Mumbai: After failing to defend a massive score of 229 against England, South Africa are faced with a must-win situation when they take on a low-key Afghanistan side in their second Group 1 clash of the World Twenty20 cricket tournament at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday.
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South Africa will be gunning to get their bid for a first worldwide trophy back on track when they take on Afghanistan Sunday after a dramatic last-over loss to England.
What perhaps afforded South Africa some insurance was their score of 209 – they became the first team to make more than one 200-plus total in a single edition of the World T20 – especially considering their opponents’ relative inexperience at this level.
When Mohammad Shahzad, batting with a crispness and je ne sais quoi that stirred the senses, clattered 44 from 17 balls in the first three over of Afghanistan chase, South Africa looked rattled.
Morris showed good control to finish with four wickets, while leg-spinner Imran Tahir and fast bowlers Abbott and Kagiso Rabada all picked up two wickets each. “It’s a big challenge for the bowlers…” Miller this time. Trying to bowl yorkers they are ending up with bowling full tosses.
Du Plessis hopes his bowlers will fare better when South Africa move to the relatively slower wickets of Nagpur and New Delhi, where batsmen may find it more hard to score freely.
Captain Faf du Plessis insisted it was the right selection decision for the conditions. De Kock, who notched up 52 against England, set the tone with five hits to the fence in the first two overs.
Du Plessis made a tidy 41, which included seven fours and one six, before being run out in messy fashion in the tenth over but opener Hashim Amla only made five.
South Africa have lost their opening game to England at the same venue, making this a “must win” for them.
He was replaced by Afghanistan captain Asghar Stanikzai, who fell after scoring just 7 runs.
Skipper Faf du Plessis showed his aggressive intent and quickly got into his groove with a flurry of fours to take over the attacking reins from de Kock after the latter had hit two sixes off Dawlat Zadran in the fourth over.
England batsman Joe Root in action during a WT20 match between England and South Africa at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. He was run out when Mohammad Nabi came up with a good effort in the field which was followed by an electrifying throw to wicket-keeper Mohammad Shahzad who removed the bails easily to catch Du Plessis short of the crease. Bowling: Amir Hamza 3-0-25-1, Dawlat Zadran 3-0-46-1, Shapoor Zadran 3-0-28-1, Mohammad Nabi 4-0-35-1, Rashid Khan 4-0-51-0, Samiullah Shenwari 3-0-22-0. Opting to bat first, South Africa made a promising start, with opener Quinton De Kock scoring a blistering knock of 45 runs to provide his side with an initial thrust.
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England’s total was the second highest-ever run chase in all T20 cricket after the West Indies scored 236 against South Africa in January 2015. “And as Dale is quite a skiddy bowler, the wicket like this, the thinking was that the wicket won’t suit him that much”.
