Lungi Ngidi and Kagiso Rabada both claimed two wicket in their opening overs to help South Africa restrict the West Indies to a par score of 176-8 after choosing to bowl first in their T20 World Cup Super Eight match at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Thursday.
A sensational world record eighth wicket partnership of 89 from just 59 balls between Romario Shepherd (52*) and Jason Holder (49) rescued the innings from the depths of 83-7 just after the halfway point to give the West Indies genuine hope when there appeared to be almost none.
The West Indies raced to 29-0 after just two overs but the pace duo utterly transformed the innings as the men from the Caribbean crashed to 43-4 after four with captain Shai Hope (16) and fellow opener Brandon King (21) both falling to Rabada (4-0-22-2) in the third over.
Hope drove and pulled Keshav Maharaj for two sixes and a four in the first over of the innings before edging Rabada to ‘keeper Quinton de Kock and Hetmyer, having been dropped by Corbin Bosch two balls earlier, pulled Rabada to Maharaj at midwicket.
Ngidi (4-0-30-3) found King’s outside edge before Roston Chase, attempting to force off the back foot, played on to his stumps via an inside edge. A short ball from Corbin Bosch was pulled for six by Sherfane Rutherford but fell to the ‘double bluff’ when Bosch delivered an identical delivery next ball top-edged the same shot to de Kock.
Rovman Powell smashed the second ball of the ninth over on the up to extra cover where Dewald Brevis held on to a palm-stinger to give Ngidi his third and Matthew Forde’s attempt to fight fire with fire ended with a flick-sweep against Bosch (4-0-31-2) straight to Ryan Rickelton at square leg.
The innings was in disarray at 83-7 but Holder (4x4, 3x6 from 31 balls) and Shepherd (3x4, 4x6 from 37 balls) eschewed thoughts of consolidation on an excellent batting pitch offering good pace and bounce and continued to counter-attack in dazzling style during a world record eighth wicket partnership of 89 from just 59 deliveries.
Shepherd drove Ngidi for six over long off before pulling Maharaj, Bosch and Rabada for further maximums during a remarkable innings which gave the West Indies hope.
Holder, too, smashed Marco Jansen (4-0-50-0) for two straight sixes and a pulled four in the 18th over which cost 23 runs and although Ngidi fought back with an over of ingenious slower balls which cost just five runs in the 19th Shepherd reached his half century with an inside edge against Bosch in 20th after Holder was run out in a mix-up which saw both batsmen at the same end.
Both teams are undefeated in the tournament so far and the winner of today’s match will be almost certain of a semifinal place even if three teams, including India, finish on four points with two wins each from their three games.
West Indies hammered Zimbabwe by 107-runs in their opening Super Eight match and South Africa thrashed India by 76-runs which means they will almost certainly finish in the top two with a superior net run-rate.
SOUTH AFRICA: Quinton de Kock (wkt), Aiden Markram (captain), Ryan Rickelton, Dewald Brevis, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi.
WEST INDIES: Brandon King, Shai Hope (captain/wkt), Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford, Romario Shepherd, Jason Holder, Matthew Forde, Roston Chase, Gudakesh Motie, Shamar Joseph