The first Super 8 match of the 2024 T20 World Cup in Antigua was an exciting one as South Africa beat the USA by 18 runs only. Quinton de Kock’s blazing knock of 26-ball half-century gave the team a perfect start and put the USA on the back foot right from the beginning. After the best efforts of Andries Gous, the USA was knocked out at 176/6, falling short of the target. In this blog post, let us delve into the comprehensive insights of the USA vs SA Super 8 match.
De Kock’s Early Dominance
South Africa batted first and they demonstrated this
beautifully. Reeza Hendricks was dismissed early, clean bowled by Saurabh
Netravalkar at the beginning of the third over and was replaced by Corey
Anderson. But this early loss did not seem to affect De Kock in any way. The
opener went on a rampage with the bat and scored 74 off 40 balls, inclusive of
seven fours and five sixes. His opening stand with Captain Aiden Markram set
the momentum for the Proteas as they raced past 100 runs in the first ten overs.
Middle Order Contributions
After dismissing David Miller and the dangerous De Kock on
consecutive balls, Harmeet Singh gave the USA some hope. Markram persisted in
stabilizing the innings and made a valuable contribution of 46 off 32 balls
before being dismissed by Netravalkar. Heinrich Klaasen and Tristan Stubbs came
later and gave 53 runs while batting in the last over, taking the South Africa
team score to 194/4.
USA’s Valiant Response
With a target of 195 in sight, USA started their innings on
a wobbly note. Kagiso Rabada got into the act early enough and sent back the
opener Steven Taylor for 24 and was soon followed by the quick loss of Aaron
Jones for a duck caught by De Kock off the bowling of Keshav Maharaj. The USA
were at 56/3 in the 7th over. No respite was given by Corey Anderson who made a
run-a-ball 12 before being bowled by Anrich Nortje and Shayan Jahangir who only
scored 3 before being dismissed by Tabraiz Shamsi.
Gous and Harmeet Steer Hope
At this juncture, the USA was struggling at 76/5 in the 12th
over, but Andries Gous was unbeaten. Accompanied by Harmeet Singh, the two
provided the USA with a genuine competition. Gous’s resilient 80 not out off 47
balls gave the USA a fighting chance. Starting as a bowler earlier Harmeet also
came good with the bat scoring a useful 38 off 22 balls. Their stand, through a
costly over bowled by Shamsi that made 22 runs, brought the USA nearer to chase
and created magic to make a come back.
Rabada’s Decisive Over
But Rabada’s introduction into the attack was the turning
point of the match. In the last but one over, he got the wicket of Harmeet, who
was caught by Tristan Stubbs, thus ending the American dream. Rabada bowled
exceptionally well to finish with a bowling analysis of 3-18 which ensured the
USA was bowled out for 176/6.
Conclusion
This match was an epitome of the T20 format of cricket,
which always comes with the unexpected and the dramatic. The aggressive batting
of both the sides and the turning bowling restricted the USA to a good
challenge in the end against South Africa. The journey of USA and their
qualification to the super 8, especially by beating Pakistan has been
heartening. Throughout the course of the tournament, the South Africans plan on
continuing the momentum while the Americans plan on pulling off more upsets.
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