NEW DELHI: Led by opener Andries Gous' gutsy unbeaten 47-ball 80, a spirited USA gave South Africa a fight before the experienced Proteas managed an 18-run win in their Group 2 Super 8 match at the
T20 World Cup
in Antigua on Wednesday.
With the first win in Super 8s, South Africa earned two points and registered their fifth win on the trot at the this year's cricketing extravaganza.
Chasing a challenging 195 on a batting-friendly pitch at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, the USA were stopped at 176 for six in their 20 overs.
South African-born Gous put up a valiant fight, especially with his 91-run partnership for the sixth wicket with Harmeet Singh, who scored 38 from 22 balls, featuring two fours and three sixes. The effort, however, could not bridge the gap as the Proteas' bowling attack eventually prevailed.
The USA faced a turbulent start, losing Steven Taylor (24 off 14), Nitish Kumar (8), skipper Aaron Jones (0), Corey Anderson (12), and Shayan Jahangir (3) early in their innings.
At 76 for five in the 12th over, with another 119 runs required for victory, it seemed a near-impossible task for the newcomers.
As It Happened
Gous and Harmeet mounted then a fierce counter-attack in the middle overs, swinging their bats at will and found gaps with precision as South African bowlers, who had almost set up a comfortable win.
Harmeet’s aggressive batting, particularly against Tabraiz Shamsi, kept USA’s hopes alive even as the asking rate climbed to about 15 runs per over.
However, Rabada's exceptional bowling display, which included three wickets for just 18 runs in his four overs, ultimately turned the tide. His bowling in the penultimate over, which conceded just two runs, was crucial in breaking the USA’s stand and sealing South Africa's win.
Earlier in the day, Quinton de Kock played a cracking knock in setting up South Africa’s formidable total. De Kock scored 74 from 40 balls, a display that set the tone for the innings.
De Kock's fireworks at the top and skipper Aiden Markram's fluent 46 helped South Africa banish their top-order woes after the frontline batters had flopped collectively in the group stage.
The pitch, expected to be slow and spin-friendly, instead saw De Kock putting the USA bowlers to the sword.
De Kock's partnership with Markram yielded 110 runs from just 60 balls.
Heinrich Klaasen (36 not out) and Tristan Stubbs (20 not out) further boosted South Africa’s total by adding 53 runs unbeaten for the fifth wicket in the final five overs.
South Africa did have a cautious start with Reeza Hendricks scoring just 11 before falling victim to Saurabh Netravalkar, who logged figures of 2 for 21 in his four overs.
But the partnerships that followed were instrumental in compiling a challenging total of 194 for four in their allotted 20 overs.
Points Table | Schedule
South Africa, with this win, managed to capture two crucial points, opening their account in the Super Eight stage of the tournament.
Despite the USA falling short, their determined fightback, especially the efforts of Gous and Harmeet, made the match a noteworthy contest.
English (US) ·