NOTTINGHAM, England, CMC – Jacques Kallis stroked his first T20 fifty and
guided efficient South Africa to an easy seven-wicket victory over England in their ICC World Twenty20 Super 8 match yesterday.
Electing to bat, England struggled to 111 all out in 19.5 overs and South Africa comfortably paced to 114 for three off 18.2 overs at Trent Bridge,
with man of the match Kallis finishing unbeaten on 57.
Stifled by exemplary outcricket, England’s batsmen struggled from the start as new-ball bowlers Dale Steyn and Wayne Parnell both struck in their first overs.
England lost key batsman Kevin Pietersen (19) in the sixth over to a superb catch by spinner Roelof van de Merwe and slipped to 25 for three.
Owais Shah with a 33-ball 38 with three fours and two sixes linked up for a 53-run fourth-wicket stand with captain Paul Collingwood (19) in a mild recovery but the innings declined sharply after Collingwood’s dismissal.
They dragged themselves beyond the 100-mark but failed by one ball to bat out the 20 overs, setting South Africa an uncomplicated task for victory.
Bowling for South Africa, Parnell bagged three for 14 off 3.5 overs and van de
Merwe picked up two for 32 off his four overs.
With the key wickets of Shah and Collingwood, Kallis also made a solid contribution with the ball to finish with two for 20 off three overs.
When South Africa replied, they lost captain Graeme Smith (11) cheaply to
pacer Stuart Broad, caught behind, but Kallis and Gibbs (30) placed them firmly on the victory path with a 74-run stand.
Gibbs fell for a run-a-ball 30 but by then South Africa were just 21 runs away from victory with more than five overs to achieve it.
They eventually won with 10 balls to spare.
Kallis got his 57 off just 49 balls with five fours and one six and the South Africans’ next game will be against West Indies on Saturday at The Oval.
To keep their championship hopes alive, England must now beat India on
Sunday, and West Indies the following day for a possible semi-final spot.
