T20 WC: De Kock, bowlers power SA to 7-run win over England
Gros Islet (St Lucia), Jun 21: A fluent fifty by Quinton de Kock and a gritty effort by bowlers powered South Africa to a tight seven-run win over England in their Group 2 Super Eights match of the T20 World Cup here on Friday.
Harry Brook made 53 off 37 balls (7x4) but there was not much contribution from other batters as defending champions ended up at 156/6, chasing 164.
Kagiso Rabada and Keshav Maharaj took two wickets apiece for SA.
Earlier, De Kock made a forceful half-century but South Africa were limited to 163 for six.
De Kock made 65 (38b, 4x4, 4x6), while David Miller (43, 28b, 4x4, 2x6) gave the South African innings the late impetus.
For England, pacer Jofra Archer was the leading wicket-taker (3/40).
Brief scores:
South Africa: 163 for 6 in 20 overs (Quinton de Kock 65, David Miller 43; Adil Rashid 1/23, Jofra Archer 3/40).
England: 156/6 in 20 overs (Harry Brook 53, Liam Livingstone 33; Keshav Maharaj 2/25, Kagiso Rabada 2/32).
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Rain washes out Super Eights match between New Zealand and Pakistan
Pallekele (Sri Lanka) (PTI): New Zealand and Pakistan shared a point after incessant rain forced the abandonment of the opening T20 World Cup Group 2 Super Eights match here on Saturday.
Amid a slight drizzle, Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat first.
But the steady droplets soon transformed into relentless pouring, forcing the officials to call off the match without a ball being bowled.
Before the skies opened up, Pakistan made one change to their eleven, bringing in Fakhar Zaman in place of Khawaja Nafay.
New Zealand made three changes with skipper Mitchell Santner back after missing the last match against Canada due to a stomach issue and Lockie Ferguson and Ish Sodhi also found a place in the XI.
But all those calculations and combinations will have to wait for another day, as Pakistan will now face England here on February 24.
New Zealand will make a light travel to Colombo to face home side Sri Lanka on February 25.
The washout has also placed both the Kiwis and Pakistan in a relatively tighter place ahead of their remaining two Super Eights matches.
A similar result in any of the following matches, a possibility considering Sri Lanka’s weather pattern, or a defeat can put their semifinal ambitions in serious jeopardy.
