Johannesburg- England are through to the semi-finals and South Africa are out of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup despite the Proteas winning a run-fest in Sharjah in Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates yesterday.
A Kagiso Rabada hat-trick and Rassie van der Dussen’s unbeaten 94 were enough to beat England by 10 runs in the final Group 1 game of the tournament. But it wasn’t enough to save South Africa or knock out England.
The Group 1 permutations meant Eoin Morgan’s side started their reply knowing that they needed to pass 87 to guarantee qualification to the semi-finals, and they sealed that spot inside 11 overs of the chase.
Australia’s win over West Indies earlier in the day meant South Africa knew they needed a win, and a big one, to finish in the top two. The 189-run total, inspired by Van der Dussen and Aid- More heartbreak for Proteas en Markram’s rapid 52 off 25, meant the Proteas had to restrict England to less than 131 in the second innings to finish above Australia in second place.
And although South Africa did deny England the win thanks to a terrific spell from Tabraiz Shamsi and a final-over hat-trick from Rabada, they were unable to win by enough to seal the second spot in Group 1, with Australia joining England in the last four.
Earlier, South Africa’s top order had put England to the sword with a stunning batting display to post 189/2. England’s Moeen Ali has a terrific career record against South African dangerman Quinton de Kock, so it was a little surprise to see the all-rounder take the new ball. But what was slightly more surprising was Ali bowling out his full four overs straight out of the gate.
It is only the second time in T20 cricket that Ali has done so, the first being against West Indies earlier in this tournament. The spinner finished with tidy figures of 1/27 as his steady tournament with the ball continued. And it was opener Reeza Hendricks who was the wicket to fall, with the flight luring him into a big sweep shot that failed to connect, the ball cleaning up a middle stump.
But De Kock and van der Dussen rallied for South Africa, building an impressive base for the team to launch off, with the pair still out in the middle after 10 overs. Van der Dussen took over after de Kock was caught by Jason Roy off Adil Rashid for 34 from 27 in the 12th over.
And he was joined in the middle by Markram, who scored at a strike rate of over 200 in his outstanding half-century. The pair went particularly hard after England’s seamers in the middle overs, targeting the returning Mark Wood, who was featured in the tournament for the first time after replacing the injured Tymal Mills.
Wood finished with figures of 0/47 off his four overs, with Chris Woakes faring little better with 0/43, as England’s seamers struggled in Sharjah. The in-form England openers got off to a flier in their chase, racing to 37 without loss after four overs, with Roy and Jos Buttler looking in fine form.
But Roy pulled up as he attempted a single off the first ball of the fifth over, collapsing to the turf and being forced to leave the field. England’s attempts at going for the win suffered another blow when Jos Buttler was dismissed for only the second time in the tournament, caught by Bavuma off Anrich Nortje for 26 off 15.
And Jonny Bairstow’s spell at the crease came to a swift end when he was trapped in front by Tabraiz Shamsi off his third delivery faced. England had reshuffled the batting line-up in response to Roy’s injury, with Ali coming in at No 3 in place of Dawid Malan. – icc-cricket.com.
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