Rain ruled in Johannesburg as the opening game of the one-day series between South Africa and England at The Wanderers was washed out.

Not a ball was bowled in the day-night contest with umpires Marais Erasmus and Rod Tucker calling off proceedings at 5pm local time.

Heavy rain had hit the area in the build-up to the game and further downpours continued during Friday, leaving standing water on parts of the outfield.

Having drawn the Twenty20 series 1-1, Proteas coach Mickey Arthur admitted the hosts were left kicking their heels at the bad weather.

Frustrating

"It is very frustrating. We were looking forward to getting stuck into the series," he said.

"We felt we picked up good momentum in the Standard Bank Pro20 Series, and our players are raring to go."

The abandonment means Paul Collingwood will have to wait to overtake Alec Stewart and become England's most-capped ODI player.

The Durham all-rounder will hope the weather allows him to make a record 171st appearance on Sunday, in the second one-dayer at Centurion.

The tourists will still be without injured duo Stuart Broad (shoulder) and Graeme Swann (side) at the weekend.

The two teams then move on to Cape Town for a day-night affair on November 27 before playing in Port Elizabeth on November 29. The five-match series concludes in Durban on December 4.

SA Vs England - 2nd T20

2nd Twenty20 Match

Centurion Park

South Africa 241-6 Innings Complete (L L Bosman 94, G C Smith 88) v England 157-8 Innings Complete (I J L Trott 51)

South Africa beat England by 84 runs

South Africa hit back in style in the second Twenty20 international as they blasted England's bowlers all over Centurion Park in an 84-run victory.

Graeme Smith and Loots Bosman did all the damage early on as they shared a record-breaking 170-run opening partnership.

Smith clobbered eight fours and six sixes as he smashed 88 runs from just 44 balls while Bosman somehow did even better, with his 94 coming from just 45 deliveries and including nine sixes along with five boundaries.

South Africa's stunning innings eventually ended on 241-6 and that gave stand-in skipper Alastair Cook and his men an almost-impossible task of chasing 242 to win and claim the Twenty20 series.

Jonathan Trott did get a half-century while Kevin Pietersen made a decent 29 on his return from injury, but the run rate soon got way out of hand and England eventually closed on 157-8.

Pulsating start

After their pulsating start, Proteas skipper Smith eventually holed out in the deep off Joe Denly's first ball of the day, although by then the damage had already been done to England.

Bosman was largely playing second fiddle early on but he continued where his skipper left off before being caught in the deep with the score on 192-2.

AB de Villiers added 24 and Albie Morkel 14 as England's bowlers took a real hammering but for the exception of James Anderson, who took 1-28 from his four overs.

Sajid Mahmood conceded 61 from his four while Tim Bresnan went for 48 and Adil Rashid was thumped for 25 from his one-and-only over of leg spin.

South Africa's bowlers backed up their batsmen's efforts and England never looked like reaching such a lofty target, with Denly out early for a run-a-ball 14.

Resistance

Cook followed for 26 but Trott and Pietersen offered some resistance as the South African-born duo combined for 52 before the former was caught out a run after reaching his own half-century.

Pietersen missed a switch-hit and was bowled for 29, but he looked good on his return to action having been pushed back into the team ahead of schedule following an injury to Paul Collingwood.

Eoin Morgan could not rescue England again as he was one of two wickets for Dale Steyn, and the tourists went down to their biggest Twenty20 loss.

Victory for the Proteas squares the 20-over series in style at the start of a long duel between the two nations, with the one-dayers next up on the schedule.

South Africa VS England - 1st T20

Eoin Morgan's eye-catching unbeaten 85 is the highest score by an England batsman in Twenty20 international cricket

Eoin Morgan still feels a distance from establishing his place in the England team despite turning in another impressive display to help down South Africa in the opening Twenty20 international at the Wanderers.

The Middlesex batsman trained with the rest of his team at Centurion ahead of their second and final 20-over encounter tomorrow, but there were three notable absentees in Paul Collingwood, James Anderson and Graeme Swann.

Twenty20 captain Collingwood sat out practice as a precaution after waking up with a stiff back following his half-century last night, while Anderson, who missed the final warm-up game against South Africa A on Tuesday due to soreness in his right knee, was also given time off alongside Swann (side).

The trio face fitness tests tomorrow but, despite their absence, the mood in the camp was still positive after what victory in their first competitive match of the tour.

Irish left-hander Morgan was named man of the match after a thrilling 85 not out from 45 balls helped set the tourists up for a one-run win under the Duckworth-Lewis method.

Morgan’s second Twenty20 innings for his adopted country since making the switch from Ireland was the highest score by an England player in the shortest form of the game, surpassing Collingwood's 79 against West Indies in 2007.

Morgan gestures to Andrew Strauss in practice today, which three England players sat out as a precaution before Centurion

Although he struck seven fours and five sixes, Morgan still believes he has some to go before he can be recognised as a first-team regular.

He said: “I think it’s contributed towards it; I think I’m far from cementing my place in the side.

“It’s a building block towards where I want to be, but I was certainly happy with the way I did play. But I’ve only played a handful of games and I’ve still a long way to go.”

Morgan was given fine support by Collingwood, who made 57 off 32 balls and shared in a thrilling stand of 98 off just 55 deliveries for the fourth wicket, as England totalled 202 for six – their highest Twenty20 international total.

The hosts were 127 for three after 13 overs in response when rain ended the game and, despite the manner of victory, it did not dampen England’s celebrations.

Asked if victory had a positive psychological effect, 23-year-old Morgan said: “Yeah, I think so. It was a good game of cricket and very exciting.

“We’ve certainly put a positive slant on the series to come with the way we batted, the way we bowled and the way we fielded.”

Eight of the nine sixes during England’s innings came off the fast bowlers, while Dale Steyn, Albie Morkel and Charl Langeveldt conceded more than 110 runs between them in their 10 overs.

Graeme Smith has taken note of Morgan, whose 67, combining keeping duties, knocked the hosts out of the Champions Trophy

Asked whether there was a particular plan to target Steyn, South Africa’s premier paceman, Morgan added: “No, certainly not. It was just that the wicket happened to be good and I didn’t think he bowled particularly well.

“We don’t target any bowlers at all. We were just happy to go out there and win.”

Graeme Smith recognised that South Africa will have to take note of Morgan - his knock was a second consecutive fifty against the Proteas, following his 67 to help knock them out of the Champions Trophy.

“He’s a dynamic player in that middle order,” said the Proteas skipper. “He’s one of those players that has really transformed England in the shorter formats of the game.

“From my perspective, it’s a realisation that it is going to be a tough series. It’s going to be good and exciting – England have come here to play.

“We’ve got to improve still on our bowling department - the execution of some of the plans. I think it just bodes well for an exciting performance on Sunday.”