South Africa narrowly defeated co-hosts West Indies in a rain-affected Super Eights match to qualify for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 semi-final in Antigua.
Set to chase a revised target of 123 runs in 17 overs due to the DLS method, South Africa clinched victory with five balls to spare. Marco Jansen secured the win by hitting a six off Obed McCoy, leading his team to a three-wicket triumph.
Originally, South Africa was tasked with chasing 136 runs. Quinton de Kock set a strong start by hitting three boundaries off Akeal Hosein in the first over. However, Andre Russell quickly turned the game around, dismissing Reeza Hendricks for a golden duck and then De Kock for 12 in the same over, leaving South Africa at 15-2.
Alzarri Joseph further dented South Africa’s progress by dismissing captain Aiden Markram for 18. Heinrich Klaasen then added a quick 22 runs off 10 balls, featuring three boundaries and a six, but Joseph struck again to have Klaasen caught behind, allowing West Indies to regain control.
With 46 runs needed from 54 balls, Tristan Stubbs and David Miller aimed to steady the innings. Despite their efforts, Roston Chase’s off-spin bowling disrupted South Africa’s progress, taking the wickets of Miller (4) and Stubbs, who top-scored with 29 off 27 balls. Chase finished with impressive figures of 3-12.
Jansen kept the chase alive, bringing the required run rate down to 6.5 in the final two overs. Although Keshav Maharaj was dismissed by Chase, Kagiso Rabada hit a crucial boundary in the penultimate over. Jansen then sealed the match with a six, scoring an unbeaten 21 off 14 balls.
Earlier in the match, South Africa opted to bowl and quickly reduced West Indies to 5-2. A resilient partnership between Kyle Mayers and Roston Chase (81 runs off 65 balls) helped West Indies recover. However, once Tabraiz Shamsi broke the partnership by dismissing Mayers, South Africa dominated, reducing West Indies from 86-3 to 97-6.
Chase top-scored for West Indies with 52 runs off 42 balls. Brief contributions from Andre Russell and Gudakesh Motie pushed West Indies to a total of 135-8 in their 20 overs. Shamsi was the standout bowler for South Africa, supported by Jansen, Markram, Maharaj, and Rabada, each taking a wicket.
