Kagiso Rabada claimed a last-over hat trick and South Africa exited the T20 World Cup in style with a 10-run win against previously unbeaten England on Saturday.
Put in to bat and needing a convincing win after Australia’s win over the West Indies earlier, South Africa scored 189-2 and restricted England’s chase to 179-8. Rabada (3-48) claimed the wickets of Chris Woakes, Eoin Morgan and Chris Jordan in the 20th over, all of them catches as England desperately sought big runs.
But ending England’s four-game winning streak at the tournament wasn’t enough for South Africa. The result means Group 1 winner England and second-place Australia advance to the semifinals with a superior net run rate. All three teams finished on eight points.
South Africa captain Temba Bavuma called it “a bittersweet ending for us.”
Pakistan is the only team to have advanced from Group 2 so far.
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England’s bowlers expected an onslaught from South Africa, and got it. Rassie van der Dussen hit an undefeated 94 off 60 balls, including five fours and six sixes. Aiden Markram smashed a 25-ball 52 not out. The pair shared an unbroken 103-run partnership, adding 71 runs in the last 30 deliveries. Woakes’ last over cost 21 runs as he collected unflattering figures of 0-43.
Pacer Mark Wood went for 0-47 in four overs after being the only change made by England from its win against Sri Lanka. Wood came in for Tymal Mills, who is injured and out of the tournament.
South Africa stayed unchanged from its win over Bangladesh.
After clearing hurdles of reaching 87 and 106 runs to respectively secure a place in the knockout stages and then top spot in its group, England finished 10 runs short following Rabada’s triple strike. England’s defeat was compounded by a leg injury to opener Jason Roy.
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England started its chase by racing to 37 without loss in four overs, but Roy then collapsed in agony after setting off for a run, completed with a hobble, and was carried off the field. England now faces an anxious wait over his fitness.
Jos Buttler started his innings with a tournament average of 214 and got into a groove with three fours in four balls off Rabada but slammed to mid-off for 26 off 15 balls.
Moeen Ali top-scored for England with 37 off 27, and Dawid Malan hit 33 off 26.
England required 14 from the last over, but Rabada held his nerve spectacularly at the death. He had earlier been hammered for three successive sixes by Liam Livingstone (28), the first measured at a tournament-record 112 meters.