South Africa warmed up for the second round of the T20 World Cup by cruising to a commanding six-wicket win over United Arab Emirates (UAE) in their last match of the group stages in Delhi on Wednesday.
With the Proteas having already qualified for the Super 8 stage, and the fixtures of seeded teams predetermined for the next round, it was a dead rubber clash, but the SA side delivered a solid all-round performance.
“It was great to see the boys grabbing the opportunity with both hands. The bowling unit was really good in executing plans,” Proteas captain Aiden Markram said after the game.
“With a bit of rain and interesting weather around, probably a little less bounce, it was good to get a run around in these conditions.”
Proteas innings
Chasing 123 runs to win in an innings that was delayed by rain, captain Aiden Markram (28 runs), Ryan Rickelton (30) and Dewald Brevis (36) all made valuable contributions as the Proteas coasted to 123/4 with more than six overs to spare.
Four of the UAE bowlers took wickets but they failed to contain the powerful SA batting line-up in the Middle Eastern nation’s last match of the tournament.
UAE innings
Earlier, after being sent in to bat, the UAE team tried to put up a fight, led by top-order batter Alishan Sharafu who hit 48 runs off 35 balls.
They struggled to build partnerships, however, and their middle-order was strangled by the Proteas bowlers as they were restricted to 122/6.
Seamer Corbin Bosch led the SA attack, taking 3/12, while George Linde did well to grab 1/17, and though he was more expensive, fast bowler Anrich Nortje returned 2/28.
Next up, South Africa will face defending champions India in their first match of the Super 8 stage in Ahmedabad on Sunday.
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