St Lucia: In a nail-biting finish, South Africa secured a crucial victory over England in their T20 World Cup 2024 Super Eight match, held at the Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium on Saturday.
Chasing a modest target of 164, England started positively with Phil Salt’s quickfire innings, but a collapse left them struggling at 61/4. Keshav Maharaj led the bowling attack effectively, with Kagiso Rabada and Ottniel Baartman each chipping in with a wicket.
Despite a resilient partnership between Harry Brook and Liam Livingstone, which saw Rabada and Anrich Nortje concede costly overs, Baartman’s erratic 21-run over brought the game to a dramatic turning point.
However, Rabada and Marco Jansen’s economical bowling in the 18th and 19th overs restricted England’s progress, leaving Anrich Nortje 13 runs to defend in the final over. Nortje delivered under pressure, and a crucial catch by Aiden Markram off Brook’s mishit sealed the game for South Africa.
Earlier in the first innings, South African openers Reeza Hendricks and Quinton de Kock started cautiously but quickly accelerated, bringing up their team’s fifty within just five overs. By the end of the powerplay, South Africa was well-positioned at 63/0, with De Kock completing his half-century off the seventh over.
However, the Proteas began to lose momentum in the middle overs, as wickets started to tumble. The first wicket fell in the 10th over when Hendricks, who scored 19 runs from 25 balls, was dismissed. Quinton de Kock continued to anchor the innings, but his departure in the 12th over after a brisk 65 off 38 balls, shifted the game’s momentum.
Heinrich Klaasen’s brief stay ended with a run-out in the 14th over, followed by a quick dismissal of skipper Aiden Markram, who managed just a single run, leaving South Africa in a precarious position.
Despite David Miller’s resilient 43 off 28 balls, including four boundaries and two sixes. Archer emerged as the standout bowler for England, claiming three crucial wickets in his four-over spell while conceding 40 runs. Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid each contributed with a wicket.
South Africa Playing 11: Quinton de Kock (wk), Reeza Hendricks, Aiden Markram (c), David Miller, Heinrich Klaasen, Tristan Stubbs, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Ottneil Baartman
England Playing 11: Philip Salt, Jos Buttler (c & wk), Harry Brook, Jonny Bairstow, Moeen Ali, Liam Livingstone, Sam Curran, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood, Reece Topley
