South Africa will go into the T20 World Cup Super Eight stage with a massive morale boost after beating the United Arab Emirates (UAE) by six wickets on Wednesday at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi.
Already qualified for the next round, South Africa got the icing on the cake with an unbeaten run through, despite rain disrupting proceedings before the second innings.
Despite the weather gods playing a role, there was no loss of overs as South Africa began their chase of 123 in their trademark aggressive style.
Aiden Markram (28) and Quinton de Kock (14) provided the early impetus.
Dhruv Parashar dismissed dangerous Ryan Rickelton (30). Dewald Brevis (36) soon followed.
But it was already too late.
Tristan Stubbs (6 not out) and Jason Smith (3 not out) finished the job, taking the Proteas over the line as floodlights stayed on during the morning fixture.
On the eve of the match, the sun was shining brightly, and the weather was as pleasant as a typical February afternoon in Delhi.
But almost 24 hours later, conditions had changed drastically, with rain, steady gusts sweeping across the stadium and enough moisture in the air to make the pacers lick their lips.
At the toss, skipper Aiden Markram opted to bowl first after assessing the conditions.
“Obviously, a bit of rain around. There’s been moisture in here this morning, and we’ll be able to maybe find something in the wicket up front,” he said.
However, the start betrayed that feeling of early help for the pacers as UAE openers Muhammad Waseem (22) and Aryansh Sharma (13) took on the Proteas pace trio of Kagiso Rabada (0/30), Kwena Maphaka (0/30) and Anrich Nortje (2/28) with some serious resolution.
In the first four overs, they amassed 36 runs without losing a wicket. But George Linde (1/17) and Corbin Bosch (3/12) halted their progress, sending both openers back in successive overs.
Alishan Sharafu, one of the most dependable batters in the UAE line-up, once again rose to the occasion to keep the scoreboard ticking, while Sohaib Khan (6) and Syed Haider (6) had a subpar day in the office.
A few more could have followed if South Africa had been sharper in the field.
Sharafu missed out on his second half-century of the tournament as he fell for 45 to Nortje.
Despite being wicketless in the first four overs, the Protea pacers had the final laugh, with all six wickets falling to them.
However, heading into the Super Eight, Rabada’s wicket drought and the fielding standards could be a couple of concerns for the 2024 T20 World Cup’s runners-up.
SA won by six wickets
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