T20 World Cup 2021, South Africa vs West Indies Live Score: The match is being held in Dubai.T20 World Cup 2021, South Africa vs West Indies Highlights: South Africa beat defending champions West Indies by eight wickets in their second Super 12 match of the ICC T20 World Cup at the Dubai International Stadium on Tuesday.
Opener Evin Lewis struck a fine half-century before South Africa restricted West Indies to 143/8. In response, South Africa batters overhauled the target with 10 balls to spare. Rassie van der Dussen (43 not out), Aiden Markram (51 not out) and Reeza Hendricks (39) played match-winning knocks as West Indies bowlers looked on helplessly.
Brief Scores:
West Indies: 143 for 8 in 20 overs (Evin Lewis 56, Kieron Pollard 26); Dwaine Pretorius (3/17) Keshav Maharaj (2/24). South Africa: 144 for 2 in 18.2 overs (Rassie van der Dussen 43, Aiden Markram 52; Akeal Hosein 1/27)
South Africa
144/2 (18.2)West Indies
143/8 (20.0)South Africa beat West Indies by 8 wickets
South Africa almost at the cusp of victory. They need 7 from the last 12 balls. And Markram has hit a massive 6. Just 1 left now. Wow, that didn't take long. And a single to end it. South Africa win by 8 wickets
A sweep and a drive! Two brilliant shots by van der Dussen and two more boundaries for South Africa. Pollard looks a bit down there by the boundary rope as the match is getting farther away from the champions. But Bravo ends the over with two dots and a single against Markram. Still, the equation's not forgiving for West Indies. SA: 121/2 (16 overs)
Bravo comes back into the attack and shows his experience with the ball... concedes just 2 runs. But Markram (31*) bites back with yet another maximum, his third of the innings against Rampaul. 11 runs off the over. SA: 111/2 (15 overs)
Markram and van der Dussen are sealing the deal at the moment, playing freely against the hapless bowlers. Markram hits Pollard for a six on the last ball again and then his partner hits his first four of the innings. SA: 98/2 (13 overs)
Markram shows his class against Walsh and settles in well. He keeps the run-counter ticking with three consecutive twos. van der Dussen (20*) takes over in the middle and then Markram (14*) helps Proteas take the command in the contest with a six on the final ball. He free his arms and sends it over long-on. The equation: 62 off 56 now. SA: 82/2 (11 overs)
What a catch! Hendricks (39) falls and that's the breakthrough West Indies were looking for! The batter takes on Hosein and it's taken brilliantly by a sprinting Hetmyer. The decision goes upstairs and it's confirmed. SA: 61/2 (9.2 overs)
Hendricks, van der Dussen take it nice and easy with the former hitting an occasional four. SA: 60/1 (9 overs)
While Hendricks is opening up himself for courageous shots, van der Dussen is on fine song by himself on the other end. He keeps the pair steady, taking calculated singles and rotating the strike. End of powerplay. SA: 42/1 (6 overs)
After smacking Hosein for a four and a six, Hendricks (20*) finds his rhythm against Rampaul and gives West Indies a steady start. The batter hits an in-slanting shortish ball and directs it through backward point. SA: 26/1 (4 overs)
Temba Bavuma and Reeza Hendricks open the chase for Proteas. Akeal Hosein opens the attack on the other end. The bowler keeps the pressure on right from the start, conceding just four balls in the first five balls. But calamity strikes for South Africa on the final ball of the opening over as Russell's perfect throw dismisses Bavuma (2). SA: 4/1 (1 over)
What would the South African captain and team management, and by extension its fans, be thinking when Heinrich Klaasen dropped a relatively straightforward chance offered by Lendl Simmons off Anrich Nortje’s bowling?
It came at a good pace, the ball seemed to just wobble a bit before it reached the wicketkeeper and Klaasen also seemed to lose it on the way. Skipper Temba Bavuma was wearing shades, but it wouldn’t have been difficult to figure out that he must have been seething inside at a time when West Indies were threatening to break loose. One may have even felt a touch of sympathy for Klaasen as he wouldn’t have been prepared to don the big gloves till quite late in the piece when regular ’keeper Quinton de Kock opted out of the game citing ‘personal reasons’.
Controversy around race is never far from South African cricket and de Kock pulled out soon after Cricket South Africa made it mandatory for the team to take a knee before matches at the ongoing T20 World Cup to support the Black Lives Matter movement. Being a Black himself and a new captain as well, it was something Bavuma could have done without going into a must-win game after losing their opening match.
A subsequent CSA statement noted de Kock’s ‘personal decision’ not to take the knee, which meant he couldn’t play.
De Kock has history in this regard. In the past, when the South African team had had the option of taking the knee, raising a fist or standing at attention, he had not done any of the three.
As far as the cricketing impact of the drop goes, Klaasen can cheekily claim that he did it on purpose. Simmons was struggling to hit the ball off the square and had 4 off 13 balls then. He eventually got out for 16 from 35 deliveries, after putting a lot of pressure on his mates at the other end.
South Africa assume the front-seat of the contest in the death overs after Hetmyer and Russell fall in Nortje's final over. Pollard keeps the fight going on but Pretorius scalps the second and third wicket of his innings, indicating yet another batting collapse by the defending champions. Bravo (8*) finished the innings with a four. WI: 143/8 (20 overs)
Just when things were turning a bit positive for West Indies, Gayle (12) falls. After scoring 26 runs in the last two overs with Pollard, he slogs it against Pretorius and the ball is caught by Klaasen. Next up: Pollard! WI: 121/4 (17.1 overs)
Ever since Lewis' dismissal, West Indies have been struggling. Pollard and Gayle are in the middle now but Proteas' pace attack of Nortje and Rabada are ruling large. Just six runs in the last two overs. Big shots incoming? WI: 95/3 (15 overs)
Gone! Simmon's long toil comes to an end as Rabada cleans him up. He departs for 16. WI: 89/3 (13.2 overs)
Maharaj again! Pooran's (12) bright start comes to an end after hitting Shamsi for two delicious boundaries in the previous over. He cross-bats it towards long-off and Miller runs to his left to take the catch. WI: 87/2 (12.2 overs)
There's the breakthrough! Lewis is sent back to the pavilion after an enterprising 35-ball 56 by Maharaj! He tries to pull the spinner but the ball finds itself in the hands of Rabada. A good low catch. On comes Pooran. WI: 74/1 (11 overs)
Lewis maintains his form with the bat and punishes Shamsi on his first over with a mighty six over midwicket! His fifth of the innings already! And in the process, he brings up his fifty in 32 balls. Simmons is on 12*. WI: 65/0 (10 overs)
Bavuma introduces Maharaj into the attack in search of a wicket. Simmons and Lewis take it easy for a bit as they try to navigate around the spin of Maharaj and pace of Nortje. Lewis moves into 40s with a six later. WI: 56/0 (9 overs)