De Kock, bowlers star as SA script turnaround to level series

Led by Quinton de Kock's 70 and some spirited bowling performance, South Africa registered a 12-run win at St George's Park in Port Elizabeth on Sunday (February 23) to level the T20I series 1-1.

Did South Africa dominate Australia?

Not really. In fact, for most parts of the match, and especially the chase, Australia looked in a comfortable position. The panic had started to set in during the second wicket stand itself when David Warner and Steve Smith were in the middle, but even when the latter fell, the visitors were in a strong position at 98 for 2 in 12.3 overs.

How did Australia start?

Warner was all power and muscle, smashing the pacers all around the ground. By the time his opening partner Aaron Finch fell for a 12-ball 14, Australia had raced away to 48.

What caused the turnaround?

It began with Tabraiz Shamsi troubling Smith and Warner with his turn and accuracy. The number of dot balls went up and the boundaries were fewer to come. In fact, in the 14 overs after the powerplay, only four boundaries and two sixes were hit - one of which Faf du Plessis had caught but only to step over the boundary ropes later. As the Australian innings progressed, the batsmen tried too hard for the boundaries, and in turn kept losing wickets. Lungi Ngidi struck thrice, at crucial times to break Australia's momentum. There were also some fine efforts on the field by the hosts, but also a regulation catch dropped by Quinton de Kock early on and du Plessis stepping on the boundary ropes after holding a catch.

What happened to Warner?

After a brisk start, scoring 28 off his first 16 balls, he struggled to keep the fluency of his innings going also because at important times, he found himself off strike. He remained unbeaten but picked up only 39 runs in his next 40 balls.

Was 158 a good total by South Africa?

In hindsight, maybe yes. But given the kind of start they got courtesy Quinton de Kock, it was far from what they would've liked. After having picked up 59 runs from the powerplay, without losing a wicket, they managed to add only 99 in the next 84 balls. It was largely due to the miserly spell by Ashton Agar in the middle overs, and some fine bowling by Kane Richardson and Cummins in the death. The other batters lacked the fluency and timing with which de Kock was carting the bowlers.

How good was de Kock?

At the start of the innings, he seemed dangerous. He welcomed Pat Cummins with a couple of sixes in his opening over. To Adam Zampa as well, he was no less merciful. If not for a super human effort by Smith at the boundary line, there would have been five more runs to his credit in the powerplay. However, as the innings progressed, he too struggled for timing. A lot of shots were mistimed but didn't reach the fielder. He rode his luck and stroked a 47-ball 70, the innings which eventually laid the foundation of South Africa's win.

Brief scores: South Africa 158/4 in 20 overs (Quinton de Kock 70, Rassie van der Dussen 37; Kane Richardson 2-21, Pat Cummins 1-31) beat Australia146/6 in 20 overs (David Warner 67*, Steve Smith 29; Lungi Ngidi 3-41, Anrich Nortje 1-24) by 12 runs.