Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Titan Morris tips the scales again
Trump card Tahir shows his worth with spin and guile
CHRIS MORRIS is valued at over $1 million in the IPL. His worth in the Proteas dressingroom, though, is becoming incalculable after every matchwinning performance.
Exactly a week ago he required 32 balls to smash South Africa to victory at the Wanderers. Last night, he only faced seven balls, but it was enough to get South Africa over the line in a thrilling encounter at a raucous Newlands.
South Africa were always in touch with the run- rate required throughout the chase, but were making heavy weather when a faltering middle-order had left 37 runs to be chased down off the last 24 balls. sooner rather than later, and Tahir immediately repaid his skipper’s faith.
Hales had earlier survived a JP Duminy dropped chance out on the square-leg boundary, but he was to have no such luck the second time around when he top-edged a sweep off Tahir in Duminy’s direction.
There was no way Duminy was putting down a second one – even when Rabada charged into him and executed a rugby tackle of such perfection that it would have delighted the Stormers fans across the railway line.
Tahir is like a shark in the sense that when he smells blood, he goes searching for his prey and the England middleorder were certainly well within his sights now.
Two wickets off consecutive balls pegged England back further especially with the visiting captain Eoin Morgan being among them.
The English skipper was caught by David Wiese at short third-man before Du Plessis took a brilliant catch at short extra-cover to dismiss Moeen Ali first ball.
Tahir was not done yet. Even though Ben Stokes tried to retaliate with a boundary and a big six over square-leg off Tahir, the leg-spinner had the last laugh when he spun a googly past an advancing Stokes for AB de Villiers to whip off the bails.
South Africa will use last night’s result to build confidence within the camp, but they will be acutely aware that there is still plenty of work to do before they head off to India in just over a fortnight’s time for the World T20.