The Proteas claimed an important – albeit somewhat unconvincing – win over the USA on Wednesday, but will have very little time to put their feet up at this lengthy T20 World Cup tournament.
Aiden Markram’s charges will be back in action on Friday, this time taking on a dangerous England side that is undoubtedly their biggest threat in this Super 8 stage.
Play gets under way in St Lucia on Friday at 16:30 (SA time).
The Proteas are building momentum at the T20 World Cup
Building blocks in place
Reflecting on the win over the USA, Markram suggested there was plenty to be positive about.
“Pretty happy with the performance as a whole, although there are a couple of overs here and there we need to tidy up,” said Markram.
“I think you always feel you need more runs. But the wicket definitely changes and gets a bit slower, and they were a lot less sloppy.
“There are a couple of lessons to take, but [it was] nice for the batters to be in the middle and get some runs, especially for Quinny (Quinton de Kock) to really get his flow.”
It’s worth remembering that the top two teams from each Super 8 group will reach the semi-finals, with the West Indies being the final opponent for the Proteas on 24 June before a potential playoff fixture.
In the semi-finals, the winner of Group 1 plays the runner-up in Group 2, and vice versa, to determine the two finalists.
MATCHES
| Match Seeding | Fixture | Group | Date | Time (SAST) | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A2 vs D1 | Proteas won 18 runs | Group 2 | June 19 | Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua | |
| B1 vs C2 | England won by 8 wickets | Group 2 | June 20 | Daren Sammy Cricket Ground, Saint Lucia | |
| C1 vs A1 | Afghanistan vs India | Group 1 | June 20 | 16:30 | Kensington Oval, Barbados |
| B2 vs D2 | Australia vs D2 | Group 1 | June 21 | 02:30 | Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua |
| B1 vs D1 | England vs South Africa | Group 2 | June 21 | 16:30 | Daren Sammy Cricket Ground, Saint Lucia |
| A2 vs C2 | USA vs West Indies | Group 2 | June 22 | 02:30 | Kensington Oval, Barbados |
| A1 vs D2 | India vs D2 | Group 1 | June 22 | 16:30 | Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua |
| C1 vs B2 | Afghanistan vs Australia | Group 1 | June 23 | 02:30 | Arnos Vale Stadium, Saint Vincent |
| A2 vs B1 | USA vs England | Group 2 | June 23 | 16:30 | Kensington Oval, Barbados |
| C2 vs D1 | West Indies vs South Africa | Group 2 | June 24 | 02:30 | Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua |
| B2 vs A1 | Australia vs India | Group 1 | June 24 | 16:30 | Daren Sammy Cricket Ground, Saint Lucia |
| C1 vs D2 | Afghanistan vs D2 | Group 1 | June 25 | 02:30 | Arnos Vale Stadium, Saint Vincent |
SA SQUAD
Aiden Markram (captain, Momentum Multiply Titans), Ottniel Baartman (Hollywoodbets Dolphins), Gerald Coetzee (Momentum Multiply Titans), Quinton de Kock (Momentum Multiply Titans), Bjorn Fortuin (DP World Lions), Reeza Hendricks (DP World Lions), Marco Jansen (Dafabet Warriors), Heinrich Klaasen (Momentum Multiply Titans), Keshav Maharaj (Hollywoodbets Dolphins), David Miller (Hollywoodbets Dolphins), Anrich Nortje (Dafabet Warriors), Kagiso Rabada (DP World Lions) Ryan Rickelton (DP World Lions), Tabraiz Shamsi (Momentum Multiply Titans) and Tristan Stubbs (Dafabet Warriors).
You can check out all the squads here, with the Proteas boasting one of the strongest playing groups at the T20 World Cup.
