England pulled off arguably their greatest World Twenty20 victory on Friday, beating South Africa by two wickets in the highest-ever successful run chase in the tournament since it began in 2007.
Joe Root smashed 83 off 44 deliveries as 2010 champions England survived a late scare to march to 230-8 in 19.4 overs after South Africa had posted 229-4 on the back of half-centuries from Hashim Amla, J.P. Duminy and Quinton de Kock. Between them, the two teams hit 459 runs in just under 40 overs.
England openers Jason Roy and Alex Hales provided a roller-coaster start of 48 runs from just 15 deliveries and Root motored along the chase by hitting six fours and four sixes against wayward South Africa bowling.
Photo: AP
“It’s just nice to contribute to a game of cricket,” Root said. “Be sensible, play smart cricket ... and the guys were so calm under pressure.”
England’s remarkable performance in the Group 1 match put them in second place behind the West Indies’ highest-ever successful run chase in all Twenty20 internationals when they made 236-6 against South Africa in Johannesburg last year.
South Africa seamers were guilty of giving away 20 extra runs from wide deliveries to help England’s cause.
Root combined in a match-defining 75-run fifth-wicket stand with Jos Buttler (21) off 36 deliveries as England rebounded in style after being thumped by the West Indies in the opening group match two days earlier.
Root was brilliantly caught in the deep off a Kagiso Rabada full toss in the 19th over, but by that time England required only 11 off 10 deliveries.
With the scores tied, England lost two wickets in the first two balls of the 20th over before Moeen Ali drove to mid-off to complete England’s first win of the tournament.
“We’ve all played long enough to know that no score is unchaseable,” South Africa captain Faf du Plessis said. “We said we needed to start with intensity and didn’t do that ... the execution of our extras, it makes it very tough because you are always under the pump.”
Earlier, Amla blazed 58 off 31 deliveries, while De Kock smashed 52 off 24 against the same England bowling attack who were destroyed in their first game by Chris Gayle at the same Wankhede Stadium.
Duminy joined in South Africa’s runfest with an unbeaten 54 off 28, with three fours and three sixes as none of the four England seamers could stem the flow of runs.
Openers Amla and De Kock cracked seven fours and three sixes each in a rollicking start of 96 off 43 after England won the toss and opted to field first.
However, Roy and Hales matched the brilliance of Amla and De Kock when they smacked Rabada (2-50) and Dale Steyn (0-35) for 43 runs off the first two overs.
Abbott, who had dropped Hales at short-fine-leg off Steyn’s first ball, dismissed both openers in his successive overs, but Root took control.
England captain Eoin Morgan said his side had “to play out of our skin” to win the match, “but there’s a lot of talent in our team if we play with freedom.”
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