T20 WC 2021: SA vs SL Review – Miller’s heroics secure South Africa’s thrilling win
South Africa defeated Sri Lanka in a thriller of a Super 12 game at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on October 30. It was another low scoring game but the Proteas got home with one ball and four wickets to spare. This was their second win in three games while Sri Lanka have now lost two of their three main round matches.
South Africa won the toss and chose to bowl first. Opener Pathum Nissanka batted well and held one end up scoring beyond fifty, but the rest of his batting unit struggled for most parts. The only other good contribution came from Charith Asalanka, who made 21 runs from 14 balls. But the rest of it was close to a car crash. Nissanka ended with 72 runs from 58 balls.
For South Africa, Tabraiz Shamsi and Dwaine Pretorius picked up three wickets each while Anrich Nortje picked up two wickets. Their efforts along with a collective bowling display helped them restrict the Sri Lankan team for just 142.
Sri Lanka gave a tough fight to the Proteas in their chase. For the longest, the South African team didn’t manage to get the run rate beyond 6. Quinton de Kock made 12, Reeza Hendricks scored 11, Rassie van der Dussen scored 16 but it was Temba Bavuma who kept things under control with his run-a-ball 46. Aiden Markram also made 19 runs.
However, the match got into a tight scenario. David Miller and Kagiso Rabada rescued them and stole the victory from Sri Lanka with their scores of 23 and 13. Wanindu Hasaranga took three wickets which came off three consecutive balls while Dushmantha Chameera also got two scalps.
Top performers:
- Tabraiz Shamsi: The No.1 T20I bowler did what he is known for. He bowled a superb spell in which he gave only 17 runs from four overs. He picked up the crucial middle-order wickets of Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Avishka Fernando and Wanindu Hasaranga.
- David Miller: The southpaw was taken in this team as a finisher and he managed to deliver. He scored 23 runs from 13 balls, including the two sixes in the last over when it mattered the most for his side.
Achievements/records:
- Hasaranga became the third bowler after Brett Lee (2007) and Curtis Campher (2021) to pick up a hat-trick in the T20 World Cup.
- Tabraiz Shamsi (32) now holds the record for most wickets in T20Is in a calendar year.
Way ahead:
South Africa will now meet Bangladesh on November 2 while Sri Lanka will meet England on November 1.
