T20 World Cup 2024: England vs South Africa, 45th Match - Who Said What?

South Africa pulled off a thrilling win over England in St Lucia and moved an inch closer to the semi-final of the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024. The Aiden Markram-led side had a flying start with the bat which ultimately played a massive part in their seven-run win over the Three Lions. 

Quinton de Kock once again rose up to the occasion and proved to be a big-match player as he smashed 65 runs off 38 balls. On a surface in which all the other batters were struggling, the southpaw showed how it needed to be done and gave the Proteas the perfect start. Reeza Hendricks on the other end struggled massively but Quinton managed to keep up with the scoreboard as they scored 63 runs in the powerplay.

After he got out, things got complicated for South Africa but David Miller managed to step up. The experienced batter played an invaluable knock of 43 runs off 28 balls which helped the Proteas post 163 runs on the board. With the ball, Jofra Archer showed some magic towards the fag end but it was too late in the end.

When it came to the chase, the England batters struggled massively. They were reduced to 61/4 at one stage but Harry Brook and Liam Livingstone managed to take control and kept England in the hunt. They stitched a partnership of 80 runs which put South Africa under immense pressure but they managed to hold their nerves till the end.

Brook made 53 runs off 37 balls and Livingstone smashed 33 runs off 17 balls and the duo was on the verge of taking the game away but Jansen and Nortje were terrific in the end to secure the win. South Africa now have four points to their name and are currently on top of the group which also features England, USA and West Indies.

1. Cometh the hour, cometh the man

Quinton de Kock once again showed his class and proved that he is indeed a big-match player. The southpaw had a rough time in the IPL 2024 and had a poor start to the World Cup but come the Super Eights, he has been top-notch. The keeper-batter hit two back-to-back half-centuries in the tournament and if he manages to continue with that, South Africa will be a tough team to beat. 

2. Brook and Livingstone’s fight

England were considered down and out at one stage but Brook and Livingstone’s partnership kept them in the hunt for the longest time. Both cricketers played aggressive cricket on a surface that didn’t support the batters much. However, they kept going but fell just short of the target. Their spirit deserves a lot of recognition and would hope to keep up with the momentum in England’s upcoming match against USA.

3. 10/10 to fielders

The fielders had an outstanding day at St Lucia. It started with Jos Buttler and finished with a terrific catch from Aiden Markram. In between, Sam Curran, Heinrich Klaasen and Anrich Nortje too were impressive. 

Losing skipper Jos Buttler said:

Powerplay. Quinton came in with a lot of intent and we couldn't quite match that. We pulled it back and were happy to chase that target but his innings was the difference. We came back well with the ball. Brook and Livingstone had a fantastic partnership to get us close and even look like favourties but credit to South Africa for closing out the game. Really valuable. He's very understanding that you don't get to face many balls in T20 cricket at that positions. He's hitting the ball really well in the nets and backing himself. Looking forward to the next one.

Winning skipper Aiden Markram said:

Last three overs we had a lot against us but the bowlers had good plans and pulled it off. Message after the powerplay was it got slower. If I am greedy we were 10-20 short especially after the start we got. Not quite played a completely game of cricket but we are on the right track. Quinny (de Kock) has been good for us in the last two games. It was a bit nerve-wracking in those overs but it can happen. The plans were there just the execution wasn't. I'm grateful that catch (off Brook) stuck.

POTM Quinton de Kock said:

It (the pitch) definitely doesn't play the same as night games. It's completely a different surface compared to the night games. There was a little bit of extra bounce early on. I try to carry on confidence game by game. We bowled really well in the powerplay, and we controlled it very nicely. To be able to defend 160 on a decent wicket is a good effort from us.