T20 World Cup 2024: Quinton de Kock credits Aiden Markram’s marvellous catch for South Africa’s victory over England

After a fantastic start with the ball against England in the Super Eights of the ongoing T20 World Cup, the game was slowly slipping away from South Africa’s grip in the middle overs. The Three Lions were reduced to 61/4 and needed something extraordinary to turn the tables and that’s when Harry Brook and Liam Livingstone stepped up.

The duo stitched a partnership of 78 runs which bailed England out of trouble but it wasn’t enough in the end. Livingstone got out after smashing 33 runs off 17 balls and Brook departed for 53 runs off 37 deliveries. Skipper Aiden Markram picked up a stunning catch to send Brook back to the pavilion and as per keeper-batter Quinton de Kock, that was the game-changing moment for South Africa.

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The 29-year-old ran backwards as the ball was flying in the direction of the wind, which made it tougher for Markram. However, he kept his eyes on the ball and picked up a marvellous catch which brought the Proteas back into the contest. After the game, de Kock acknowledged Markram’s effort and shared that he practices these types of drills, which helped him when it mattered.

“Yeah, I don't think the TV does it justice when people are watching from the outside. From the angle of the wicket, coming straight down, there's a massive left to right wind from my direction. I don't know, maybe like 40km an hour, 50km an hour. So, it's not the ball's just getting pushed, but also getting moved that way. And he actually turned on the inside. So, the ball's always moving towards the boundary,” de Kock said.

“And credit to - I've seen Aiden, I think a lot of the guys, everybody takes the high catches but he practices those catches all the time. So, you don't really see it when I play in other teams around the world, you've got different captains, I don't see them really practicing that sort of, those catches, but I see him did it and he won us a game well won us a moment in the game today,” he added.

With the win, South Africa moved an inch closer to the semi-final spot. However, a lot still depends on their final game of the Super Eights against West Indies.