If Australia's victory over Ireland can be called routine for a bigger
nation against a smaller one, then South Africa's over Zimbabwe was
surgically clinical, almost coldly so. After limiting their neighbours
to their second-lowest total in T20 cricket, South Africa chased down
the target inside 13 overs.
With some assistance for the seamers, Dale Steyn was able to scare the
Zimbabwe batsmen with swing and pace while Morne Morkel intimidated them
further, combining bounce and intermittent use of the full ball. But it
was Jacques Kallis who broke the back of Zimbabwe's batting with
discipline, variation and supreme experience as he took four wickets to
send Zimbabwe home red-faced.
They exit the tournament having lost both their matches, which may have
been expected but the manner in which they fell would have left them
disappointed. Far from putting up the fight they promised, Zimbabwe
could not even aim a punch at their opponents' body. Their batting, in
particular, was an indication of the importance of regular cricket,
something Zimbabwe have sorely lacked.
After their first five overs against South Africa, Zimbabwe looked in
danger of not lasting 20, as they teetered on 17 for 3. Kallis had not
bowled a ball at that stage. Morkel offered Vusi Sibanda three balls
short of a length and then bowled one fuller. Sibanda was on his back
foot, anticipating more of the short stuff, and missed the drive to have
his bails removed.
Morkel's next wicket was not achieved through menace. Brendan Taylor
reached for a ball outside off, did not move his feet and edged behind
to de Villiers. With Zimbabwe in trouble, Masakadza tried to make
something happen and attempted a lofted drive off Albie Morkel but
offered Richard Levi a simple catch at mid-on.
Craig Ervine scored more than a third of Zimbabwe's runs and four of the
six boundaries and looked like he could rescue the team. He and Stuart
Matsikenyeri put on 35 for the fourth wicket and settled Zimbabwe
temporarily. Matsikenyeri threw it away though, when he flat-batted
Kallis to extra cover.
Kallis removed Elton Chigumbura plumb lbw with his next ball but Graeme
Cremer saw off the hat-trick delivery. Ervine had two more stands which
could have developed into steadying ones with Cremer and Prosper Utseya
but both his partners abandoned him.
Cremer gloved Kallis to de Villiers and Utseya fell to a spectacular
catch, with de Villiers diving full stretch to his left. Had Ervine
lasted the full innings, Zimbabwe may have eked over three figures but
he edged behind as he tried to run the ball down to third man.
Zimbabwe's only solace was that they lasted the full 20 overs but
bowlers simply had to perform a formality, rather than defend their
total.
Richard Levi found some important form ahead of more challenging
matches. He scored most of his runs on his favoured on-side but was not
undone by balls bowled on off stump and was able to spend time at the
crease, something he has lacked of late. Other than his 117 in Hamilton,
Levi has not scored a higher number of runs in T20s.
On the other end, Hashim Amla played a characteristically calm innings.
He sandwiched it between two risks, both off Kyle Jarvis. In the first
over, Amla edged over slip and in what turned out to be the penultimate
over, he cut to point but Vusi Sibanda put down a simple chance. Between
those two flutterings of feathers, he ushered South Africa home in the
match and put Zimbabwe out of the competition.
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