South Africa vs Zimbabwe 2018: 1st T20I – Statistical Highlights

Zimbabwe once again fell short of a win against South Africa despite some good bowling and some big hitting late down the order. In the first of the three-match T20I series, their bowlers restricted the hosts to 160/6 which wouldn’t have been possible without a 56-run knock by the debutant Rassie van der Dussen.

Imran Tahir’s five-wicket haul reduced the visitors to 70/7 before Peter Moor hit four consecutive sixes off Tabraiz Shamsi and Brendon Mavuta hit a couple off Junior Dala before getting out. The pair added 53 runs in just 19 balls to bring down the equation to 38 off 24 balls but failed to finish it off.

All the stats and numbers that were recorded during the thrilling T20I game East London:

2 – Imran Tahir now has taken two of the four five-wicket hauls in the T20I format for South Africa. The leg-spinner took 5/24 in 3.5 overs in the 2017 Auckland T20I against New Zealand. Ryan McLaren and David Wiese are the other two bowlers to register the feat in this format for the country.

3 – Tahir’s five-fer is only the 3rd by a spinner in the shortest format at the international level while opening the bowling. Yuzvendra Chahal took 6/25 in the 2017 Bangalore T20I against England while Pakistan’s Imad Wasim took 5/14 in the Dubai T20I against the Windies in 2016.

12 – Imran Tahir is the 12th spinner to open the bowling in a T20I innings in South Africa but none of the previous 11 were leg-spinners. This is the second time he opened the bowling a T20I with the first time being in the Cuttack T20I against India in 2015.

16.73 – Run rate during the partnership between Brendon Mavuta and Peter Moor is the 7th highest in a 50+ stand in the T20I format. This is also the highest run rate for a fifty stand of Zimbabwe in this format. R Mutumbami and Sean Williams added 55 in 4.2 overs at 12.69 in the 2015 Bulawayo T20I against Afghanistan.

53 – The 53-run partnership between Brendon Mavuta and Peter Moor for the eighth wicket is the first ever fifty-plus partnership for Zimbabwe in the T20I cricket for the 7th or lower wicket. This is also the first ever 50+ stand that South Africa have conceded in a T20I game for the 8th or lower wicket.

56 – Rassie van der Dussen is only the 3rd South African to score a fifty on T20I debut. Rilee Rossouw and Graeme Smith scored 78 and 61 on their respective T20I debuts.

60 – Imran Tahir became the leading wicket-taker for South Africa in the T20I format with 60 wickets. He surpassed Dale Steyn’s tally of 58 wickets with his five-wicket haul.

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