South Africa vs Australia, 2020: 2nd T20I – End of Australia's unbeaten streak, South Africa's record at home, Warner's unbeaten knock and more stats

After registering their lowest total and biggest defeat in the T20I format, South Africa bounced back strongly to level the 3-match T20I series against Australia. Skipper Quinton de Kock smashed 70 from only 47 balls with 9 boundaries. No other batter came close to creating an impact De Kock had with the bat in this game as the hosts settled down with 158/4 despite a great start. Australia kept the required rate around 8 until the 16th over before the visitors lost wickets towards the end. Despite David Warner remaining unbeaten with a 56-ball 67, the Aussies lost the match by 12 runs.

All the statistical highlights from South Africa’s close win against Australia in the Port Elizabeth T20I:

End of Australia’s unbeaten streak:

9 – This defeat brought an end to Australia’s 9-match unbeaten streak in T20I cricket. Their last defeat in this format came during the 2018 home series against India. Since the start of 2019, Australia featured in nine matches winning in 8 of them before Port Elizabeth T20I. Another match ended without a result which only 11 deliveries away from producing a result.

A tough venue for Australia in the recent past:

6 – Australia lost each of their last six matches in International cricket at the St George’s Park in Port Elizabeth; a streak that began in 2009. Prior to this losing streak, Australia won seven successive International matches at this venue including four wins over the home team.

South Africa continue their good record at home:

9-1 – South Africa have won nine of the last ten T20I matches at home while batting first. The series-decider against England in Centurion (Failed to defend 222) was the only instance of South Africa losing a T20I at home while defending a target in nearly three years.

Warner fails to take his team through:

4 – David Warner became only the 4th opening batsman to be unbeaten through 20 overs of an unsuccessful chase in Men’s T20I cricket. Salman Butt (67* off 54 vs NZ in 2010), Tamim Iqbal (88* off 61 vs WI in 2012) and Matthew Cross (66* off 55 vs IRE in 2019) are the other three openers unbeaten in unsuccessful chases in this format.

10-1 – For the first time in his Twenty20 career, David Warner remained unbeaten in an unsuccessful chase. Warner’s teams ended up on the winning side in the previous ten occasions of him remaining unbeaten in T20 chases.

A slow partnership between Warner and Smith:

6.38 – David Warner and Steve Smith’s 50-run stand came in 7.5 overs at a run rate of 6.38. This is the lowest run rate in a 50+ partnership for Australia in this format. David Hussey and Adam Voges put on 52 runs in 7.5 overs at 6.63 runs per over against New Zealand in the 2009 Sydney T20I.

A rare match of 5 bowlers:

3 – Both Australia and South Africa used only five bowlers for completing the 20 overs. This is only the 15th instance in Men’s T20I cricket and just the 3rd instance in a T20I hosted by South Africa where all the ten bowlers bowled their full 4 overs quota. India-Pakistan in Durban and Pakistan-Sri Lanka in Johannesburg during 2007 WT20 were the other such instances on South African soil.