The T20I opening clash between South Africa and England saw a dramatic result as the visitors lost by just a run.

Deciding to bowl first, the English team managed to restrict the Proteas to 177 for the fall of eight wickets.

Coming in to chase, skipper Eoin Morgan was caught at long-on for 52 off 34 balls with England needing just seven runs off seven balls.

The last over however saw a collapse in the batting line-up as the tourists lost three wickets thanks to the Proteas pacer Lungi Ngidi.

Defeat by 1 run 

A thriller in East London

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) February 12, 2020

“I was trying to check the shot. It was in the slot to check it down the ground, but I smoked it, and I was fuming with myself,” Morgan said after the match, The Cricket Times reported.

“I hit it way too well. It is a mistake, and it should never happen, and I should have been facing the last over.

“There were faults in what we did and when you lose a game by one run there are many things you can look at.

“To be honest though, the way we played today wasn’t up to our normal standard. It has almost gone back a little bit, and I don’t know why,” the southpaw added.

Morgan’s dismissal itself was a close call no-ball as the third umpire found a part of Beuran Hendricks’ foot behind the line.

Morgan had said he did not see the replay on the big screen. “We expected to win needing seven off the last,” he said. “It’s a great game to play in because you learn a lot about players’ composure in that situation.

“We’re very open, and players will say if they struggled today and ask how they can improve.”

Talking about their bowling, Morgan ranked England’s performance at Buffalo Park “6 out of 10”. “Our lengths were sliding on, so we were bowling fuller than we thought, and it took our bowlers longer to adjust than normal,” the England skipper added.

The two sides will next face each other in the 2nd T20I at Kingsmead on Friday (February 14).