In the second Twenty20 international in Cardiff, Rilee Rossouw scored a magnificent unbroken 96 to help South Africa defeat England by 58 runs and tie the three-game series.
The left-hander led the tourists to 207-3 from their 20 overs with a magnificent knock that took just 55 balls and combined power hitting and finesse.
Reeza Hendricks, who opened the innings for Rossouw and shared a partnership of 72 for the second wicket, followed up his 50 in the first T20 with a stunning 53 off only 32 deliveries.
The loss of captain Jos Buttler and Dawid Malan early in the powerplay had a negative impact on England's response, and Jason Roy's problems persisted as the hosts fell to a score of 77-3.
The fielding of South Africa was sloppy on Wednesday in Bristol, but Keshav Maharaj took a sensational diving catch on the boundary to eliminate Moeen Ali.
Jonny Bairstow was taken out of the game by another excellent catch by Lungi Ngidi, ending England's aspirations.
As England was bowled out for 149 with more than three overs remaining, Andile Phehlukwayo and Tabraiz Shamsi were the outstanding bowlers, each taking 3-27.
On Sunday, the pivotal T20 will take place at Southampton's Ageas Bowl.
2022: South Africa visits England
Rossouw is the star in a commanding victory.
After putting forth a rough effort in the first T20, South Africa played flawlessly in this match.
After six years as a Kolpak player, Rossouw returned to the international scene and took the lead with strong innings that featured 10 fours and five sixes, including a tremendous shot off Adil Rashid that sailed out of the field and nearly missed hitting the River Taff.
After Quinton de Kock was out for 15, Rossouw, who had been outstanding for Somerset in the T20 Blast this season, entered the fray. Hendricks and Rossouw formed a crucial partnership until the latter was caught by Bairstow off Richard Gleeson in the fourth over.
When a review confirmed Rossouw had gloved one behind at 37, England believed they had got rid of him. However, a video revealed the ball had bounced before ending up in wicketkeeper Buttler's hands.
Heinrich Klaasen made a quick 19 off of 10 balls before clipping a wide delivery from Chris Jordan straight to Malan at extra cover. Tristan Stubbs then came to the crease and made an amazing 72 off of 28 balls for Bristol.
Rossouw controlled the strike for the remainder of the innings, albeit he nearly missed a century due to some more excellent death bowling from Jordan, who went for just four off the last over. The 21-year-old needed only 12 deliveries for his 15 not out.
Roy's form is still a problem.
When Buttler hammered back-to-back sixes and a one-bounce four off Phehlukwayo, he appeared to be in the mood. But when the England captain attempted one big shot too many and skied it to Hendricks for 29, the South African left-armer responded with the following pitch.
Malan was forced to top-edge the ball straight up by the slow left-armer Maharaj, allowing Proteas goalkeeper De Kock to make an easy catch and give England a 48-2 advantage.
While those firings were anomalies, Roy's ongoing tardiness is becoming more and more of an issue. When he holed out to Shamsi at mid-off in the ninth over after struggling to reach 20 from 22 balls, there was almost a sense of relief.
The Surrey right-hander has played in five T20 innings this summer and has totaled just 59 runs off 80 balls. With only 11 T20 games remaining until the World Cup in the fall, England may be faced with a difficult decision over his starting lineup.
After their sloppy performance in the first game of the series, South Africa must be commended for some outstanding fielding. Maharaj took the best of nine catches in a breathtaking effort at full stretch on the long-on boundary to dismiss Moeen for 28.
England had slipped to 92-5 and required a miracle when Sam Curran holed out to the same fielder four balls later.
Even the in-form Bairstow, who had too much to do after being dismissed for 30, found that to be beyond him. His removal for 30 started a collapse that saw England lose their final five wickets for only 21 runs.
Reaction: "Playing for South Africa again is a dream come true."
The difference between the two teams was that Rilee batted throughout the entirety of the innings, according to England captain Jos Buttler to BBC Test Match Special. We had players that got off to strong starts but couldn't finish the contest.
"Having these high-stakes matches before the World Cup is fantastic. Although we would have liked to win, the series must be won on Sunday, and the score is currently tied at one.
David Miller, the captain of South Africa, told TMS: "Even though we lost last night, we managed to recover. The players thought everything through thoroughly this morning, carried it out flawlessly and batted fantastically.
"It's wonderful to see Rilee Rossouw playing for the Proteas once more after a lengthy absence. We are aware of his vast knowledge and the value he brings to the team. Last night's game was challenging for Tabraiz Shamsi as well, but he recovered well."
Rilee Rossouw, the game's MVP, told TMS: "The most important thing is to be happy about the outcome, but having a hand in it made me feel special.
"I'm blessed to have it twice in my life and to put up a great performance against a world-quality bowling line-up that England has, I'm simply pleased," said the player who hadn't played for South Africa in six years.
Social Plugin