Cool South Africa Beats Out the West Indies To Advance To The T20 World Cup Semifinal

The golden age of South Africa's white-ball cricket players took a significant step towards shrugging off the label of "eternal chokers" when they maintained their calm to defeat the West Indies by three wickets in an exciting Super 8s match that was cut short due to rain. With five balls remaining, South Africa reached the revised target of 123 when part-time wizard and full-time wrist spinner Tabraiz Shamsi (3/27), along with his slow bowling partners Keshav Maharaj (1/24) and skipper Aiden Markram (1/28), reduced West Indies to a manageable 135 for 8.

When rain interrupted play, the Proteas were 15/2 after two overs.

With this victory, South Africa emerged victorious from Group 1, with England, the reigning champions, placing second in the semifinals.

Heinrich Klaasen (22 off 10 balls) and Tristan Stubbs (29 off 27 balls), two of the most talked-about emerging T20 batsmen, set up the South Africans' chase.

However, left-arm pacer Obed McCoy's opening delivery of the 17th over, which Marco Jansen (21 not out off 14 balls) struck for a gorgeous six down the ground, sealed the victory.
When South Africa needed nine runs in seven balls, Kagiso Rabada's textbook cover drive off Roston Chase was as impressive.

Two underappreciated cricket players competed in a match that featured some of the most prestigious names in T20 history forte.

Roston Chase (52 and 3/12) of Barbados, who consistently fails to secure a spot in the IPL, and Jansen, who exhibited the rarely discussed quality of poise, which is crucial in close calls.

In the 1992 ODI World Cup, South Africa was eliminated from the semi-finals against England due to an unfair rain rule, and the Proteas frequently found ways to lose crucial cricket matches.
However, the one-hour rain delay on Sunday night in North Sound was extremely beneficial to their hitters, as the pitch improved dramatically and the ball became easier to hit and skid on.

The way left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie (1/20) lost his length is also noteworthy. The fact that Hiw only cost $20 did play a significant role in the co-hosts' loss.