Tahir strikes to restrict England in first Twenty20

Cape Town (AFP) - Leg-spinner Imran Tahir took four wickets as England squandered a good start in the first Twenty20 international against South Africa at Newlands on Friday.

Tahir took four for 21 as England struggled to 134 for eight after being sent in to bat.

England looked set for a big total as opening batsmen Jason Roy and the in-form Alex Hales hit 38 off the first 3.3 overs before Roy clipped Kagiso Rabada to Hashim Amla at mid-wicket.

Tahir came on to bowl after the six-over power play had yielded 50 runs for Roy's wicket.

He struck with his fourth ball when Hales top-edged a sweep to backward square leg. JP Duminy held the catch despite being knocked to the ground by Rabada, who was also running for the ball.

Tahir followed up by dismissing Ben Stokes, Eoin Morgan and Moeen Ali. The latter two wickets were off successive balls and he narrowly missed a hat-trick when a googly went over Chris Jordan's middle stump.

It was a cool, cloudy evening with the possibility of rain showers. Rain twice interrupted a women's Twenty20 international between the two countries, played earlier, which South Africa won by 17 runs according to the Duckworth/Lewis method.

Cricket South Africa announced after the toss that wicketkeeper-batsman Quinton de Kock would miss both Twenty20 internationals in order to rest a minor right knee injury he sustained during the Test series against England. AB de Villiers kept wicket.