What does it take for a team to win a tournament in sub-continental conditions? A deep batting line-up full of powerful, experienced batters capable of milking runs against both spin and pace. A varied bowling attack with pacers showing an aptitude to make the most of conditions on offer. Add to that the perfect campaign – seven successive wins going into the semifinals, taking down top teams by both smashing them and escaping by the nearest of margins via a double Super Over – and signs begin to look ominous.
At the Stadium on Sunday, South Africa put a bow on an error-free few weeks at the T20 World Cup so far. They rested key players but still put together a ruthless all-round performance to swat aside Zimbabwe by five wickets, despite a wobble during the run chase. The win maintained their status as the best team in the tournament going into its business end.
AS IT HAPPENED |
Zimbabwe may have proven to be unexpected giant-killers in the group stage, slaying Australia and Sri Lanka early on, but their challenge fizzled in the Super 8s. Still, they made sure not to leave these shores without putting up a fight, Sunday’s battle spearheaded by a five-star showing by their skipper Sikandar Raza.
In limited overs cricket, the Kotla pitch has lately built a reputation as being a bit of a belter, with the laying of homogeneous flat tracks at the centre of the ground with small boundaries. But Sunday’s match was played on a used surface that showed characteristics of this ground from back in the day, playing low and slow with the slight grass cover making it tough for the ball to come onto the bat easily.
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South Africa’s crafty pace contingent made the best of the conditions. As they have done throughout this tournament, they used the pace-off ploy by employing varying lengths with slower deliveries, to stifle the batters’ momentum. With Marco Jansen and rested, Kwena Maphaka and Lungi Ngidi made sure the Zimbabwean batting line-up couldn’t stitch partnerships. No batsman got going, with the exception of a brilliant 43-ball 73 from Raza.
At 39, Raza’s vast franchise league experience showed here as his reading of the pitch and the opposition bowling was a class apart from his teammates. He hit straight and flat when the bowlers banged in a tad too short, and didn’t let himself get outfoxed by the slower, fuller cutters. His 12 boundaries, including four sixes, were instrumental in taking Zimbabwe to a fighting total, but their inability to score adequately at the death after his dismissal – managing only 27 runs from the last 21 balls – meant their total of 153 was well short of a par score.
Yet the fight continued for the next half hour, and was once again led by the Zimbabwe skipper. Raza has built a reputation as something of a mystery spinner, his off-spin and variations drawing vague comparisons with Sunil Narine. It proved to be canny early on. A slow turner caught Quinton de Kock’s edge after which a wobbly carrom-ball stayed devilishly low to send Aiden Markram’s stumps tumbling, leaving South Africa at 18/2 by the third over.
But tactical foresight and force of will can only do so much. The pure batting might of the Proteas shone through. First, Ryan Rickelton broke the shackles and then Dewald Brevis and David Miller stabilised proceedings before taking the Zimbabwean bowling to the cleaners, tonking a combined five sixes and four fours in a 50-run stand that left the Chevrons with too little to defend in the latter half of the innings.
There was reason to be cheerful though: another wicket apiece for Raza and Blessing Muzarabani, who joined Ngidi at the top of the wicket-taking charts for this tournament so far. Zimbabwe didn’t cause an outright surprise but made a statement about their ambitions after this tournament. South Africa did the same, but about their ambitions going ahead in this tournament.
Brief Scores: Zimbabwe 153/7 in 20 overs (Sikandar Raza 73; Kwena Maphaka 2/21, Corbin Bosch 2/40) lost to South Africa 154/5 in 17.5 overs (Dewald Brevis 42; Ryan Rickelton 31; Raza 3/29) by five wickets.
