AUS vs SA T20 World Cup: Australia edge out South Africa by 5 wickets
Australia withstood some nervous minutes prior to edging out South Africa by 5 wickets after their bowlers set it up with a medical screen in an ICC T20 World Cup match here on Saturday.
Needing 8 runs in the final over, Marcus Stoinis (24 not out) struck Dwaine Pretorius for two vital fours and completed the job with 2 balls to spare. This was after Australia were reeling at 81 for 5 in the 16th over.
Associated Stories
Safeguarding a modest target of 119, South Africa got the start they were searching for when Anrich Nortje (2/21) dismissed opposition skipper Aaron Finch for a duck in the innings’ second over. Finch opted for a drive however he could not middle it as the ball took a top edge and flew towards the third male area.
Dropped from his IPL franchise Sunrisers Hyderebad in the second leg of the league just recently, David Warner (14) appeared to have discovered his type with 3 boundaries however Kagiso Rabada cut short his appealing start when the batter sliced one in the air for Heinrich Klaasen to finish a catch at backwards point.
Mitchell Marsh succumbed to 11 as South Africa left Australia having a hard time at 38 for three in the eighth over. A partnership ensued in between Steve Smith (35) and Glenn Maxwell (18) but their 42-run association for the 4th wicket ended when the previous was sensationally caught in the deep by a running Aiden Markram.
Smith pulled a brief of a length delivery however Markram ran a long way before diving full stretch to his right to stun everyone. Left-arm chinaman bowler Tabraiz Shamsi then castled Maxwell to put Australia under the pump on a pitch not actually conducive for playing expansive strokes.
Matthew Wade (15 not out) released the pressure with 2 fours off Rabada, bringing the equation to 25 from 18 balls.
Earlier, Australia’s bowlers scythed through South Africa’s top and middle-order batting lineup to limit them to 118 for 9. On a pitch where the ball came on to the bat late, Josh Hazlewood 2/19), Adam Zampa (2/21) and Michell Starc (2/33) did most of the damage, even as Aiden Markram fought his method to a 36-ball 40.
Had it not been for Kagiso Rabada’s 19, that included a one-handed six off Starc in the last over, South Africa would have got less. South Africa began well after skipper Temba Bavuma oversaw an efficient first over with two charming borders through the off-side.
However, Glenn Maxwell had other ideas as the star all-rounder offset Mitchell Starc’s costly opening over with the dismissal of the in-form Bavuma (12 ), who was bowled by a shipment that turned very little after the batter had actually refused to play on the front foot, something that might have saved him.
Pacer Josh Hazlewood left Rassie van der Dussen (2) shocked initially up with a peach of a shipment that landed in the channel just outside off prior to taking an edge for wicketkeeper Matthew Wade to finish a simple catch.
One of South Africa’s seasoned stars, opener Quinton de Kock pulled Maxwell over mid-on for a limit however in the very first ball of the next over, the wicketkeeper-batter played a Hazlewood delivery on to his stumps after aiming to play a paddle scoop. The dismissal looked eccentric as de Kock saw the ball lob on to strike the stumps.
His tails up after two early wickets, Hazlewood did not concede a single run in the next five balls, leaving South Africa in an area of trouble at 23 for 3.
Thanks to an exquisite boundary through mid-off by Aiden Markram, the Proteas added seven runs in the 6th over to complete the power play at 29 for 3.
Australia could not have requested for more and after Heinrich Klaasen got himself two limits on either side of the wicket, they tasted another success when Pat Cummins had actually the batter captured at backwards point after a prominent edge.
On the other hand, Maxwell returned to finish his quota of 4 overs, providing simply 24 runs for the huge wicket of Bavuma. Leg-spinner Adam Zampa struck two times in the 14th over, consisting of taking the wicket of David Miller, to leave the South Africans tottering at 82 for 6, which worsened after Keshav Maharaj was gone out following a terrible mix-up.
Published at Sat, 23 Oct 2021 09:21:28 -0500
