Buttler anchored England’s 342 for seven with 94 not out off 82 balls after Brook had registered his maiden ODI fifty with 80 off 75 deliveries, while there were bright cameos from Moeen Ali (51 off 45) and Sam Curran (28 off 17).
But South Africa never let the run-rate spiral and Bavuma was authoritative up top with 109 from 102 before David Miller’s expertise at the death – an unbeaten 58 off 37 balls – helped the Proteas home with five wickets to spare.
Miller, who put on an unbroken 65 in 47 balls with Marco Jansen (32 off 29), secured a 2-0 lead for the hosts with one match to play with a huge six from the first delivery of the final over off Chris Woakes. This is another setback for England, who have won just two of their last 12 ODIs, but there were positives in a high-scoring encounter containing a couple of flash points on a hot day.
Brook, who excelled in the Test and T20 tours of Pakistan but registered a duck on his ODI debut in Friday’s 27-run defeat, led England’s recovery from 33 for two with a fine innings containing seven fours and four sixes while paceman Olly Stone impressed and took two for 48.
Buttler said: ‘South Africa bowled really well early on, so to come back and post 340 was a fantastic effort from the guys. It was a terrific game and a great chase.
‘I thought it was a good score at the halfway stage, and having seen the game the other night, the wicket got tougher, but South Africa chased it really well. Harry Brook has been performing in Test cricket and T20 and we know what a talent he is and what a career he will have.’
A delighted Bavuma said: ‘It is very special. Playing against England is always a tough ask. Your disciplines are always being tested and it is a good opportunity for us to test our way of playing. Chasing 340 like that will give us a lot of confidence. It was a good day for us.
‘These wickets are actually quite nice and suit the way we want to play. I’ve reminded myself how to get to a hundred too and I hope I can build on it. We probably weren’t quite at our best at the end. With the bat, we took the situation out of it and we were able to exploit the good conditions. It is a good win for us.’
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