South Africa v Afghanistan World T20 – 5 Talking Points

South Africa and Afghanistan locked horns at the Wankhede Stadium to keep their chances alive in the World T20. Afghanistan came into the match after a tight finish against Sri Lanka and South Africa were a tad unlucky to lose out to England despite scoring 229 in their previous encounter.

Batting first, South Africa were rocked back by the wicket of HashimAmla in the third over. But de Kock continued his good form and scored a key 45 off 31 balls. Skipper Faf du Plessis looked impressive for his 41 too but the star of the show was AB de Villiers. De Villiers, who has an IPL century at this venue, absolutely hammered the opposition and scored 64 off just 29 balls with 5 sixes and four boundaries. Some late hitting by Duminy and Miller saw the Proteas end up with 209/5 at the end of their stipulated 20 overs.

The Afghanistan run chase began is flashy manner as Mohammad Shahzad took special liking to the bowling of Africa. Shahzad looked destructive during his innings of 44 that came off just 19 deliveries and was studded with 5 sixes. Quick wickets by Morris saw a sudden halt to the chase. Naib and Noor Ali marshalled along before the latter was dismissed for 26.Naib and Noor Ali put on 45 for the 3^rd wicket and Shenwari came in to hit a few lusty blows too. In the end, the effort was just not enough as Afghanistan could manage 172 in their 20 overs losing by 37 runs.

1. AB de Villiers back to his Happy Hunting Ground

While all eyes were on the Proteas openers to continue their good run, ABD had his bit of share too, being the only man to have missed out in the previous game. AB de Villiers came good when it mattered and made the most out of the batting belter at Wankhede. Coming in the 10^th over, AB de Villiers took little time to settle in and started clobbering the bowlers at will. In no time, he raced to his half-century and showed glimpses of his Mr.360 ability. de Villiers hit 64 off 29 balls before being dismissed by Mohammad Nabi in the 18^th over. AB hit 5 sixes in his innings. Certainly with AB de Villiers coming good in this match, South Africa now have all their batsmen amidst the runs. Will they click as a unit though? Time will tell.

2. Shehzad’s Quickfire 44

Not many would have expected Afghanistan to even try their hands at the herculean chase of 210 for the win. More than anybody else, there was one man who had his eyes set on the target – Mohammad Shehzad. Shehzad started off with a six and a four in Rabada’s opening over but the best came in the next. He hammered Abbott for 3 sixes over midwicket and followed it up with a boundary to get 22 off the 2^nd over. In no time, Shehzad raced to 44 before being castled by Morris. He rose to the occasion and perhaps it was his knock that gave the Afghanistan team the hope to chase down 209.

3. Morris’ Spell

Nothing seemed to go well for the South African bowlers when Mohammad Shehzad was going berserk. It was Chris Morris’s spell that brought South Africa back to the game. Coming in to bowl in the 4^th over, Morris hit the deck hard and looked unplayable for Noor Ali. Soon on the last delivery of the same over, he got rid of the dangerous looking Shehzad. Morris cleaned up Shehzad on 44. In his next over he got the priced scalp of Afghanistan skipper AsgharStanikzai. Morris came back to bowl in the penultimate over to pick two more wickets. He returned with figures of 4/27 in his four overs.

4. Yet Another run-feast

The Wankhede stadium proved to be the host of yet another run feast. A couple of days ago, the stadium witnessed a record 230 being chased down by England. In response to 229 set by South Africa, England played an inch better to chase it down with two balls to spare. The story didn’t change here either. Batting first, South Africa put yet another 200 plus total on the board with de Villiers top scoring with 64. South Africa posted a humongous 209. The score never looked enough as the Afghanistan batsmen never really gave up in the chase. Afghanistan could manage 172 in their innings.

5. Afghan Spirit

The Afghanistan team proved that they are not here just for making up the numbers. The Afghanistan batsmen hit the ball hard and clean. Mohammad Shehzad led the chase with a quick fire 44 and the batsmen who followed continued to bat with same aggression. For a moment during the middle overs, it looked like the Afghanistan team were set to create the first upset of the tournament and win a historic game at the Wankhede. But the lack of experience came into the picture and miscalculations were evident on the field. Take no credit away from the Afghan players though, for putting up such an impressive show and competitive spirit.