After a thrilling three-wicket victory over co-hosts West Indies in a winner-take-all Super 8s match, South Africa advanced to the T20 World Cup semifinals. The victory was achieved using the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method.
With England having qualified for the round of four on Sunday, the match in Antigua served as a quarterfinal to determine which team would advance from Group 2.
South Africa faltered a bit while chasing a DLS revised target of 123, but in the end they could not break under pressure, and Marco Jansen hammered a six to complete the victory with five balls remaining.
“West Indies lose to South Africa to advance to the semifinals.”
The Proteas looked to be in control after holding West Indies to 135-8, but Andre Russell scored twice in the second chase over, making them 15-2.
But a sudden downpour that forced the players off the pitch for 75 minutes immediately stopped the Windies’ momentum. After resuming play, South Africa struck quickly with a barrage of boundaries, setting a new target of 17 overs.
However, encouraged by a boisterous Sir Vivian Richards Stadium crowd, the West Indies persisted in their fight, led by Roston Chase, who amassed 52 runs at bat while taking three wickets.
Kagiso Rabada struck a magnificent cover drive for four as the game was heading into a nerve-wracking finish, with South Africa needing nine from seven balls. Jansen completed the task at the start of the final over.
Earlier, Tabraiz Shamsi took 3-28 and South Africa’s spinners did the damage with the ball. After finishing first in their group and second in England, the Proteas will play the winners of Group 1.
When India’s final spot in Group 1 is confirmed, it is still unknown which semi-final either team will play in. Rohit Sharma’s team will undoubtedly play their final four match in Guyana on Thursday. On Thursday, there is another semi-final in Trinidad. Proteas follows in the wake of spinners. With their seventh consecutive victory, South Africa is still undefeated in this World Cup.
They have played in several very close games, but they consistently manage to win because different players step up when it matters most.
As the West Indies fell behind 5-2 early on, it was the turn of the spinners in North Sound, with captain Aiden Markram being the first to make an impact by dismissing the dangerous Nicholas Pooran.
The captain, not quite an all-rounder but certainly better than a part-time off-spinner, bowled his four overs in quick succession for a mere twenty-eight runs. In the middle overs, Chase and Kyle Mayers formed a crucial 81-run partnership, but Shamsi took over and eventually dismissed both of them along with Sherfane Rutherford. In addition, Keshav Maharaj contributed by hitting Windies captain Rovman Powell with a gorgeous delivery that gripped to turn past the bat and dipped late, resulting in a stumping.
The Proteas spinners were so good that they held off on using fast bowler Rabada until the eighteenth over.
Despite numerous awkward moments at the bat, South Africa overcame the West Indies to advance to their first T20 World Cup semi-final in ten years. The formidable batting lineup of the West Indies was neutralised.
(BBC)
