England qualify for the T20 World Cup semi-finals as Group 1 winners despite 10-run loss to South Africa; Watch New Zealand vs Afghanistan followed by Pakistan vs Scotland from 9:30 am Sunday, live on Sky Sports Cricket
Jos Buttler (left) of England watches as starting teammate Jason Roy is helped off the pitch after getting up during the T20 World Cup match against South Africa.
England sealed their place in the T20 World Cup semi-final, but lost both their undefeated record and starter Jason Roy, who limped off injured during a 10-run loss to South Africa in Sharjah.
Roy stopped with a calf strain while responding to Jos Buttler’s call for a single and was visibly excited that he had to be helped from the field, which made him a serious doubt for the rest of the tournament.
Eoin Morgan’s men also suffered their first World Cup setback, with South Africa’s Kagiso Rabada scoring a hat-trick in the final as his team successfully defended a total of 189-2.
England could only manage 179-8 in response, although they still finished atop Group 1 in run rate, while the result was not enough to bring the Proteas to the last four alongside them.
England now face the Group 2 runners-up, likely New Zealand, Afghanistan or India, in the first semi-final on Wednesday, while Australia, who beat the West Indies earlier in the day, will appear in the second semifinal on Thursday.
After being placed by Morgan, South Africa suffered an early setback when Reeza Hendricks fell victim to the low rebound and was brought down by the impressive Moeen Ali for two.
Moeen, who sent his four overs to the front, was the bowlers’ choice (1-27) but, after posting a modest 40 in powerplay, Quinton de Kock and Rassie van der Dussen (94 not out of 60) then it started to accelerate.
Chris Jordan may have eliminated Van der Dussen with a ball that stayed and hit him on the back pad, but England’s review went back to the referee’s decision, and the batter made the most of his escape, employing the ramp hits and paddle to increase the pace. .
The association went 71 of 52 balls before Adil Rashid tempted De Kock (34 of 27) into Roy’s safe hands at long distance, but that paved the way for Aiden Markram (52 of 25) to take. The relay. Fashion.
He and Van der Dussen took advantage of the short leg-side limit, with Chris Woakes disappearing over the fence three times in a single over and Jordan crashing in midfield for another high that led Markram to his half century. of 24 balls.
Van der Dussen finished the process with another six greats when the duo skinned 72 of the final five overs, putting England on the task of a record chase in Sharjah to maintain their record of 100 percent.
However, Roy and Buttler pounced on the target in a belligerent mood, with the latter hitting Rabada for successive limits as England raced to 38 without losing at the start of the fifth.
But then the moment came that forced a tearful Roy out of the game and Moeen replaced him in the crease, helping Buttler (26 of 15) up 50 before the right-hander struck Anrich Nortje into midfield hands.
Tabraiz Shamsi (2-24) then applied the pressure, sending two tight overs and catching Jonny Bairstow’s leg earlier with a ball that slid to effectively leave England three down for 59.
Dawid Malan (33 of 26) and Moeen steadied the boat as they built a 51 tier, with Moeen (37 of 27) thrashing Tabraiz Shamsi for the six that confirmed England as group winners before eventually launching from the next. ball. .
Although qualifying was slipping away, South Africa still looked favorites for the match, with 65 still required from the final five overs, only for Liam Livingstone (28 of 17) to set Rabada on fire for three consecutive sixes.
But Livingstone fell to Dwaine Pretorius (2-30) in the penultimate again and, with Woakes, Morgan and Jordan trapped deep in Rabada (3-48), England fell short.
Moeen He underlined his mettle again with both bat and ball, as well as capturing ground early, the off-spinner never allowed South Africa to gain traction during powerplay overs.
When England responded, Roy’s injury was soon followed by two quick windows and Moeen’s constant tackles were just what they needed to regain the initiative, even if he probably should have logged 50.
Livingstone He also offered a reminder of his destructive ability with the bat, hitting Rabada for three six in a row during a spirited cameo that looked like he could propel England over the line.
For South Africa, which always faced an uphill struggle to advance to the semi-finals, Van der dussen It will have brought some joy: His innovative and fearless hitting game earned him a T20I score of 94, the best score of his career, not out.
Rabada Should also get a mention: After making 45 runs in his first three overs, coming back with a hat-trick in death shows genuine strength of character.
The equation for New Zealand it’s simple on sunday – beat Afghanistan in Abu Dhabi and they are in the semifinals of the T20 World Cup, but they lose and are eliminated.
