South Africa advanced to the T20 World Cup semifinals after defeating hosts West Indies by three wickets using the Duckworth Lewis method in a rain-shortened Super 8s encounter at North Sound.
The golden generation of South Africa’s white-ball cricket players took a significant step towards shrugging off the label of “eternal chokers” when they maintained their calm to defeat the West Indies by three wickets in an exciting Super 8s match that was cut short due to rain. With five balls remaining, South Africa reached the revised target of 123 when part-time wizard and full-time wrist spinner Tabraiz Shamsi (3/27), along with his slow bowling partners Keshav Maharaj (1/24) and skipper Aiden Markram (1/28), reduced West Indies to a manageable 135 for 8.
Rain interrupted play after two overs, with the Proteas at 15/2.
South Africa emerged victorious from Group 1, with England, the reigning champions, placing second in the group after this victory.
Heinrich Klaasen (22 off 10 balls) and one of the most talked-about emerging T20 hitters, Tristan Stubbs (29 off 27 balls), set up the chase for the South Africans.
To secure the victory, however, was Marco Jansen (21 not out off 14 balls), who struck a stunning six down the ground off the opening ball of the 17th over, which was bowled by left-arm bowler Obed McCoy.
Kagiso Rabada’s copybook cover drive off Roston Chase, when South Africa needed 9 off 7 balls, was very impressive.
In a match headlined by some of the most illustrious names in T20 history, two underrated cricketers stood up.
Barbados’ Roston Chase (52 and 3/12), who has gone unsold in the IPL year after year, and Jansen, who demonstrated the lesser-known characteristic of coolness, which is essential in down-the-wire chases.
South Africa was eliminated from the semi-finals of the 1992 ODI World Cup against England due to an unfair rain rule, and the Proteas frequently found ways to lose major cricket games.
However, on Sunday night in North Sound, the one-hour rain delay benefited their batters greatly since the pitch improved dramatically, with the ball skidding and coming on readily.
Another memorable moment was how left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie (1/20) lost his length. Hiw only cost over $20, which contributed significantly to the co-hosts’ defeat.
In a game packed of T20 prima donnas, the Stubbs, Klaasens, Millers, and Markrams emerged victorious over the Andre Russell, Rovman Powell, and Nicholas Pooran.
The South African spin troika was brilliant on a ground where the ball didn’t always come on to the bat, taking five wickets between Markram, Keshav Maharaj, and Shamsi for 79 runs in 12 total overs.
Skipper Markram, who opened the bowling, did an excellent job of dismissing the opposition’s most destructive batsman, Nicholas Pooran (1), who went for a heave but holed out at long-off.
Kyle Mayers (35 off 34) and West Indies’ most helpful player across formats, Roston Chase (52 off 42 balls), pulled off a remarkable comeback, adding 81 runs for the third wicket in just under 11 overs.
With Andre Russell and Rovman Powell still in the dugout, the pair had set themselves up for a good score at 86 for two, but Shamsi and Maharaj’s bowling altered the game dramatically.
It paid off that both players weren’t scared to chuck up the ball and tempt batters to go for long drives.
Maharaj dismissed West Indies captain Powell with a brilliant delivery that was aimed at a traditional left-arm spinner.
Powell was drawn forward by Maharaj’s flighted one above his eyeline, but it sank late and veered away after pitching, allowing De Kock to finish the stumping.
On the other hand, Shamsi was extremely accurate, pitching his deliveries on the leg-middle line to deny hitters any room to maneuver. He did not try to turn the ball too much. Attempts to remove the shackles were rejected by both Mayers and Chase.
Because of Skipper Markram’s excellent preparation, Kagiso Rabada was only included in the attack in the 18th over and only bowled a few overs.After hitting two sixes off Anrich Nortje, Andre Russell had more opportunity to hurt the opposition, but during a Rabada over, the bowler’s direct throw caught the all-rounder short of his line, ending the hosts’ hopes of reaching the 150-run barrier.
