Super Sixes SRL | SA vs ENG Evaluation Chart: Archer-Ali cameos in vain as SA edges England in dull encounter

05/02/2020

A dull game, which eventually became the last ball potboiler, South Africa held their nerve and emerged victorious by a margin of three runs against England. For England, only Joe Root managed to cross the 30-run mark, but his slow batting display didn’t help the Eoin Morgan-led side’s cause.

Match Review

For the majority of the game, slow was the new order and everyone seemed to have signed under the petition. I mean, tell me seriously, what was happening there? After being put to bat first, South Africa started slow, but once Eoin Morgan introduced Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali, things plummeted even more. From 123/5 in the 16 overs, South Africa added just 25 runs in the last four, giving England a lot to cheer about.

Chasing 149 was not going to be difficult for an English side that have batsmen until No.9 but well, it was that kind of a day. They kept on losing wickets in all phases, neither of their batsmen could find their eye in and eventually, some fiery display of bowling ensured South Africa came out the winner. However, there was a fleeting moment or two, which threatened to take the game away from them but all that ended up being too late too little.

Turning Point

South Africa possesses one of the most fragile batting order in the tournament and a lot was dependent on how the top three would play. On an unfortunate day, when Rassie Van der Dussen followed Quinton de Kock to the pavilion, it sounded the death knell for the Proteas. The former’s dismissal started a beeline to the comforts of the pavilion and there was no hiding from the bad performance.

Highs and Lows

While it was one really dull game for the majority part of it, Jofra Archer alongside Moeen Ali, with their 45-run partnership at the end, ensured the game went down to the wire. Archer tonked a few in the end, while Steyn and Rabada had all sorts of pressure in the last couple of overs. That three overs alone was the real battle of the game, and definitely, the highest point as well.

Powerplay is one of the most interesting things about T20 cricket and often the only phase for which people pay a heavy price to buy a ticket. But the way both England and South Africa put many off. For the uninformed, while South Africa scored 44 runs, England managed 39, ending a boring phase of the game.

Rating Charts

Powerplay exploitation: South Africa 3/10 England 2.5/10

Clearly, the domination that Quinton de Kock and Temba Bavuma have shown in the entire duration of Super Sixes SRL went for a toss in the penultimate game of the tournament as the duo failed to muster enough steam in the powerplay. Come to think of it, only 44 runs in the first six overs were not something that could give any team a strong base to capitalise on and from that point on, South Africa were playing catch up with their own necessity.

If South Africa’s performances were bad, then England went one step ahead and stopped them on their tracks, to question their sanity. After Dale Steyn and Kagiso Rabada picked one wicket each, England’s runs were far and few in between, with the middle-order not being able to rise above that. England eventually managed to score just 39 runs losing two wickets in the process, putting all sorts of pressure on Eoin Morgan.

Middle-overs manoeuvring: South Africa 4/10 England 3/10

As the old maxim goes, “Morning shows the day” and in T20 cricket, “powerplay sets up the game”. And South Africa fell behind the target way too early, as the English spinners managed to create sustained pressure on them. Both Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid were too hot to handle for the Saffers, who scored only 67 runs in the process. Loss of wickets in the flurry didn’t help the cause either as England took momentum with them into the death overs.

57 runs were all England could score in the 54-ball period and tell me, how can I describe more about this game better? Until the 35th over of the game, it was one classic anomaly. The dismissal of three of the most destroying T20 players - Jason Roy, Jos Buttler and Jonny Bairstow - made things worse for England in the subsequent overs.

Death bowling: South Africa 6/10 England 8/10

Despite a 12-run over from Adil Rashid, it was a stellar effort from English bowlers to contain the South African to 37 runs in the last five overs. That despite the Proteas having hard-hitters like Andile Phehlukwayo and Dwaine Pretorious was a mighty effort. Especially for Chris Jordan, who has made a name for himself in the death, it was a fine redemption after remaining unlucky in the powerplay exchange.

This was the only phase where England salvaged some pride, thanks to the enterprising knocks by Moeen Ali and Jofra Archer. The game seemed like a lost deal when Archer came out to bat, but by smashing Rabada and Steyn for fun, he made his intentions clear. However, South Africa must thank Imran Tahir and Tabraiz Shamsi for bowling two parsimonious overs at death to help South Africa stay ahead of their English counterpart by three runs.

Match Frenzy O Meter - Average

As I said before, the final stages of the game was the only bright spot in a match that was dull and boring throughout. However, just for the sake of those two overs, this game would pass as Average.