Samit Patel took the wicket of South African opener Herschelle Gibbs as England made a winning start to the NatWest series with a 20-run victory at Headingley.

The Nottinghamshire spinner finished with 1-42 from ten overs and will challenge Graeme Swann for a place in side when the series continues at Trent Bridge on Tuesday.

Stuart Broad had Johan Botha caught on the boundary by Tim Bresnan but Andrew Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen were the standout performers with a match-winning partnership of 158.

England Captain Pietersen halied the ‘phenomenal’ talent of Flintoff who appears to be back to his best after his injury frustrations.

"The man is a superstar, some people are born into this world who are just superstars,” said Pietersen.

"The ability Flintoff has with that cricket ball when he bowls is absolutely phenomenal.

"There's some really positive stuff happening in English cricket at the moment but there's no point getting ahead of ourselves because we start every series well," he added.

"We always win the first game and then mess the next four up. The key to this victory is to make sure we focus on Tuesday and we turn up on Tuesday with the same energy, the same buzz and the same confidence."

Tuesday’s game at Trent Bridge is a complete sell-out.