In St Lucia, South Africa achieved an exciting victory over England, advancing one spot closer to the T20 World Cup 2024 semifinals. Their seven-run victory over the Three Lions was largely attributed to the team captained by Aiden Markram’s explosive start at bat.
With a brilliant 65 runs off of 38 balls, Quinton de Kock showed that he was a big-game player once again. The southpaw gave the Proteas the perfect start by showing the other batters how to do it on a surface where they were having trouble. Quinton was able to stay up with the scoreboard despite Reeza Hendricks’ severe struggles as they scored 63 runs during the powerplay.
Things became difficult for South Africa after he left, but David Miller was able to step up. With 43 runs off of 28 balls, the seasoned batsman contributed greatly to the Proteas’ 163 run total. At the very end, Jofra Archer demonstrated some magic with the ball, but it was too little, too late.
The England batsmen had severe trouble chasing the ball. At one point they were down to 61/4, but Liam Livingstone and Harry Brook took over and kept England in the chase. They had an 80-run combination that placed South Africa under tremendous pressure, but they were able to maintain composure all the way to the finish.
The score was close to being decided by Brook’s 53 runs off 37 balls and Livingstone’s 33 runs off 17 balls, but Jansen and Nortje played outstanding last-inning roles to preserve the victory. South Africa is presently leading the group, which also includes England, the United States, and the West Indies, with four points.
Also read: Who is South African pacer Ottneil Baartman?
1. The man arrives at the appointed hour.
Quinton de Kock shown his class and his ability to compete in big games once more. The southpaw struggled in the 2024 Indian Premier League and had a slow start at the World Cup, but he turned things around in the Super Eights. In the competition, the keeper-batter scored two consecutive half-centuries; if he can sustain this form, South Africa will be a formidable opponent.
2. Brook’s altercation with Livingstone
England was once thought to be out of the race, but Brook and Livingstone’s collaboration kept them in contention for a very long period. On a pitch that didn’t provide much assistance for the batsmen, both cricket players played aggressively. They persisted however, almost missing the goal. They should be commended for their incredible energy, and they should be hoping to maintain the momentum in England’s next game against the USA.
3. 10/10 to fielders
The field players enjoyed a fantastic day in St. Lucia. Jos Buttler got things going, and Aiden Markram came through with a fantastic catch at the end. Impressive performances came from Sam Curran, Heinrich Klaasen, and Anrich Nortje in between.
Losing skipper Jos Buttler said:
Powerplay. Quinton came in with a lot of intent and we couldn’t quite match that. We pulled it back and were happy to chase that target but his innings was the difference. We came back well with the ball. Brook and Livingstone had a fantastic partnership to get us close and even look like favourties but credit to South Africa for closing out the game. Really valuable. He’s very understanding that you don’t get to face many balls in T20 cricket at that positions. He’s hitting the ball really well in the nets and backing himself. Looking forward to the next one.
Winning skipper Aiden Markram said:
Last three overs we had a lot against us but the bowlers had good plans and pulled it off. Message after the powerplay was it got slower. If I am greedy we were 10-20 short especially after the start we got. Not quite played a completely game of cricket but we are on the right track. Quinny (de Kock) has been good for us in the last two games. It was a bit nerve-wracking in those overs but it can happen. The plans were there just the execution wasn’t. I’m grateful that catch (off Brook) stuck.
POTM Quinton de Kock said:
It (the pitch) definitely doesn’t play the same as night games. It’s completely a different surface compared to the night games. There was a little bit of extra bounce early on. I try to carry on confidence game by game. We bowled really well in the powerplay, and we controlled it very nicely. To be able to defend 160 on a decent wicket is a good effort from us.
India
