Klaasen, Coetzee shine as South Africa outclass England
Cricket
The 20th match of the World Cup 2023 will be played between England and South Africa today.
MUMBAI (Web Desk) – South Africa beat England by whooping 229 runs in a high scoring World Cup match at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai on Saturday.
Proteas bowled out England to 170 in 22 overs, handing a humiliating defeat to the opponents. Gerald Coetzee, Lungi Ngidi and Marco Jansen showed stunning bowling skills as first eight batsmen dismissed for cheap scores.
Jonny Bairstow, Dawid Malan, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler, David Willey and Adil Rashid were dismissed till 16.3 overs.
Gus Atkinson and Mark Wood tried to build tail order partnership but it could not go long as Keshav Maharaj bowled out former for 35.
Earlier, a display of strong batting performance helped South Africa set a mammoth target of 400 runs at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai.
Despite losing a key wicket of opener Quinton de Kock in an early blow, South Africa took a strong start as Reeza Hendricks and Rassie van der Dussen made 85 and 60 respectively.
— ICC (@ICC) October 21, 2023
Aiden Markram scored 42 while Heinrich Klaasen lit up the stadium with fiery knock of 109 off 62. Marco Jensen smashed unbeaten 75, help his side to built a strong total.
Reece Topley took three wickets while Adil Rashid claimed two scalps but they could not restrict the opponents from putting score on the board.
Earlier Coverage
Both England and South Africa come into this match having been on the receiving end of huge shocks in their most recent fixtures.
England’s loss to Afghanistan was a huge blow to their semi-final chances, leaving the defending champions with just one win and two points from their first three matches.
And South Africa saw their brilliant start to the tournament come to a shuddering halt against Netherlands.
The fact that these two teams will be looking to bounce back at the Wankhede is particularly exciting, with the Mumbai ground known for being batting-friendly, and these two sides being amongst the biggest-hitters at the tournament.
A win for Jos Buttler’s side would put them right back in the mix for a knockout stages spot, and they could be boosted by the expected return of Ben Stokes to their lineup after injury.
South Africa would strengthen their semi-final credentials significantly with a victory of their own, and will take heart from a 2-1 series victory when these teams met earlier in the year.
Taking early wickets and exposing the South African middle order early is going to be key for England’s struggling bowling attack, and Reece Topley is likely to be the key man to do that. The tall left-armer is typically excellent in the opening powerplay, and will have a huge role to play.
Fast starts were key to both of South Africa’s opening wins, with the excellent Quinton de Kock laying the foundations for his team’s huge totals on both occasions.
His 84-ball century against Sri Lanka was classy enough on its own, never mind the platform it set for his team’s big-hitting middle order. And he was at it again against Australia with another ton, once again scored at better than a run-a-ball.
South Africa’s numbers four to six are immensely powerful, but they need a platform to launch off, and De Kock is the key man to build that.
Squads
England squad: Jos Buttler (c), Moeen Ali, Gus Atkinson, Jonny Bairstow, Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes, Reece Topley, David Willey, Mark Wood, Chris Woakes.
South Africa squad: Temba Bavuma (c), Gerald Coetzee, Quinton de Kock, Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Andile Phehlukwayo, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Rassie van der Dussen, Lizaad Williams.
