South Africa defeated West Indies by three wickets using the Duckworth-Lewis (DLS) system in a high-stakes T20 World Cup match in Antigua on Sunday to advance to the semi-finals.
T20 World Cup semi-finals for South Africa after 3-wicket win
The unbeaten Proteas advanced to the semifinals after winning Group 2. Marco Jansen’s undefeated 21 runs, including a six on the first ball of the penultimate over, made this possible. This important shot helped South Africa reach 123 runs, their revised target.
Before the rain stopped play, left-arm spinner Tabraiz Shamsi had 3-27, reducing tournament co-hosts West Indies to 135-8. West Indies’ late grab of three wickets by spinner Roston Chase created the stage for an exciting climax and gave them hope of a third triumph.
India and Australia in St Lucia and Afghanistan and Bangladesh in St Vincent will determine the final two semi-finalists on Monday. These matches conclude Super Eight. Earlier, South Africa won the toss and bowled first. Key players Shai Hope and Nicholas Pooran were dismissed in the first two overs for five runs, justifying this pick.
Kyle Mayers, who replaced an injured player on Saturday, stabilised the innings by partnering with Chase for 81 runs for the third wicket. The battle was stressful for both players. Chase was disqualified on the 11th ball, but Mayers survived a review lbw call. After Mayers smashed the ball to Tristan Stubbs at deep cover point in the 12th over, Shamsi dismissed him for 35.
Chase-Rutherford was the last notable combination in an uneven innings. Chase scored 52 runs until Shamsi’s wrist spin eliminated him, while Rutherford scored 0. After hitting several sixes, Andre Russell was run out at 15. West Indies knew they needed to bowl well to improve. Russell got them started well.
He snared Reeza Hendricks behind down the leg side with his first delivery. Five deliveries later, he caught Quinton de Kock at backward square leg for 12 runs. After a 90-minute delay due to rain, South Africa resumed their pursuit at 15-2. The hosts tried hard to defend their modified target of 123 runs (originally 135 runs), but the Proteas won in the 17th and final over.
