South Africa v West Indies World T20 – 5 Talking Points

West Indies and South Africa locked horns in the all-important match at Nagpur. West Indies came into the game as group toppers with 2 wins in 2 games and a win here would have meant a place in the semis. While on the other hand, South Africa needed a win for survival.

Winning the toss, West Indies put South Africa in to bat. After losing Hashim Amla early one, what worsened the situation for them was the quick fall of skipper Faf du Plessis, Rilee Rossouw, AB de Villiers and David Miller in succession that left them reeling at 47/5. David Wiese and Quinton de Kock reconstructed the innings with a 50-run stand. De Kock was dismissed for 47 that came off 46 balls while Wiese fell in the 18th over on 28 off 26. A couple of boundaries by Morris towards the end saw South Africa post 122/9 in their stipulated 20 overs.

West Indies had a poor start in their chase as Chris Gayle was dismissed on the second delivery by Kagiso Rabada. Fletcher and Bravo were dismissed cheaply but Johnson Charles looked solid for his 32 and so did Samuels for his 43. A double strike by Tahir in the 17th over and a tight one by Wiese in the 18th rocked the West Indian run chase. Samuels was dismissed in the 19th over and it all looked set for a crunch finish in the last over. Needing 9 of the last over, Windies won by 3 wickets.

1. Reconstruction by Wiese and de Kock:

South Africa were reeling at 47/5 in 9 overs. While wickets kept tumbling from one end, de Kock was quietly applying himself at the crease. He found some support in the form of David Wiese, who then forged a 50 run partnership with him. De Kock played an uncharacteristic innings and hit just 3 boundaries and a six. Wiese’s knock of 28 runs had 2 fours in it. The duo helped the Proteas save some grace and inch closer towards a respectable total. The partnership was eventually broken when de Kock failed to defend his stumps and Andre Russell knocked him down in the 16th over. He was dismissed for 47 that came off 46 balls. Couple of overs later Wiese was dismissed by Dwayne Bravo in 28 off 26. Had there not been this reconstruction partnership, South Africa would have failed to put on 122 on the board.

2. Big guns fail with the bat:

The match was a highly anticipated and keenly sought after one, largely due to the presence of the big names like AB de Villiers, Chris Gayle and Faf du Plessis; just to name a few. But much to the disappointment of the spectators on the ground and the ones following the game, no big gun failed to deliver. AB de Villiers managed just 10 runs while du Plessis scored 9. David Miller was expected to come in with some fireworks but was dismissed on nought. When the West Indies innings kicked off their innings, Chris Gayle received a big roar from the crowds but his stay lasted just 2 balls. Marlon Samuels was the only big name that made an impact in the game with his well complied knock.

3. Slower bowlers take centre stage:

Much like the expectation about the pitch, the Nagpur wicket turned out to be yet another bowling paradise for the slower bowlers. Although the ball didn’t turn as viciously as it had turned in the other games played at the venue, there was still enough purchase for the spinners. This was evident from the fact that Chris Gayle bowled a highly impressive spell of 2/17 in his 3 overs dismissing Miller and Rossouw. Suleiman Benn went wicketless but was economical. South Africa’s Aaron Phangiso had a good outing with the ball too. Phangiso bowled 4 overs and returned with figures of 1/19. Tahir, the senior spinner of South African side, bowled his first 3 overs for just 12 runs. In his last over, he picked up 2 wickets in 2 balls to get South Africa right back into the game.

4. Tahir’s double blow:

South Africa were 100/4 in 16.3 overs when Imran Tahir cast his spell on the match. He first took the wicket of the hard hitting batsman Andre Russell and then followed it up with a googly to dismiss Darren Sammy. What this meant was a real chance for South Africa to get back into the game and hold on to their chances of survival in the tournament. Tahir finished his bowling spell with figures of 2/13 in his four overs. A tight over from David Wiese followed and South Africa were right back into the game.

5. Samuels gets it right – almost:

The low scoring match was on the cards when the venue was Nagpur but some would have expected it to be the other way. But this wasn’t to be today either. South Africa put on just 122 on the board. This was the same venue where New Zealand had successfully defended 127 against India in the opening encounter. Hence the feeling in the South African camp was optimistic in the break. West Indies lost the momentum in their chase too with quick wickets of Fletcher and Bravo. It was Johnson Charles who looked settled at the crease and made a crucial 32. It was, however, Marlon Samuels crucial 43 off 44 that was the pillar stone of the West Indian run chase. While other West Indies batsmen struggled to their act together, Samuels hit 6 fours in his innings of 43. However, he was unlucky to not have finished the game for his side and got out in the 19th over.

How did Twitter react to the match? – Twitter Reactions: West Indies march their way to the semi-finals