Chasing South Africa’ score of 4/229, the Englishmen scored 233 sparing two balls and two wickets. After Jason Roy’s flashing start, scoring 43 from 16 balls Root and Jos Butler led them to victory. It is the second highest chase in T20 internationals also. It was an all-batsmen game and the bowlers’ names were almost insignificant. In the first half Hashim Amla, Quinton de Kock and JP Duminy scored half centuries, taking South Africa to a massive total of 229/4. However it was not enough at the end.
However the score cards give a warning. If you see bigger totals on this ground in the coming days of World T20, don’t be surprised. Mumbai’s Wankhade pitch looks like something made for batsmen only. A few numbers will tell the story. Both teams scored more than 80 runs in the first six over powerplay. England reached 50 runs in just 2.5 overs, while SA reached it in 3.5 overs. Both teams passed 100 run mark in the eighth over. Of the 13 bowlers used, 10 of them gave away more than 10 runs per over.
There were some interesting moments in the game, like the stunning one handed catch by a security person near the site screen and the big “England… England…” chants of the crowd.
With this win England has revived their hopes alive in the tournament, after going down to West Indies in the first match. But, despite having a great win led by a blistering batting performance, bowling remains a headache for England.
