T20 World Cup Captain Aiden Markram smashes unbeaten 86 as SA chase 176, Jansen’s 4/40 checks Kiwis

Ahmedabad: South Africa finally seem to have found their rhythm after a scratchy game against Afghanistan, where they just about to prevailed after two Super Overs. Against New Zealand, captain Aiden Markram led from the front as his unbeaten 86 off 44 balls helped South Africa overhaul the 176-run target in 17.1 overs for the loss of just three wickets.Markram displayed his class as the Kiwi bowling struggled to challenge him on the night. He got off the blocks fast and had a go at newball bowlers Matt Henry and Lockie Fergusson. A six over extra cover off Ferguson headlined his innings. As South Africa raced to 83/1 at the end of the Powerplay, Markram brought up the fastest half-century by a South African in T20 World Cups, off 19 balls.

While Quinton de Kock, Ryan Rickleton and Dewald Brevis all threw away their starts, Markram took the responsibility of seeing South Africa home.

He did it while never taking the foot off the pedal, scoring at a strike-rate of 195. The innings was laced with eight exquisite boundaries and four clean sixes. He just didn’t give the New Zealand bowlers any opportunity to shake up the chase. Markram’s innings was a statement, announcing that his team is peaking at the right time in their aim to go one better than last year’s runners-up finish. Markram will have his left arm pacer Marco Jansen to thank for not having to chase a much bigger target.

Led by Jansen’s spell of 4/40, a disciplined South African attack, which conceded just one extra in a leg-bye, restricted New Zealand’s free-flowing batting lineup to 175/7.Jansen and left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj pegged back the Kiwi batting just after the Powerplay. Thanks to a prompt resurrection act by Mark Chapman’s 26-ball 48 and the Daryl Mitchell’s 24-ball 32, New Zealand could recover from a precarious 64/4.

Their openers Finn Allen and Tim Seifert had galloped to 33 in 3.1 overs, with the former clobbering 18 off pacer Lungi Ngidi’s second over. But the lanky left-arm pacer Jansen put the brakes on the scoring by getting Seifert caught behind in the fourth over for 13 off nine balls.Allen, though, kept going hard at the South African bowling in the company of Rachin Ravindra (13). Ravindra’s struggles in the World Cup continued as Jansen had him caught at short third-man by a diving David Miller. Jansen turned the screws on the Kiwis by ending Allen’s enterprising knock of 31 off 17 balls in the same over to reduce South Africa to 58/3 at the end of the Powerplay.