Game One South Africa 194/4 v 176/6 USA South Africa Win
A fine 76 from opener De Kock gave a good solid foundation for the South Africa innings. Losing him and Miller in consecutive balls probably just applied the breaks enough that the score remained under 200 and didn't head for 220+
USA had to search around for bowlers who could exert some control but the only ones who managed it was Netravalkar who took 2 for 21 at a rate of only 5.25, and Harmeet Singh who took the other 2 wickets to fall for only 24 runs.
For the first few overs of the run chase USA were actually ahead of the run rate, but things dropped when they lost the first wicket in the fifth over. However, despite losing regular wickets, USA never fell too far behind and when they outscored South Africa in the fifteenth to eighteenth overs it looked possible that the Proteas had finally let a game get just too close to win. The 22 runs clubbed in the 18th over were exhilirating.
Kagiso Rabada flipped the switch in the next over by taking a wicket with the first ball, and only conceding two runs. Suddenly 26 were required from the final over and it was a step too far. Nortje limited the over to 7 runs and a brave innings by the USA was over 19 runs short of glory.
| Game | 4's | 6's | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Africa v USA | 24 | 21 | 45 |
| Tournament | 532 | 290 | 822 |
In my time zone tomorrow West Indies play England in a game which could go a long way towards who succeeds in Group 2, and then Afghanistan play India.
Check back for reviews & updated boundary totals.
text by stuartcturnbull. graphic by Mir Rammez Raja & edited by stuartcturnbull via postermywall