South Africa hold nerve against England to continue unbeaten march

22 Jun 2024

South Africa emerged victorious with a 7-run victory.

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Anrich Nortje effectively protected a lead of 13 runs in the last over during a close game in St. Lucia.

South Africa scored 163 runs for the loss of 6 wickets, with de Kock scoring 65 runs and Miller scoring 43 runs. Archer took 3 wickets for England, giving away 40 runs. Despite their efforts, England only managed to score 156 runs for the loss of 6 wickets. Brook scored 53 runs, but couldn't lead his team to victory. Maharaj took 2 wickets for South Africa, giving away 25 runs, while Rabada took 2 wickets for 32 runs. South Africa won the match by 7 runs.

Is it too soon to declare that it seems like South Africa's moment has arrived?

They defeated the reigning champions, England, in an exciting match, handling numerous challenges in Saint Lucia to keep their perfect record in the T20 World Cup 2024.

South Africa didn't have a lot of runs, scoring 63 in the first six overs but only 100 more in the next 14 overs. They made a mistake in their team selection on a slower pitch by only choosing one specialist spinner, who was bowled out by the 13th over of England's innings. The fast bowlers didn't seem to adjust to the conditions, conceding 52 runs in three overs between the 15th and 17th over, leaving England with only 25 runs needed off the final 18 balls.

However, Kagiso Rabada made a crucial play by catching Liam Livingstone off a full toss and only giving away four runs in his final over. Marco Jansen also made a strong contribution by conceding only seven runs in the second to last over. This left Anrich Nortje with the task of defending 13 runs in the final over. Despite Harry Brook's attempt to hit a six off the first ball, Aiden Markam made a spectacular catch at mid-on. This was the turning point of the game, but Nortje remained composed and restricted England to just six runs in the last over by bowling full and maintaining control.

Putting the drama to one side, England might not be too upset after their narrow loss. Their spinners, Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid, did well by taking 2 wickets for 45 runs in 7 overs. Reece Topley only gave away 23 runs in his four overs, and Harry Brook scored his first T20 World Cup fifty. Although the decision-making by the top order may be questioned, England still have a good chance of making it to the semi-final with a positive net run rate and a match against the USA coming up.

De Kock Triumphs And Thrives

England's strategy against Quinton de Kock worked well because they chose Reece Topley and Moeen Ali to open the bowling. Both players have had success against de Kock in the past. Topley has removed him four times in six encounters, while Moeen has dismissed him six times in 15 matches. However, neither of them was able to get de Kock out early in this game. In fact, de Kock started off by hitting boundaries off Moeen, followed by punishing Jofra Archer with multiple shots over the leg side. De Kock quickly reached his fifty off just 22 balls, tying Aaron Jones for the quickest half-century in the tournament. Although he had a chance to be dismissed on 58, when he mistimed a shot off Adil Rashid, the catch taken by Mark Wood was deemed not clean by the TV umpire Joel Wilson.

Buttler's Dazzling Fielding Display

De Kock scored just seven more runs before Archer got his payback. He threw a short, slower ball, causing de Kock to touch the ball and Jos Buttler jumped to his left to catch it in a spectacular way. And that was just the beginning. Buttler's best move came when Heinrich Klaasen, with only 8 runs, hesitated to respond to David Miller's call for a run. After a short ball from Wood hit the wicketkeeper's pad and bounced towards short fine leg, Klaasen was slow to run between the wickets. Buttler seized the opportunity, displaying impressive awareness and precision to throw the stumps down at the non-striker's end, catching Klaasen well short of the crease.

The Sublime, The Ridiculous, And The Sublime

England thought they could catch well, but South Africa proved them wrong when Reeza Hendricks successfully caught the first chance he was presented with. Phil Salt attempted a risky shot off Rabada, but it didn't go as planned and Hendricks made an impressive catch. Rabada almost had another wicket when Bairstow hit a shot to deep third, but Klaasen couldn't hold on to it.

The missed catch only cost South Africa six runs because of another amazing catch. Keshav Maharaj threw the ball, Bairstow hit it, and Nortje made a fantastic catch at backward point. Klaasen was able to make up for his mistake when Buttler tried to hit Maharaj and was caught at deep mid-wicket. But the most impressive catch was made by Markram in the last over when Harry Brook, who had scored 53 runs, tried to hit Nortje. Markram ran back from mid-on and caught the ball over his right shoulder; it was a pivotal moment in the game.

Rabada And Baartman Struggle With Their Lengths

England had to score 77 runs in the last six overs. Keshav Maharaj was out, so it was up to the seamers to defend the runs. Rabada, South Africa's most experienced bowler, started with the 15th over. He gave away 18 runs in the over, which relieved some pressure off England. Baartman bowled the 17th over and struggled to find the right length, sending down four full tosses in a row. Livingstone took advantage of this, hitting him for boundaries. Despite a few close calls, Baartman's fifth delivery resulted in another boundary for England. This set the game up for an exciting finish.

Firdose Moonda reports on South African cricket and women's cricket for ESPNcricinfo.

Harry Brook was caught by Markram off of Nortje's bowling, scoring 53 runs off of 37 balls with 7 fours at a strike rate of 143.24.

South Africa emerged victorious with a 7-run win.

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