HEROYIC FAILURE

 Buttler boys throw it away after Jason's ace hundred

- DEAN WILSON

JASON ROY'S redemption trumped Jofra Archer's return with a brilliant hundred but both ended up on the losing side as England started this World Cup year with a disappointing defeat.

It was a loss grabbed from the jaws of victory as an inexperienced batting lineup failed to make the most of a glorious start from openers Roy and Dawid Malan.

And skipper Jos Buttler pointed at his side's tentative approach in the middle order for leaving them 27 runs short of their target of 299 when the game was there for the taking against South Africa.

He said: "To get in such a great position and then not go on and win the game is disappointing.

"We need to keep that conviction and that commitment to the way we play. We were a bit tentative and just trying to be a bit safe at times and were not committed enough to our strokes."

England were 146-0 but the Proteas pace bowlers dismissed them for 271 to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.