CRICKET – South Africa bulldozed defending champions India by 76 runs yesterday in their Super Eight Group One clash in the Twenty20 World Cup, underlining their title credentials and sending a strong signal to their rivals.
Choosing to bat in a rematch of the 2024 World Cup final, South Africa surged to a commanding 187-7 following a remarkable recovery from a precarious 20-3.
In reply, tournament co-hosts India’s timid top-order faltered swiftly, and their innings never quite escaped the grip of scoreboard pressure.
They were bundled out for 111 in 18.5 overs, slipping to their first defeat of the World Cup.
Earlier, India quickly took the sting out of South Africa’s top-order following Aiden Markram’s decision to bat first at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
Jasprit Bumrah bowled Quinton de Kock, while Arshdeep Singh had Markram snared at mid-off to leave South Africa without any of their openers inside three overs.
Bumrah’s control (3-15) shone again when he, with a deft change of pace, deceived Ryan Rickelton, who chipped tamely to Shivam Dube at mid-off.
India’s chase began in near-identical fashion to South Africa’s innings, but without the same rescue act.
With three left-handers in India’s top three, off-spinner Markram began with the new ball and the ploy soon paid off.
Markram dismissed the in-form Ishan Kishan in the first over and Marco Jansen dismissed number three Tilak Varma in the second.
Opener Abhishek Sharma (15) avoided a fourth successive duck but neither he nor Washington Sundar (11) could provide the stability that India needed at that stage.
India captain Suryakumar Yadav (18) departed in the 10th over, leaving India reeling at 51-5 and the chase drifting further from reach with each passing delivery.
Keshav Maharaj then effectively extinguished India’s fading hopes in one telling burst.
The left-arm spinner dismissed Hardik Pandya (18), Rinku Singh and Arshdeep Singh in the eventful 15th over, breaking the back of the lower middle order and clearing the path for South Africa’s victory.
Will Jacks impressed with bat and ball to rescue England from a poor start and help them to a 51-run victory over Sri Lanka in a low-scoring Super Eight match at the Twenty20 World Cup.
Tournament co-hosts Sri Lanka appeared to be well set after restricting England to a below-par 146-9 in the Group 2 match at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium.
Jacks, who made 21 useful runs down the order, returned to claim 3-22 as England bowled out Sri Lanka for 95 inside 17 overs to prevail.
“It encourages me to get into the game and perform better,” player of the match Jacks said.
“Bowling in the powerplay is something I’ve done a lot of. So it’s not foreign to me.”
Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka elected to field after winning the toss and had reasons to feel vindicated as England slumped to 68-4 at the halfway mark of their innings.
Jos Buttler’s 14-ball struggle ended when he was trapped lbw for seven after attempting a reverse shot against spinner Dunith Wellalage only to miss a ball that rapped him on the pad.
Spinner Maheesh Theekshana dismissed the in-form Jacob Bethell for three and Tom Banton perished in his pursuit of a risky single, beaten by Shanaka’s direct throw from mid-off.
Harry Brook made 14 before Wellalage dismissed him lbw, a decision the England captain challenged but could not overturn.
Phil Salt (62) raced to a 36-ball fifty but holed out in the 15th over to give Wellalage his third wicket of the match.
Jacks added late runs but England fell short of the 150-mark.
They needed a lion-hearted bowling effort and produced one to reduce Sri Lanka to 22-4 inside five overs.
Jacks dismissed Kusal Mendis and Pavan Rathnayake off successive deliveries after Jofra Archer had sent back Sri Lanka’s in-form opener Pathum Nissanka.
Archer removed Kamil Mishara and Sri Lanka slumped to 34-5 after Wellalage became Jacks’ third victim.
The hosts could never really recover and several frontline batters fell to soft dismissals.
Dushan Hemantha’s bizarre hit-wicket dismissal for five summed up Sri Lanka’s batting.
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