the South African openers Loots Bosman and Graeme Smith put the English bowling attack to the sword with a partnership of 170 in 79 balls. Smith eventually fell for 88 while Bosman lead South Africa past the 200 mark and had ample time to record what would have been only the 2nd T20 international century in history before he perished for 94 while looking to bring up the milestone with another six.
There was still time for a couple of cameos from AB de Villers and Albie Morkel who added salt into some gaping wounds with Sajid Mahmood finishing with figures of 1 for 61 from his 4 overs while England’s combined fifth bowler also conceded 61 runs.
In reply, England managed a paltry 157 from their 20 overs and when looking at a top order that included the likes of Alastair Cook and Jonathan Trott it’s not difficult to see why they would be unable to match South Africa’s hitting in this head to head contest.
Watch highlights of the highest score in England vs South Africa T20 head to head matches
England’s highest score in T20 head to head matches vs South Africa is the 230 they scored at the 2016 World Cup which at the time was the second highest run chase in the history of T20 internationals.
Lowest score in an England vs South Africa T20 match
The lowest score in England vs South Africa T20 head to head matches was recorded by England when they made just 111 in a World Cup match in 2009 at Trent Bridge.
England started this match by losing both openers inside 2 overs and from there never really recovered. Yes, the middle order of Pietersen, Shah and Collingwood looked to rebuild but when the former hit a full toss to mid-on at the very end of the powerplay it was always likely that the home team would come up short against a powerful South Africa bowling attack.
When captain Collingwood was dismissed in the 13th over having shared a fifty partnership with Owais Shah the wheels really began to fall off for England who lost their last 7 wickets for 33 runs with all the South African bowlers picking up a wicket and Wayne Parnell finishing with 3 for 14 as he mopped up the tail.
View the full scorecard of the lowest total in England vs South Africa T20 matches
Top scores by batsmen in England vs South Africa T20 fixtures
| Batsman | Team | Year | Score (balls) |
| Dawid Malan | England | 2020 | 99* (47) |
| Loots Bosman | South Africa | 2009 | 94 (45) |
Best bowling figures in England vs South Africa T20 fixtures
| Bowler | Team | Year | Figures |
| Imran Tahir | South Africa | 2016 | 4 for 21 |
| Dane Paterson | South Africa | 2017 | 4 for 32 |