England vs South Africa: Super Eight – Match 5 Preview

Super Eight – Match 5 of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, 2024, features England taking on South Africa. This match is set to take place at the Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium in Gros Islet, St Lucia, on June 21 at 08:00 PM IST.

Match Background

England comes into this match with a strong performance, having defeated West Indies by eight wickets in their first Super Eight game. Similarly, South Africa emerged victorious against the USA, winning by 18 runs.

The last time these two teams met in a T20I was in July 2022, during South Africa’s tour of England, where David Willey and Tabraiz Shamsi were the standout performers for their respective teams.

Head-to-Head

In their 25 T20I encounters, England’s bowlers have generally outperformed, contributing the most fantasy points, while South Africa’s batters have been the primary point earners for their side. This match will test the skills and strategies of both teams as they vie for a crucial win.

Key Players to Watch

Philip Salt (ENG)

Philip Salt, a top-order right-handed batter and wicketkeeper, has scored 147 runs in his last five matches, showing consistent performance. His ability to score quickly at the top will be crucial for England.

Adil Rashid (ENG)

Adil Rashid, England’s leg-break bowler, has taken six wickets in his last five matches. His knack for taking wickets in the middle overs makes him a key player for England’s bowling attack.

Sam Curran (ENG)

Sam Curran, a versatile all-rounder, has scored 91 runs and taken four wickets in his last five matches. His contributions with both bat and ball will be vital for England’s success.

Ottneil Baartman (SA)

Ottneil Baartman, a right-arm medium-fast bowler, has been impressive with eight wickets in his last five games at an average of 11.6. His ability to strike early will be crucial for South Africa.

Tristan Stubbs (SA)

Tristan Stubbs, a right-handed batter, has shown potential with scores of 20, 27, 0, 33 and 13 in his last five matches. His middle-order stability will be important for South Africa.

Tabraiz Shamsi (SA)

Tabraiz Shamsi, a slow left-arm chinaman bowler, has taken six wickets in his last four matches at an average of 15.8. His spin bowling will be key in restricting England’s scoring rate.

Super Eight – Match 1 of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, 2024, has the USA taking on South Africa at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, North Sound, Antigua, on June 19 at 08:00 PM IST.

USA vs SA (USA vs South Africa), Super Eight – Match 1 – Match Information

Match: USA vs South Africa, Super Eight – Match 1

Date: June 19, 2024

Time: 08:00 PM IST

Venue: Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, North Sound, Antigua

USA vs SA, Super Eight – Match 1, Preview

In the last match played by the USA, they lost to India by seven wickets. The top fantasy player for the USA was Saurabh Netravalkar who scored 60 fantasy points.

In South Africa’s last match, they beat Nepal by one run. The top fantasy player for the Proteas was Tabraiz Shamsi who scored 142 fantasy points.

USA vs SA, Pitch Report and Weather Conditions

The average first-innings score at this venue in the last 20 matches is 69 runs. The pitch at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, North Sound, Antigua, is a sporting one with decent assistance for both batters and bowlers on offer.

Pace or Spin?

The venue is suited for both pacers and spinners alike.

Weather Report

The temperature is expected to be around 29 degrees Celsius and humidity is expected to be around 72%. Winds at a speed of 8.02 m/s are expected. Cloud cover is expected, so expect some movement to aid the pace bowlers. Light rain is forecasted which may affect playing conditions.

USA vs SA, Fantasy Top Captain and Vice-Captain Picks

Steven Taylor (USA)

Steven Taylor is a good-to-have player for your Dream11 Fantasy Team. He has an average of 65 fantasy points in the last 10 games and a fantasy rating of 8.2. The left-handed batter has scored 67 runs in his previous five matches.

Marco Jansen (SA)

Marco Jansen is an all-rounder with an average of 54 fantasy points in the last eight games, a fantasy rating of 9.3 and is a good-to-have player for your Fantasy Team. The left-arm pacer has taken three wickets in as many matches for South Africa and will be a key inclusion in your Fantasy Team.

Ottneil Baartman (SA)

Ottneil Baartman is a fast bowler with an average of 42 fantasy points in the last five games, a fantasy rating of 8.4 and can be a good pick for your Dream11 Team. The right-arm pacer has taken eight wickets at an average of 11.6 in the last five matches.

Reeza Hendricks (SA)

Reeza Hendricks is a top-order batter with an average of 42 fantasy points in the last 10 games, a fantasy rating of 7.5 and can be a high-risk, high-returns pick for your Dream11 Team. He is a top-order, right-handed batter. Hendricks has smashed 57 runs in his previous five T20 matches.

Tristan Stubbs (SA)

Tristan Stubbs is a middle-order batter with an average of 40 fantasy points in the last 10 games, a fantasy rating of 7.7 and is a good-to-have player for your Fantasy Team. Stubbs has scored 130 runs in his previous five matches at an average of 43.3.

Aaron Jones (USA)

Aaron Jones is a top-order batter with an average of 36 fantasy points in the last 10 games, a fantasy rating of 7.8 and is a high-risk, high-returns player for your Fantasy Team. The top-order batter has scored 143 runs in the last five matches.

Tabraiz Shamsi (SA)

Tabraiz Shamsi is a differential player for your Fantasy Team. He has an average of 36 fantasy points in the last 10 games and a fantasy rating of 7.2. The left-arm chinaman bowler has taken six wickets in the recent five matches.

Jasdeep Singh (USA)

Jessy Singh is a medium-fast bowler with an average of 30 fantasy points in the last 10 games, a fantasy rating of 7.3 and is a safe bet for your Dream11 Fantasy Team. Jasdeep has taken one wicket in the last five games at an average of 85.

USA vs SA, Squads

United States (USA): Monank Patel (captain), Aaron Jones (vc), Andries Gous, Corey Anderson, Ali Khan, Harmeet Singh, Jessy Singh, Milind Kumar, Nisarg Patel, Nitish Kumar, Noshtush Kenjige, Saurabh Nethralvakar, Shadley Van Schalkwyk, Steven Taylor, Shayan Jahangir, Gajanand Singh (travelling reserve), Juanoy Drysdale (travelling reserve) and Yasir Mohammad (travelling reserve).

South Africa (SA): Aiden Markram (captain), Ryan Rickelton (wicketkeeper), Ottniel Baartman, Quinton de Kock (wicketkeeper), Reeza Hendricks, Heinrich Klaasen (wicketkeeper), David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Marco Jansen, Gerald Coetzee, Bjorn Fortuin, Keshav Maharaj, Tabraiz Shamsi, Nandre Burger (travelling reserve) and Lungi Ngidi (travelling reserve).

USA vs SA, Possible Playing XI

South Africa (SA) Possible Playing XI: Reeza Hendricks, Quinton de Kock (wicketkeeper), Aiden Markram (captain), Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Marco Jansen, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Ottneil Baartman and Tabraiz Shamsi.

USA (USA) Possible Playing XI: Steven Taylor, Monank Patel (captain), Andries Gous, Aaron Jones, Nitish Kumar, Corey Anderson, Harmeet Singh, Jessy Singh, Shayan Jahangir, Saurabh Netravalkar and Ali Khan.

USA vs SA, Fantasy Team

Wicket-Keeper: Quinton de Kock and Monank Patel

Batters: Steven Taylor, Aaron Jones and Reeza Hendricks

All-Rounders: Marco Jansen and Aiden Markram

Bowlers: Harmeet Singh, Ottneil Baartman, Jessy Singh and Kagiso Rabada

Captain: Tristan Stubbs

Vice-Captain: Aaron Jones

Heinrich Klassen’s decisive run-out on the final delivery secured a nail-biting one-run victory for South Africa against Nepal, ending the Asian side’s hopes of advancing to the Super Eight stage in the Ground D match of the ICC T20 World Cup at the St. Vincent Stadium. Needing two runs from the last ball to stay alive in the tournament, Nepal’s Gulsan Jha was run out at the non-striker’s end by Klaasen, preventing what seemed like an inevitable Super Over. It was a heartbreaking end for Nepal, who had outperformed South Africa for much of the match.

(Also Read: ‘Azam Khan Won’t Return To Pakistan Because…’: T20 World Cup Exit Sets Internet Ablaze)

However, fans were quick to spot a huge umpiring blunder. On the last ball, Ottneil Baartman bowled a short-pitched delivery to Gulshan, who tried to flick it towards the point region. However, the extra bounce on the delivery saw Gulshan mistime his shot.

#HeinrichKlaasen‘s act on the last ball meant Nepal’s heroic performance went in vain!

Watch South Africa in action next in #USAvSA in #Super8 | WED, JUN 19, 6 PM | #T20WorldCupOnStar pic.twitter.com/zZco3Dn1sZ

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) June 15, 2024

Fans on social media, however, argued that the ball should have been called a wide. They even shared screenshots on social media to back their argument.

Here’s how internet reacted: 

…not given wide pic.twitter.com/AsPEgaouOY

— Namaste Nepal (@NamasteNepal_) June 15, 2024

Another umpiring decision cost a match bartman bowled 2 bouncers in last 2 balls he was given warning this last was over his head but SA intentionaly diverted umpires from calling wide & even comentators were sleeping thats why batters ran slowly as it was wide #Nepal pic.twitter.com/UHm0yFLaWT

— Adil Ali Shah (@AdilAliShah13) June 15, 2024

How many bouncer allowed in one over ???@mufaddal_vohra @CricCrazyJohns

Ye to wide v lag rha h mereko….#nepal #SAvsNep #t20inUSA pic.twitter.com/dsl8xlB2c8

— Raushan Prasad (@RaushanPrasad07) June 15, 2024

Bad umpiring cost Nepal this match. In last over Bartman bowled 2 bouncers one of them was wide.

— remon (@remoon125) June 15, 2024

Last Ball Wicket But that last ball was Wide Because 5th ball is one bounce, Why didn’t Umpire notice that? #WC2024 #JusticeForNepal #Nepal #SAvsNEP pic.twitter.com/uuC3v6U3Yz

— Kaviieee (@unknownprsn17) June 15, 2024

Nepal’s spinners had dominated, restricting South Africa to a modest 115/7. The South African innings was anchored by opener Reeza Hendricks, who scored 43 runs, while Tristan Stubbs was the only other batter to cross a strike rate of 100, finishing unbeaten on 27 off 18 balls. Nepal’s bowlers, Kushal Bhurtel and Dipendra Singh Airee, were exceptional, sharing seven wickets between them and keeping the Proteas’ batters in check.

In response, Nepal looked well on their way to victory. Their top-order batsmen had the chase under control, reaching 85/2 by the 14th over with the required rate comfortably manageable.

However, South African spinner Tabraiz Shamsi turned the tide with a brilliant spell, taking 4/19, which put immense pressure on the Nepali chase. Fast bowlers Anrich Nortje and Ottneil Baartman then held their nerve, bowling the final two overs to perfection and leaving Nepal needing eight runs from the last over.

The tension peaked as Gulsan Jha struck a boundary off the third ball of the final over, bringing the equation down to two runs from the last ball. Klassen’s quick reflexes and sharp throw ensured that Jha was caught short of the crease, sealing a memorable win for South Africa and breaking Nepalese hearts.

(With Added Inputs)