T20 WC: SA seek perfect ending to Group D campaign against spirited UAE (Preview)
For Aiden Markram-led South Africa, the hard work is already done. Three victories in as many games, including one coming off upstaging Afghanistan in a double Super Over, meant their place in the Super Eights was confirmed.
New Delhi: For Aiden Markram-led South Africa, the hard work is already done. Three victories in as many games, including one coming off upstaging Afghanistan in a double Super Over, meant their place in the Super Eights was confirmed. But the Proteas side will be reluctant to treat their final Group D fixture against the spirited United Arab Emirates (UAE), to be played at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Wednesday morning, as a mere formality.
Instead, their eyes will be on achieving their fourth straight win, which in turn will help them add more heft to their ‘they mean serious business’ identity in the Super Eights. The manner of their victories has been as significant – against New Zealand, South Africa produced a near-flawless performance. Marco Jansen dismantled the Blackcaps top order with career-best figures of 4-40, while Lungi Ngidi continued his steady accumulation at the top of the bowling charts. Kagiso Rabada, still sharpening himself back to full menace, had a tidy four-over spell.
Rabada slowly returning to his ruthless best is a deeply uncomfortable prospect for whoever crosses South Africa’s path in the Super Eights, including defending champions India. In the batting department, captain Aiden Markram made life super easy for the Proteas – a ferocious fifty off 19 balls set the tone, and he carried his side home via an unbeaten 86 from 44 deliveries, second of this competition, but the most impactful one in him playing this tournament.
Apart from him, South Africa’s strength also lies in Markram’s brilliance getting ample backing from other batters. Quinton de Kock and Ryan Rickelton have provided explosive starts throughout the group stage, while David Miller and Tristan Stubbs have contributed whenever needed – the nervy super over scene against Afghanistan is a gentle reminder of it.
The Proteas’ overall run rate of 10.1, the highest for any batter in the tournament, is the clearest possible evidence of a batting unit operating without inhibition. Against UAE, they will be seeking more of the same – another authoritative performance before the tournament enters its decisive phase. The bowling, too, carries the look of a unit that is peaking at the right time.
With Corbin Bosch providing the balance of a genuine allrounder in the lower who can be economical in death overs, South Africa have an attack that offers variety and control in a way most sides in this tournament can only envy. Meanwhile, the UAE arrive with one win from three games, which has all but confirmed their group stage exit.
But the UAE have shown genuine capability of challenging bigger sides, as seen from them making things slightly tricky for Afghanistan in the chase on Monday. Their biggest positive from this competition has been the emergence of Sohaib Khan. The right-handed batter has amassed 126 runs in three innings, making him the highest run-scorer for the UAE in a single T20 World Cup edition.
He is the first UAE batter to score two fifties in a single tournament and has hit nine sixes – more than what any UAE player has managed in a single edition. Against South Africa’s well-oiled bowling attack, Sohaib’s scalp will be the wicket that matters the most. The concern for the UAE, however, is what lies around him.
Harshit Kaushik is in a lean run while Muhammad Waseem, Alishan Sharafu and Aryansh Sharma will be the key in supporting Sohaib with important runs. With the ball, while the pacers have been amongst wickets, the UAE’s cause will be helped more if their spinners get into wicket-taking charts. Both morning games in the stadium have been won by the chasing team.
A decision to field first could allow South Africa’s pace attack to exploit early moisture while also setting up a chase they are so evidently comfortable in navigating. Both sides will also have a keen eye at the skies – the IMD has given a yellow alert for Wednesday, and predicted very light to light rain for forenoon and afternoon.
Though UAE can’t be taken lightly, South Africa will begin as firm favourites to win, and for a good reason. Yet, the Proteas are unlikely to take the contest lightly, as signing off from the group stage on a high awaits them, before running into the phase which holds the key for them to win the trophy.
When: Wednesday, February 18, 11:00 AM IST Where: Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi Where to watch: Star Sports Network for live TV broadcast and JioHotstar for live streaming Squads South Africa: Aiden Markram (c), Corbin Bosch, Dewald Brevis, Quinton de Kock (wk), Marco Jansen, George Linde, Keshav Maharaj, Kwena Maphaka, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton (wk), Jason Smith, and Tristan Stubbs UAE: Muhammad Waseem (c), Alishan Sharafu, Aryansh Sharma (wk), Dhruv Parashar, Haider Ali, Harshit Kaushik, Junaid Siddique, Mayank Kumar, Muhammad Arfan, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Haider Shah, Rohid Khan, Sohaib Khan, and Simranjeet Singh
