In a rain-curtailed match at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in North Sound, Antigua, South Africa secured their place in the T20 World Cup 2024 semi-finals with a tense 3-wicket victory over co-hosts West Indies.

This victory marks South Africa’s third entry into the semi-finals of the tournament, having previously achieved this milestone in 2009 and 2014.

West Indies set modest target

West Indies’ innings got off to a disastrous start as they lost their top-order batsmen Shai Hope and Nicholas Pooran early in the innings, reducing them to a precarious 5 for 2 in just over one over.

Kyle Mayers, who came in as a replacement for Johnson Charles, joined forces with Roston Chase to stabilize the innings with a crucial 81-run partnership. Mayers contributed 35 runs, but fell victim to Tabraiz Shamsi’s bowling. Captain Rovman Powell and Sherfane Rutherford’s dismissals further dented West Indies’ hopes of setting a challenging target.

Tabraiz Shamsi shines against West Indies

Tabraiz Shamsi emerged as the standout performer with the ball for South Africa, claiming three key wickets for 27 runs in his allotted four overs.

Supported by Marco Jansen, Aiden Markram, Keshav Maharaj, and Kagiso Rabada, the Proteas’ bowling attack effectively contained West Indies to a modest total of 135 for 8 in 20 overs.

South Africa’s nervy chase ends in victory

Chasing a revised target of 123 runs due to rain interruptions, South Africa encountered early setbacks with the quick dismissals of Reeza Hendricks and Quinton de Kock.

Despite these early blows, Heinrich Klaasen’s aggressive 22 off 10 balls and a crucial partnership involving Tristan Stubbs (29) steadied the innings. Marco Jansen’s blistering cameo of 21 runs off 14 balls ultimately guided South Africa to victory with 5 balls remaining.

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