South Africa kept a clean slate as they defeated UAE by six wickets in New Delhi on Wednesday. The 2024 runners-up chased down a modest target of 123 in 13.2 overs.
After rain delayed the start of the second innings, South Africa started strong, bringing up 56 for 2 in powerplay. Aiden Markram was off to a flier, scoring 28 in 11, with the help of five fours and a six, but he was castled by Haider Ali.
Though they lost the openers in the first six overs, Dewald Brevis (36) and Ryan Rickleton (30) steadied the innings with a 49-run partnership and took the Proteas to the brink of a dominant victory.
“It was great to see the boys grabbing the opportunity with both hands. The bowling unit was really good in executing plans. Today, with a bit of rain and interesting weather around, was a bit tacky, probably a little less bounce, it was good to get a run around in these conditions. We let ourselves down in fielding, not up to the mark at all. In the field, we did let ourselves down with our attitude and approach. Lesson for us to learn. Fortunately, we have a little bit of time before the first Super 8 game, which is good for the group. It’s about really backing the strengths to the hill,” said Aiden Markram, South Africa captain.
Put into bat, UAE looked fluent for the first four overs, but South Africa pegged them back with a couple of wickets. From 36 for no loss after four overs, UAE slipped to 44 for 2 at the end of powerplay, with openers Aryansh Sharma and Muhammad Waseem back in the pavilion.
Pacer Corbin Bosch was the one that provided the breakthrough and led the South African fightback in a brilliant spell of 3 for 12 in four overs. Anrich Nortje claimed 2 for 28, while George Linge chipped in with a wicket to hold UAE to 122 for 6.
Alishan Sharafu, who has come up with some vital contributions this World Cup, was once again the top-scorer for UAE, notching 45 off 38 balls. But the UAE middle and lower order was put under pressure by South Africa in overcast conditions in New Delhi.
“Kept it nice and simple. There was some nip early on, we communicated fanatically and that made my life easy. I’ve got great guys that I can learn from, spent some time to see what the batters were doing and made plans accordingly. Nervy early on but once you get the first few, then it calms down. We got a good outing yesterday and had a good idea about the wicket. Overcast conditions helped. Today I kept it more basic and I think it helps me stay nice and calm. Today I kept it very simple. It’s amazing; I cannot believe I got 100. Proud of myself but there’s plenty to do,” said Corbin Bosch, Player of the Match.
The African side was uncharacteristically sloppy in the field on Tuesday, dropping at least two regulation catches.
“It’s a tough outing for us as a batting team. I think we needed to bat well from the 6th to the end; in the middle part we had to bat well. We are in the learning process, so we are learning so many things from this tournament and from senior players. I’m very happy with the performance of Shoaib, Aryan Sharma, Alishan. The boys played excellent cricket throughout the tournament and in the upcoming tournament, more players will raise their hands. Thank you so much to the crowd. I think they are upset with the result but thank you for the support,” said UAE skipper Muhammad Wasim.
Brief scores: UAE 122 for six in 20 overs (Muhammad Waseem 22, Alishan Sharafu 45; Corbin Bosch 3/12, Anrich Nortje 2/28) lost to South Africa 123 for four in 13.2 overs (Aiden Markram 28, Ryan Rickelton 30, Dewald Brevis 36).
