ICC World Twenty20 Super Eights: SA Flatten England

Ireland need not feel too bad about their defeat to New Zealand earlier in the day. Their bad performance was not as poor when compared to that of England's. The ICC World Twenty20 has proved to be a mixed bag for the hosts thus far as they went on to humiliate themselves in their first match of Group E of the Super Eights.

sa v eng

England has no response when asked to elevate their game in the Super Eights stage while SA rounded off yet another clinical performance. Batting first, England failed to find their feet even as the SA bowlers, Wayne Parnell and Jacques Kallis in particular, found their line and lengths and proved lethal for the hosts.

Only a day earlier the British media had a field day bringing down the Australians who were bumped out of the tournament at the league stage. But for England, the humiliation of their defeat at the hands of Netherlands was threatening to come out in full force.

Owais Shah, booed by a crowd terribly disappointed by their team’s performance, found his sweet spot against Johan Botha and while it took its toll on Roelof van der Merwe, the latter bounced back with the key wicket. Shah’s double digit score of thirty-nine was only matched by Kevin Pietersen and Paul Collingwood who made identical scores of nineteen.

England’s total of 111 was not particularly challenging for the South Africans. But the visitors approached the game with caution and while they may have appeared sedate, Kallis played his role of anchor to perfection, making fifty-seven runs from forty-nine balls while Herschelle Gibbs lent hand with a deft thirty as South Africa finished the rout with nearly two overs to spare.

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