|
| |
| Olympics | Olympic Events | Men Events | Women Events |
| |
| Home » Events and Happenings » Twenty-20 CRICKET World Cup |
| |
South Africa Wins The Opening Match Of Twenty20 World Cup |
|
| Scorecard |
| |
|
11 Sep 2007, Johannesburg: Host nation South Africa began their Twenty20 Cricket World Cup campaign with a flying start beating West Indies by eight wickets here on Tuesday. Batting first, West Indies with the help of Chris Gayle; who slammed 117 off just 57 balls with a record ten sixes, posted a huge score of 205 for six.
In reply, South Africa comfortably managed to chase the score with 14 balls to spare. For South Africa; it was Herschelle Gibbs, who anchored their innings by smashing a quick-fire 90 off 54 deliveries. He remained unbeaten. Justin Kemp also contributed for South Africa’s cause by smashing 46 runs of 23 balls. Gibbs hit 14 boundaries and two sixes in his superb innings, while Kemp pounded five fours and two sixes, in an enthralling match that was cheered by 33,000 fans.
Batting second, South African Gibbs put on a fine partnership for first wicket with captain Graeme Smith. They made 54 runs from just five overs. Apart from the splendid batting performances of South Africans’, it was the poor bowling and fielding by West Indians that also helped South Africa in their triumph. West Indies gave 23 runs due to wide balls and they dropped three catches of South Africa’s top scoring batsmen-- Herschelle Gibbs and Justin Kemp. Or else the fate of the match would have been something else.
West Indies first dropped the catch of Gibbs off Powell’s over. Gibbs had hit over the extra cover and Bravo, the fielder, had almost got the catch, but it bumped out of his hand and Gibbs got a life at a personnel score of 20. At that time South Africa was 59 for the loss of one wicket.
Herschelle Gibbs got second life when his catch was dropped by Shivnarine Chanderpaul off Bravo’s over at deep square leg at a personnel score of 43. South Africa at that time was 113 for two.
While, it was Justin Kemp, another top scorer of South Africa, whose catch was dropped off D.R. Smith’s over by Samuels at long on. Kemp was then batting at a personnel score of two runs.
However, for West Indies, it was left-hand batsman Chris Gayle, who played an impressive knock of 117 that included 10 sixes and seven boundaries. By hitting 10 sixes, Gayle erased the previous record of maximum sixes in the shortest version of cricket. The previous record of hitting maximum sixes in the shortest version of cricket was shared by Australian captain Ricky Ponting, Damian Martyn and Adam Gilchrist for hitting five sixes in an innings. Gayle has also become the first man to hit the fastest half-century and century in the shortest version of cricket. He took 26 balls to get his 50 and 51 balls to complete his 100 runs.
West Indies got a magnificent start from its opening batsmen, Devon Smith and Chris Gayle, who made 145—the highest opening partnership in Twenty20 cricket. The previous highest number of runs for opening wicket was shared by South African captain Smith and Loots Bosman against Pakistan. They made 132 runs in the beginning of this year at the same venue.
Despite, the good start that West Indians had, they couldn’t build the innings. At one stage they were 178 for the loss of two wickets, but they lost the last four wickets in the last four overs or else they would have posted a mammoth score.
With this emphatic win over West Indies, South Africa has avenged the opening match defeat of the 50-overs one day international World Cup 2003 that they had suffered at the hands of West Indies.
|
| |
| South Africa vs West Indies (scorecard) |
| |
South Africa wins by eight wickets
West Indies Innings
205 for 6 wickets(20 overs)
South Africa Innings
208 for 2 wickets(17.4 overs)
|
| |
| West Indies Inning |
| Batsman |
|
Runs |
Balls |
4s |
6s |
| CH Gayle |
c Boucher |
b van der Wath |
117 |
57 |
7 |
10 |
| DS Smith |
c Boucher |
b Philander |
35 |
34 |
3 |
0 |
| MN Samuels |
c de Villiers |
b Pollock |
6 |
4 |
0 |
1 |
| S Chanderpaul |
c Boucher |
b van der Wath |
11 |
10 |
1 |
0 |
| D Smith |
c Gibbs |
b Morkel |
1 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
| RR Sarwan |
c de Villiers |
b Pilander |
12 |
8 |
0 |
1 |
| Denesh Ramdin |
not out |
|
6 |
4 |
1 |
0 |
| DJ Bravo |
not out |
|
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Extras |
|
4 lb, 12 w, 1 nb |
17 |
|
| Total |
|
For 6 wickets |
205 |
20(ovs) |
|
| |
| Bowler |
O |
M |
R |
W |
| S Pollock |
4 |
0 |
52 |
1 |
| M Ntini |
2 |
0 |
19 |
0 |
| J der Wath |
4 |
0 |
33 |
2 |
| M Morkel |
4 |
0 |
30 |
1 |
| V Philander |
4 |
0 |
35 |
2 |
| A Morkel |
1 |
0 |
16 |
0 |
| G Smith |
1 |
0 |
16 |
0 |
|
| Fall Of Wickets at score, on ball, off |
| 145-1, 13.3 overs, D.S Smith |
| 152-2, 14.2 overs, Samuels |
| 178-3, 16.2 overs, Gayle |
| 182-4, 17.3 overs, D.R. Smith |
| 188-5, 18.2 overs, Chanderpaul |
| 204-6, 19.5 overs, Sarwan |
|
|
| |
| South Africa Inning |
| Batsman |
|
Runs |
Balls |
4s |
6s |
| Graeme Smith |
c Gayle |
b Rampaul |
28 |
21 |
4 |
1 |
| HH Gibbs |
not out |
|
90 |
55 |
14 |
2 |
| AB de Villiers |
c Ramdin |
b Edwards |
16 |
9 |
1 |
1 |
| Justin Kemp |
not out |
|
46 |
22 |
5 |
6 |
| Extras |
|
4 lb, 23 w,1 nb |
28 |
|
| Total |
|
For 2 wickets |
208 |
17.4(ovs) |
|
| |
| Bowler |
O |
M |
R |
W |
| Daren Powell |
4 |
0 |
34 |
0 |
| Ravi Rampaul |
4 |
0 |
52 |
1 |
| D Smith |
2 |
0 |
37 |
0 |
| F Edwards |
3 |
0 |
21 |
1 |
| D Bravo |
2.4 |
0 |
39 |
0 |
| M Samuels |
2 |
0 |
21 |
0 |
| G Smith |
1 |
0 |
16 |
0 |
|
| Fall Of Wickets at score, on ball, off |
| 54-1, 5.2 overs, Smith |
| 88-2, 8.1 overs, De Villiers |
|
|
| Result: | South Africa won by eight wickets |
Man of the Match: | Chris Gayle (West Indies) |
Umpires: | Mark Benson (England) and Daryl Harper (Australia) |
TV umpire: | Nigel Llong (England) |
Match referee: | Chris Broad (England) |
|
|
|
|
|
