South Africa narrowly defeated the West Indies by three wickets in a rain-impacted Super Eights match at the T20 World Cup on Sunday, securing a spot in the semi-finals and eliminating the hosts.
In a challenging chase, South Africa pursued a revised target of 123 from 17 overs, reaching 110-7. Roston Chase captured three wickets to intensify the contest. However, Marco Jansen secured the victory with a six off the first ball of the final over.
Tabraiz Shamsi, named man of the match, took 3-27 after South Africa opted to field first, holding the West Indies to 135-8 at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua. Chase was the top scorer with 52 runs, contributing to an 81-run partnership with Kyle Mayers, who scored 35 off 34 balls.
Jansen’s decisive 21 not out propelled South Africa to 124-7. Reflecting on his performance, Shamsi acknowledged the team effort. “I was happy to come back and perform my role, but credit as well to the guys who bowled before me because they set it up beautifully,” he said.
Keshav Maharaj and captain Aiden Markram, who took over from seamer Ottneil Baartman, effectively supported Shamsi. Despite being dropped on 11, Chase maximized his opportunity, contributing significantly to the West Indies’ innings.
The West Indies faltered early, dropping to 5-2 in the second over, but the Chase-Mayers partnership steadied their innings. Shamsi’s dismissal of Mayers and a series of wickets thereafter helped South Africa contain their opponents.
With the West Indies at 117-6, Anrich Nortje redeemed an earlier fielding mistake with a direct hit that ran out Andre Russell. West Indies captain Rovman Powell expressed disappointment in the batting but praised the bowling. “It was a commendable bowling effort by us… the guys gave everything to defend that total,” he noted.
Markram admitted the chase was nerve-wracking. “There’s a lot of relief at making the semi-finals, but we’re not going to be brainwashed by that because we would have liked to be a lot more convincing,” he commented. He acknowledged the team’s habit of finding themselves in precarious situations.
South Africa joined England as semi-final Super Eight Group 2 qualifiers with this win.
