South Africa on Wednesday defeated the US by 18 runs in their first Super Eight match at the T20 World Cup at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua and Barbuda. It was the Proteas’ fifth victory on the trot in the tournament. The US needed 92 runs off the final six overs, chasing 195 runs to win.
Andries Gous and Harmeet Singh then scored 19 runs in the next over, bowled by pacer Anrich Nortje. They scored 13 in the 16th over, delivered by wrist spinner Tabraiz Shamsi, before collecting 10 off quick bowler Kagiso Rabada. The 18th over, bowled by Shamsi, went for a mammoth 22 runs.
That left the US needing 28 runs off the final two overs with two set batters and the momentum on their side. But up stepped South Africa’s spearhead — Rabada. He picked up the wicket of the dangerous Singh off the first delivery of the penultimate over before conceding just two runs in the rest of the over.
This left Nortje with 26 runs to defend off the final over and he did so comfortably as South Africa secured a solid victory in the opening match of the Super Eight stage of the T20 World Cup. Rabada finished with three wickets while conceding only 18 runs in his four overs, figures which are particularly impressive given the high-scoring context of the match. South Africa earlier set a massive total of 194 for the loss of four wickets in their 20 overs — their highest score of the tournament, beating by far the 115 they scored against Nepal.
It was set up by a battering knock of 74.
