T20 World Cup, South Africa thrash West Indies: Records broken
South Africa claimed their first win of the ongoing T20 World Cup with a thumping win over West Indies. Rassie van der Dussen and Aiden Markam helped the Proteas chase 144 after skipper Temba Bavuma departed early. Notably, West Indies are yet to open their account, having lost to England in their opening game. Here are the key stats.
How did the match pan out?
West Indies had a sluggish start after they were invited to bat by South Africa. Evin Lewis single-handedly carried the Caribbeans in the first 10 overs. Meanwhile, Lendl Simmons didn't show much intent to score. While others remained ineffective, Kieron Pollard's 20-ball 26 guided WI to 143/8. SA too faced turbulence in the run-chase but Dussen and Markram brought them home.
Lewis slams his 10th T20I half-century
Lewis was the top-scorer for West Indies in the match. He started watchfully but accelerated after the third over. The left-handed batter smashed his 10th half-century in T20 Internationals. He finished with 56 off 35 balls with the help of 3 fours and 6 sixes. Lewis also shared a 73-run stand with his opening partner Lendl Simmons.
Simmons played an unusual knock
While Lewis remained the aggressor, Simmons played an unusual knock. He took as many as 35 balls to muster just 16 runs. The senior batter was unable to hit any boundary. Simmons played the joint-most balls in a T20 World Cup match without smashing a boundary. Alok Kapali (14 vs SA, 2007) and Matt Cross (26* vs Oman, 2021) share this record.
Pollard completes 1,400 T20I runs
Kieron Pollard brought back WI in the hunt after they were reduced to 89/3. Although he scored just 26 (20), his knock was impactful. In the process, Pollard became the fourth West Indian player to complete 1,400 runs in T20I cricket. He has the fourth-most runs for WI in the format after Chris Gayle (1,879), Marlon Samuels (1611), and Simmons (1,527).
A look at other notable performances in the match
Markram played a match-winning knock for South Africa. He smashed an unbeaten 51 (26), the fastest half-century of the tournament so far. Dussen complemented him with a 43*-run knock. Earlier, Reeza Hendricks laid the foundation for SA's victory (39). In the bowling section, Anrich Nortje conceded just 14 runs in four overs (one wicket). Meanwhile, Dwaine Pretorius took three wickets.
