South Africa knock West Indies out to enter semi-final with nervy win

5 days ago

(16.1 overs bowled, Team total: 123) 124 runs scored with 7 wickets down

South Africa achieved victory with 3 wickets in hand and 5 balls left to spare, using the DLS method.

They managed to win a match that was shortened due to rain and successfully chased a challenging score to secure a place in the semi-final.

South Africa scored 124 runs for the loss of 7 wickets, with Stubbs scoring 29, Klaasen 22, and Jansen 21 not out, while Chase took 3 wickets for 12 runs. They defeated West Indies who scored 135 runs for 8 wickets, with Chase scoring 52, Mayers 35, and Shamsi taking 3 wickets for 27 runs. South Africa won the match by three wickets using the DLS method.

They have nearly accomplished everything. South Africa has won six matches in a row, with five of them being very close. They managed to win a match that was shortened by rain and successfully chased a challenging target to secure a spot in the semi-finals of the men's T20 World Cup 2024. By defeating co-hosts West Indies, they have topped their Super Eight group, which also increases their chances of avoiding India in the semi-finals. Can we consider this their moment to shine?

The signs all suggest that the luck is finally turning for a team that has been hoping for an ICC trophy for a long time but has always been disappointed. South Africa is now winning matches that they would normally lose, fighting hard like their rugby team, the Springboks - who won by narrow margins in the quarterfinals, semifinals, and final last year - and figuring out how to handle the pressure. They have a new determination and it has led them to reach the knockout stage of the T20 World Cup for the first time in ten years.

By the way, when they reached the last four in the 2014 competition, Aiden Markram had recently guided the Under-19 team to victory in the World Cup. Now, he is leading the senior team and he is achieving great success in a different way. Markram decided to take on the role of opening bowler in this game, bowling his full quota of four overs. He chose to utilize an unconventional strategy by focusing on spin bowling. South Africa had never relied so heavily on spin in a T20 World Cup match before (and had only done so twice previously against Sri Lanka in 2021), but the unexpected tactic paid off. Collectively, South Africa's spinners took 5 wickets for 79 runs in 12 overs.

They played a big role in silencing the West Indies team and were a key factor in forcing them to deal with 57 dot balls during their innings. This is like having 9.3 overs where no runs were scored, making it the highest number of dot balls in this T20 World Cup. The only partnership that kept West Indies alive was the 81-run stand between Kyle Mayers and Roston Chase, as they were the only batsmen to score more than 15 runs individually.

After wiping away their tears, West Indies will focus on their batting as the main cause for not moving forward. Their bowlers did their best, getting South Africa 15 for 2 in just two overs before the rain stopped play. They continued to work hard and dismissed all the key batters. Chase's 3 wickets for 12 runs and Joseph's 2 wickets for 25 runs kept South Africa on their toes, but Rabada and Jansen sealed the win for them when they were seven wickets down.

Markram Shows Off Funky Skills But Fielding Falters

The first 10 overs of the match were full of action, with South Africa missing four opportunities to catch the ball and Markram achieving a rare feat as just the second South Africa spinner to bowl four consecutive overs after starting the game as opener in a men's T20I. This was surprising considering there were two other recognized spinners in the playing eleven. Markram partnered with Jansen to open the bowling, and he made an impact immediately by taking a wicket with his first delivery. As a result, South Africa gained the upper hand early on in the match, with West Indies struggling at 5 for 2.

They missed out on a third wicket opportunity in the next over bowled by Jansen. When Chase, who was on 12 runs, tried to hit the ball across the line and ended up skying it, Anrich Nortje had a chance to catch it. Unfortunately, he couldn't hold on to the ball. Chase then scored eight more runs before attempting a slog sweep off Keshav Maharaj. The ball went towards deep midwicket where David Miller struggled to catch the ball due to the wind, and eventually let a tough chance slip away.

Next, Maharaj was fielding at square leg when Mayers, who was batting on 13, played a sweeping shot and Maharaj dropped the catch. However, the most noticeable incident was when Mayers hit a shot down the ground, Rabada and Jansen both went after the ball without calling for it and ended up colliding with each other. Jansen had to briefly leave the field due to the collision, but eventually returned. Markram ended up with figures of 1 for 28 from his four overs.

The performance of South Africa's spinners was so good that Markram did not need to use Rabada until the 18th over, which is the latest he has ever bowled in a T20 match. Prior to this game, Rabada had played in 62 T20Is and had bowled in the first four overs in 61 of them. The latest he had bowled before was in the fifth over against West Indies in 2021. His previous latest introduction was in the 11th over during IPL 2021.

It was a bit unusual, but Rabada made a quick and significant impact. He realized that bowling slower deliveries was the best strategy and it paid off right away. His first ball to Akeal Hosein only resulted in a slight touch to short third man. Hosein and Andre Russell attempted to run, but Anrich Nortje quickly grabbed the ball and threw it back, resulting in Russell being run out. Shortly after, Hosein hit a slower delivery straight back to Rabada, who made an easy catch. Rabada's first over only cost one run, preventing West Indies from making a late comeback. He ended with an over that conceded 11 runs, helping to restrict West Indies to a total of 135.

South Africa Faces Virtual World Cup Knockout Drama

Yes, indeed, it happened. Quinton de Kock scored 12 runs in the first over to start the chase, but then Russell took control of the new ball. He caught Reeza Hendricks down the leg side with his first ball, although the decision had to be reviewed and changed after Snicko showed the edge. Then he caught de Kock well, thanks to Sherfane Rutherford at deep backward square. However, that was not the end of the early excitement. Right after that over, it started to rain heavily, bringing back memories of past rain-affected matches that South Africans would rather forget. The delay lasted 75 minutes, and three overs were lost, which reduced the target to 123.

Klaasen Leads South Africa To Victory

We all know that T20 matches can turn around quickly, especially in matches shortened by rain. Heinrich Klaasen was the one who made a big difference in the game when he took on Gudakesh Motie and took South Africa closer to victory. Klaasen hit Motie's first ball for a six and the next three balls for four, although it was a bit risky. He stayed on the defensive and hit Motie's deliveries in the air, making it difficult for fielders to catch them. This helped South Africa chase down the target of 53 runs in 10 overs and secure a spot in the semi-finals.

Firdose Moonda writes for ESPNcricinfo about South African cricket and the women's game.

South Africa emerged victorious by 3 wickets with 5 balls to spare, according to the DLS method.

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