Keo e nd Bowling lets SA down
Proteas’ 229 not good enough to stave off defeat by England New Zealand show nerve in thriller against Australia
NEITHER Hashim Amla’s fastest T20 half-century, nor Quinton de Kock’s careerbest score in the format, nor JP Duminy’s first 50 of any flavour for SA in more than five months were enough to stave off defeat by England in their World T20 match in Mumbai last night.
Only five totals in the 540 T20 internationals yet played have been higher than the 229/6 SA put on the board.
Until, that is, England replied with 230/8 – the second-highest successful run chase in T20 history – to win with two balls to spare.
“We’ve all played this game long enough to know that no score is unchaseable – that was the message to the bowlers,” Faf du Plessis said.
Clearly, that message did not get through: SA conceded 26 runs in extras.
England, stung by a six-wicket loss to West Indies at the same venue on Wednesday, knew they had to win to avoid a probable first-round exit from the tournament.
Last night’s result transferred that pressure onto the shoulders of SA, who will be all too aware that they can ill afford to lose to plucky qualifiers Afghanistan in Mumbai tomorrow.
And to think SA beat much the same England side 2-0 in their T20 series last month. What a difference a few weeks, a change of conditions, and the expectation that follows every team to major events make.
De Kock’s 52 powered an opening stand of 96 in which Amla clipped 58, 50 of them off 25 balls.
Duminy’s 54 not out ended a lean run of 17 completed innings across all formats in which he had not scored a half-century at international level. He put on 60 with David Miller for the unbroken fifth wicket.
England’s reply was driven by Joe Root, whose 83 ended with 10 balls left in the match and England needing 11 to win. Root and Jos Buttler added 75 for the fifth wicket, England’s only half-century stand.
It was an evening of emphatic batting, as underlined by the fact that the 44 runs scored off the first two overs of England’s innings are the most ever hammered in the first dozen deliveries of a T20 innings.
As many as 324 of the 459 runs scored in the game flew and flowed in boundaries, or more than 70%.
But it was also a match of ragged bowling by both sides; more so by SA. Kagiso Rabada took the new ball and went for 21 runs in his first over. Dale Steyn shared that ball and was promptly drilled for 23 runs.
England bowled two wides, which cost two runs. SA sent down 10 wides – which realised 20 runs.
For all that, off-spinner Moeen Ali and leg spinner Adil Rashid could make a strong argument that they won the match for England by limiting SA to 14 runs and dismissing Amla between the start of the 11th over and the end of the 13th.
England lost no wickets and scored 42 runs in the same overs, which were bowled by Chris Morris, Duminy and Steyn.
Going into that period of their respective innings, SA were 125/2 and England were 118/4. In short, there was nothing in it.
There still isn’t. Not in SA’s win column, anyway.
ý Despite having never defeated India in a World Cup match, Pakistan coach Waqar Younis is confident his team can break the jinx against the hosts, who are smarting from a thumping defeat against New Zealand in their tournament opener, Reuters reports.
A defeat against their arch-rivals at the Eden Gardens today will push India towards an early exit from the tournament and Waqar says it will be the best chance for Pakistan to end their poor record against their neighbours. SO STOKED: Mitchell McClenaghan celebrates a wicket for New Zealand PHOTOGRAPH: GETTY IMAGES NEW Zealand beat Australia by eight runs yesterday in a thrilling World Twenty20 match in Dharamsala, India.
After New Zealand made 142/8 in their 20 overs, Australia appeared well set to chase it down.
But they lost four wickets in their last two overs, with recalled Mitchell McClenaghan and Corey Anderson holding their nerve at the death, giving the Black Caps revenge after losing last year’s final of the 50-over World Cup to Australia.
McClenaghan with 3/17, was a surprise replacement for Nathan McCullum.
But skipper Kane Williamson was vindicated in spectacular style, while Australia were left to rue their decision to pick two rookie spinners, Ashton Agar and Adam Zampa. Agar had a game to forget, carted for three sixes in what was his one and only over.
Martin Guptill who scored a brisk 39 off 27, and Williamson put on 61 in the first seven overs but the Black Caps’ hopes of putting on a score close to 200 soon subsided.
Poor shot selection and tight bowling from veteran Shane Watson and allrounders Glenn Maxwell and James Faulkner, put the brakes on the Kiwis.
After Guptill was out caught by Maxwell on the boundary, Williamson and Anderson were out in quick succession, with New Zealand never recovering momentum.
Usman Khawaja (38) and Watson put on 44 for Australia before Wat- son fell, while Khawaja was run out just as he seemed well-set.
David Warner perished in the first ball of the 11th over, holing out at deep mid-wicket, with spinners Mitchell Santner and Ish Sodh bowling tidy spells. Sodhi conceded just 14 runs in his four overs while Santner took 2/30.
McClenaghan was handed the ball for the penultimate over and did his captain proud by taking the wickets of Marsh and Agar and conceding just three runs. – AFP