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Cricket

T20 World Cup: South Africa-Zimbabwe share points as rain forces washout

Rain had the ultimate say in a Twenty20 World Cup encounter between South Africa and Zimbabwe on Monday, when the Proteas appeared to be on track for a win.

Quinton de Kock slammed an unbeaten 47 to take the side to 51 for no loss in three overs before rain stopped play for the final time in Hobart, chasing a weather-revised total of 64 in seven overs.

De Kock, a wicketkeeper-batsman, came out firing in the first over, smashing Tendai Chatara for four fours and a six.

In a stop-start encounter, the opener continued his assault into the second over, hitting Richard Ngarava for four consecutive boundaries to push the score to 40-0. The umpires did their best to finish the Super 12 game, but the last rain delay drove the players off the field, and a dejected de Kock shook hands with the opponents.

Zimbabwe finished with a score of 79-5 after electing to bat first, however their innings was delayed by more than two hours and 30 minutes due to rain.

With Wayne Parnell and Lungi Ngidi unsettling the opposing top-order, the South African quicks had an immediate impression.

Zimbabwe fell to 19-4 in three overs when Wesley Madhevere struck 35 off 18 balls and had a 55-run stand with Milton Shumba.

After a frantic start by Zimbabwe, Parnell sent back skipper Craig Ervine for two, with batters living precariously while dashing between wickets.

After de Kock took a flying one-handed catch behind the stumps, Ngidi struck twice in the following over, dismissing the in-form Sikandar Raza for a duck.

But Madhevere, who hit four fours and one six in his 18-ball knock, and Shumba, who was run out on the penultimate delivery of the innings by Anrich Nortje, put up a valiant fight.

The washout earned each African country one point. South Africa may have won if the game authorities had been able to resume it as a five-over chase. With South Africa at five over par, the players would have only needed to go on the field – a result that would have been accomplished even if rain had forced them to return immediately.

However, there was no restart. The rain became harder, as hands were shaken and points were exchanged. This was comparable to Australia’s no-result against Bangladesh in the ODI Champions Trophy in 2017, when they were clear of their 20-over par total at the conclusion of play but having only faced 16 overs.

South Africa’s one point loss might be critical in the context of the competition. Assuming no big shocks in this group, their November 3 encounter against Pakistan might become a virtual quarter-final.

“We haven’t had a good history with rain,” departing coach Mark Boucher remarked, recalling how South Africa lost in a rain-affected semi-final in the 1992 World Cup. “But we’d rather have it in the first game, when we still have control over what we can accomplish.”

South Africa tried all possible to dodge the weather. They raced to 51 for 0 in three overs while chasing a revised goal of 64. And, from that perspective, Boucher admitted they were “frustrated” to have been “so close” just to have it “ripped away.”

“Whether the game should have taken place or not, you come away from this game believing we were unfairly done by,” he added.

Bangladesh leads Group 2 after defeating the Netherlands in the opening match of the day in Hobart. India defeated Pakistan in a last-ball thriller on Sunday.

No result: Zimbabwe 79/5 in 9 overs (Madhevere 35*, Ngidi 2-20) vs South Africa 51/0 in 3 overs (de Kock 47*)

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