New Delhi: South Africa edged out West Indies by three wickets (DLS method) in their final Super 8 fixture of the T20 World Cup 2024 held at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua on Sunday. The match turned out to be another edge-of-the-seat thriller involving the Proteas in a knockout fixture as they continued their dominance in the T20 showpiece with seven back-to-back wins, registering a new record in the history of the tournament.
South Africa had dark clouds looming over them even after registering six wins in succession as a loss against the West Indies could have possibly knocked them out of contention. But… not only did they just win the game but they also ensured themselves of a semifinal berth from the Group 2 of Super 8s. The Proteas and England are the two qualified sides for the semis.
Meanwhile, with the nervy win, South Africa overtook Sri Lanka and Australia for a giant feat in the T20 World Cup. With seven successive wins, they have made a new record for most matches won in a single T20 World Cup edition. The record was previously jointly held by Sri Lanka and Australia but the list now sees a new entrant. South Africa equalled themselves for their longest winning streaks in T20 internationals as well.
Most matches won in a T20 WC edition
7 – South Africa in 2024
6 – Sri Lanka in 2009
6 – Australia in 2010
6 – Australia in 2021
South Africa’s longest winning streaks in T20Is
7 – in 2024
7 – in 2009
7 – in 2021
South Africa come good in rain-curtailed game
South Africa invited the co-hosts to bat first who looked unsettled on the crease and departed in quick succession sans Kyle Mayers and Shai Hope who stitched an 81-run stand for the third wicket. West Indies posted 135/8 in 20 overs as Tabraiz Shamsi picked up three wickets and made the task easier for the South African batters, as it seemed.
The South African chase started and Andre Russell soon sent back both the openers in the second over itself. The rain made its way to the ground and halted the match proceeding for more than half an hour which reduced the game to 17 overs and a new target of 123 runs. West Indies bowlers made life harder for the SA batters with regular wickets but came good at the end, finishing the chase in 16.1 overs and bagging a nervy win.
South Africa became semi-final qualified in the T20 World Cup 2024 after knocking out West Indies from the tournament and also registered a new record in the history of the T20 showpiece. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
