South Africa defeated England
Another very exciting match was seen on Friday night in the Super 8 round of the T20 World Cup. Till the last over, both teams had equal chances, no one knew who would win, but South Africa won. Defending champion England lost this match by just 7 runs.
At one point, the team had to score 25 runs in 18 balls and the Brook-Livingstone pair had already made a partnership of 78 runs in 41 balls. In such a situation, Kagiso Rabada sent Livingstone to the pavilion on the second ball of the 18th over and broke the partnership. He gave only 4 runs in this over.
Marco Jansen, who bowled the next over, gave only 7 runs. Here, 14 runs were to be scored from 6 balls. Still, England’s hopes were alive because Harry Brook was at the crease and had completed his fifty. Enrique Nortya dismissed him on the first ball of the last over and dashed the hopes of the English. Nortya gave only 6 runs in the last over.
Match Winner- Quinton de Kock
He was the player of the match. De Kock gave the South African team a strong start by scoring 65 runs in 38 balls. He batted patiently in the first 3 overs of the powerplay and scored runs quickly in the last 3 overs.
De Kock’s innings made the difference and laid the foundation for a score of 163 runs. He shared an opening partnership of 86 runs in 59 balls with Reeza Hendricks. He scored at a strike rate of 171.05. De Kock’s innings included 4 fours and 4 sixes.
Heroes of victory:
Kagiso Rabada
sent Phil Salt to the pavilion in his first and second overs of the innings and then broke the 78-run partnership by dismissing Liam Livingstone in the 18th over. From here the momentum shifted towards South Africa. Rabada gave away just 32 runs in 4 overs at an economy of 8.00.
Keshav Maharaj
bowled economically and put pressure on the English batsmen in the middle overs by dismissing Jos Buttler and Jonny Bairstow. He gave 25 runs in 4 overs at an economy of 6.20 and also took 2 wickets.
Enrique Nortya
needed 14 runs to win in the last over. In such a situation, he sent Harry Brook, who had scored a fifty, to the pavilion on the first ball and almost ensured his team’s victory. He took 1 wicket for 35 runs in 4 overs at an economy of 8.80.
David Miller
came to play after De Kock was out on a score of 92 and took charge. Miller scored 43 runs in 28 balls at a strike rate of 153.57. He shared a 47-run partnership in 27 balls with Stubbs to take the team’s score past 150. On the basis of Miller’s innings, the South African team was able to reach a score of 163. He hit 4 fours and 2 sixes.
The Turning Point:
- Markram’s catch on Nortya’s ballEngland needed 14 runs in the last over and Harry Brook was on strike. On the first ball of Enrique Nortya, Brook played short towards mid-off, where Aiden Markram took a brilliant catch while running back. Here Brook was out after scoring 53 runs. New batsmen Jofra Archer and Sam Curran could not score the remaining runs.
- Liam Livingstone’s wicketEngland, chasing 164 runs, had scored 139 runs for 4 wickets in 17 overs and the Brook-Livingstone pair had scored 21 runs with the help of 3 fours and a six off Otniel Bartman who was bowling the previous over. Kagiso Rabada bowled the 18th over. Livingstone was out on the second ball of the over. From here the match started going towards South Africa.
- Phil Salt’s wicket in the powerplayPhil Salt was out in the second over of the innings. After Salt’s dismissal, the English batsmen came under pressure and could score only 41 runs in the powerplay.
Reasons for defeat:
- Slow batting, only 60 runs scored in 10 oversAfter losing two wickets in the powerplay, England’s batsmen came under pressure and started batting slowly. The situation was such that after 4.2 overs, no boundary was hit in 7 overs between the next 11.4 overs. After 12 overs, the team’s score was 72 runs, which means the team was scoring runs at a run rate of 6.
- De Kock’s catch was droppedQuinton de Kock got a reprieve in the 9th over of the South African innings. Mark Wood could not finish the catch on Adil Rashid’s ball. The third umpire declared de Kock not out after watching the replay.
- Top order batsmen failedEngland’s top order failed in the run chase. The team’s top-4 batsmen could not cross the score of 20 runs. Salt scored 11, Butler 17, Bairstow 16 and Moeen Ali scored 9 runs.
Fighter of the Match:
Harry Brook was the fighter of the match. England, chasing the runs, lost the fourth wicket at 61 runs. In such a situation, Brook played a half-century innings of 53 runs in 37 balls. He shared a 78-run partnership with Livingstone, but could not make the team win.
Highlights of the match:
- In a nail-biting T20 World Cup match, South Africa defeated England by 7 runs.
- Quinton de Kock’s explosive 65 runs set up South Africa’s total of 163.
- Kagiso Rabada’s crucial wickets disrupted England’s chase early on.
- Enrique Nortya’s stellar last over sealed the victory for South Africa.
- Harry Brook’s fighting fifty wasn’t enough to secure England’s win.
- Rabada’s bowling brilliance earned him the Player of the Match award.
- De Kock’s aggressive batting laid the foundation for South Africa’s triumph.
- England struggled with slow batting in the middle overs, falling short.
- Top-order failures added pressure on England in their pursuit of 164 runs.
- South Africa’s strategic brilliance proved decisive in the Super 8 clash.
- Key moments included Rabada’s breakthroughs and Nortya’s final over heroics.
- The match showcased thrilling performances amidst tense moments.
- South Africa’s win underscores their strength in crucial T20 encounters.
Playing-11 of both teams for the match
South Africa:
Quinton de Kock, Reeza Hendricks, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Heinrich Klaasen, Tristan Stubbs, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortya, Ottneil Bartman.
England:
Phil Salt, Jos Buttler, Harry Brook, Jonny Bairstow, Moeen Ali, Liam Livingstone, Sam Curran, Joffra Archer, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood and Reece Topley.
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