New Delhi: India and South Africa will meet in the second T20 International match on Sunday at the St George’s Park in Gqeberha. The Men in Blue will look to double the lead after thrashing the hosts by 61 runs in Durban while the Proteas will aim to bounce back to level the four-match series at 1-1.
Indian wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson continued his terrific form, smashing a scintillating hundred (107 runs in 50 balls) to power the visitors beyond 200 in the first innings. He became the first Indian cricketer to hit back-to-back centuries in the T20 Internationals history.
Despite the attempt to play some big hits to up the tempo of the chase, South Africa were foiled by Indian spinners with the leg-spin duo of Varun Chakravarthy (3 for 25) and Ravi Bishnoi (2 for 28) and were bowled out for 141 in 17.5 overs.
The second match will be played at a different venue and both teams will have to assess the conditions well to select the suitable combinations before the game.
St George’s Park Pitch Report
Once known to be as fast bowlers’ nightmare, St George’s Park now offers the extra bounce on the surface, meaning the pacers can find some success here which was missing in Durbran. According to a report from OneCricket, pace bowlers have accounted for 86 wickets in the last 10 T20I matches while the spinners have managed to claim 22 dismissals in the same period. Teams winning toss tend to bat first as the batters make the best out of the conditions in the early part of the match before the pitch wears on.
Highest score at St George’s Park in T20Is
Incidentally, India holds the record for the highest total in T20 Internationals at the St George’s Park. The Men in Blue scored 180 for 7 in the first innings during the second T20I match in India’s tour of South Africa in 2023. However, South Africa won by five wickets via the Duckworth-Lewis Stern (DLS) method after they were set with a revised target of 152 in 15 overs, which they chased with seven balls to spare.
Other records
Most runs: South African wicketkeeper-batter Quinton de Kock has scored 72 runs in two innings at the St George’s Park to lead the charts for most runs at the venue. He isn’t part of the Proteas squad for this series.
Most wickets: Former South Africa pace bowler Dale Steyn has bagged the most wickets in T20Is at the St George’s Park with four scalps from just one game. He mustered his best bowling figures of 4 for 9 in the format.
India and South Africa will meet in the second T20 International match on Sunday at the St George’s Park in Gqeberha. The tourists lead the four-match T20I series 1-0. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
