South Africa continued their dominance in the T20 World Cup Super 8s, edging out England by seven runs in a last-over thriller at St Lucia on June 21.
Proteas inch closer to semifinal berth after win over England
This victory marks their second consecutive win in the Super 8 stage, putting them in a strong position to reach the semi-finals. They have now four points in two games. Batting first South Africa, after middle order jitters, rode on Quinton De Kock's brilliant fifty to post a total of 163/6. In reply England ran out of steam and succumbed to a seven-run defeat against South Africa, despite Harry Brook's heroics.
South Africa bowlers stifle England batters
South Africa's bowling attack shone early, restricting England's top order well before the halfway mark. Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen made run-scoring difficult for the English batsmen. Rabada struck first, dismissing Phil Salt for 11 runs. Keshav Maharaj then piled on the pressure with quick wickets, removing Jonny Bairstow (16) and Jos Buttler (17). South Africa's fielding was also exceptional. Mooen Ali was the next to fall, caught out by Ottneil Baartman for just 9 runs. England found themselves in a precarious position at 61 for 4 after 10.2 overs. However, a superb 78-run partnership between Harry Brook, who scored a brilliant fifty, and Liam Livingstone threatened to steal the show for England. Livingstone fell for 33 runs after taking apart Baartman's bowling. Notably, Baartman lost his control, conceding a costly 21 runs including three full tosses that Livingstone capitalised on. However, Rabada then delivered a 4-run 18th over which was topped with Livingstone's wicket. England then reposed hope on Brook when they needed 14 runs off the last over, but the English batter too returned to the pavilion after playing a fighting 53 off 37. England could only score six runs of the ultimate over and went down to South Africa by seven runs. Rabada and Keshav Maharaj dazzled with the ball with two wickets each in South Africa's winning cause.
Quinton de Kock stars with the bat
Earlier, South Africa got off to a flying start thanks to Quinton de Kock's blistering knock of 68 runs off just 35 balls. His aggressive batting pushed the score close to 10 runs per over in the first half of the innings. However, England fought back brilliantly with some excellent fielding, taking wickets at regular intervals. De Kock's onslaught was the highlight of the South African innings. He targeted Jofra Archer in particular, hitting boundaries with ease. There was a bit of luck involved as well, when a shot off Adil Rashid was ruled not out due to a grounding.
England managed to break the opening partnership soon after the 10th over, with Hendricks getting caught by Brook off Moeen Ali. They followed this up with the wicket of Klaasen, who was brilliantly run out by Wood.
De Kock's wicket was the turning point, with Jos Buttler taking a spectacular diving catch off Archer's bowling. This triggered a collapse for South Africa, who lost wickets in quick succession. Captain Markram also fell cheaply, caught behind off Rashid. From a strong position of 86 for no loss, South Africa slumped to 113 for 4 by the 15th over. David Miller tried his best to revive the innings with a late knock of 43 runs, but it wasn't enough to put South Africa in a strong total. They eventually ended their innings at 163 for 6.
South Africa will next face West Indies in their next Super 8 clash, while England will take on USA.
MORE ON SPORTS TAK
Big update on Mohammed Shami's India comeback and recovery amidst T20 World Cup 2024
