T20 World Cup: How South Africa’s bowlers are powering them to last-over wins

Harry Brook (53 off 37) and Liam Livingstone (33 off 17) had trouble-shot successfully from 61/4, bringing England to within 24 runs of the target. They basically dragged the floundering chase back from a quagmire with clean calm striking, before Kagiso Rabada snuck in a full toss which Livingstone holed out for a sensational sliding catch from Tristan Stubbs.

Spectacular catches

But that wasn’t the most spectacular catch on a day of spectacular catches for both sides. While Ottneil Baartman’s full tosses gave England hope to rattle off the runs, Nortje had Brook trying to force through a slog on the first ball of the final over. Skipper Aiden Markram ran back from mid off with the ball dipping fast to safely hang onto a brilliant clasp and immediately put England under the pump.

Curran beat short fine leg for a boundary, and somewhat controversially declined Archer a single next ball, wanting to finish it off himself. But Nortje was on the money, nailing a perfect yorker on the penultimate ball to leave the equation at 8 off 1.

Earlier Heinrich Klaasen had made amends for a drop, sending back Buttler with a scorcher as Keshav Maharaj tossed the ball up. Reeza Hendricks too had had a torrid time when batting, departing for a 19 off 25. But he helped remove the dangerous Phil Salt diving to his left at short cover for a screamer.

England had looked in trouble at 61/4, before Brook and Livingstone gave them what turned out to be false hope.

Quinny on a stroll

Earlier, Quinton de Kock had displayed his audacity by blasting Jofra Archer out of the attack, going after him in his first over for consecutive sixes and a four for good measure. Reece Topley and Sam Curran too were put off their plans as he struck the ball confidently all around the wicket, but specially behind square on the leg side for his 65 off 38 for the fastest 50 of the tournament.

There was a reason Jos Buttler argued a touch too much with the umpires, when Mark Wood’s low clasp of a de Kock flat sweep was overturned after a catch review. The Saffers had been cruising at 76/0 early in the ninth over, and the English skipper was frustrated when replays showed the catch might have had the ball grazing the grass.

England’s middle-over stifle, countering the expected expansive shot-making of Protean bludgeons was going to hinge on these prettiest persistences. On these barest margins.

But the English strangle was underway, as the cleanly striking opener could only get 7 more off the next 8 deliveries he faced. The muttering Buttler would take charge of wringing South African necks, leaving the primary job of starving the restless batsmen looking to accelerate, to Adil Rashid.

But it was Moeen Ali who first put Reeza Hendricks (19 off a labored 25 balls) out of his misery. Klaasen was promoted, but Adil Rashid bowled a classic 11th over where he ceded just 2 runs, with a mix of flatter deliveries and wrong’uns. Like a ship stuck in windless doldrums, the constriction of that Rashid over carried over to the next when Jofra Archer was recalled.

Archer had been steaming in at 140+ clicks, and de Kock had been merrily tonking him around earlier. But when Buttler brought him back, he throttled the pace, and de Kock edged to the keeper captain who picked the first of the super catches of the day.

Miller walked in to link up the famous mid-order muscling. But his nerves hadn’t settled when he scooted off for a single, and his late call and some casual running from Klaasen saw Buttler offload the pickup from a leg side wide with accuracy on the bounce to run the big hitter out.

But it was a couple of stunning catches from England that stuttered the Saffers. Brook first sent Miller back off a low humming catch at start of the 20th, and then Marco Jansen’s desperate scythe saw Curran running back at cover sharply holding onto another improbable one.

After a first powerplay of 63 runs, South Africa just couldn’t keep the momentum going, and start-stopped for 100 off the next 14 overs. Ultimately though, they found their own way back, matching the catches, before Nortje kept the trend of thriller-winners going.