South Africa Vs England Quick Review – South Africa outclass tournament favorite’s England.
The last game of Group 1, South Africa knew exactly what they needed to do. After posting 189, the equations were as follows:
If England were restricted:
England < 87: England crash out & both SA/Aus go through
87 < England < 131: Both Eng/SA go through; Australia out
England > 87: South Africa crash out & Eng/Aus qualify
As it turns out, the third situation happened. South Africa won handsomely against the #1 team, won 4 out of the 5, and did not qualify for the semi-finals.
Moments of The Day: Van der Dussen-Markam, Rabada’s Hat-Trick In a Close Game
South Africa batted intelligently. They adjusted to the pitch beautifully. Quinton de Kock and Rassie van der Dussen brought out their sweeps and reverse sweeps to negate Adil Rashid. While most people thought that South Africa are playing too conservatively, they were only trying to conserve their wickets.
After de Kock got out, in came Aiden Markram with Dussen set. Then, came the acceleration. Markram’s 54* (25) with four sixes and Rassie’s 94*, highest score for a South African in a T20I WC, meant that South Africa scored 119 runs in the last 10. Chris Woakes and Mark Wood got hammered.
Although South Africa could not keep England down to 131 with Buttler-Roy starting in aggressive fashion, Shamsi slowed them down. Wickets started to tumble, pressure started to build. Then, came in the out-of-form Liam Livingstone and smacked Kagiso Rabada for 3 humongous consecutive sixes. At the end, with 14 needed off the last over, Rabada claimed a T20 WC hat-trick, all batters caught in the deep, to deliver South Africa a thrilling victory.
Broken Cricket Dream of the Day: Jason Roy
Jason Roy was injured midway in the 2019 CWC campaign, and again, he hobbled when England were 38/0. It was so bad that he needed a couple of people on the side to help him walk. At the end of the game, he was seen in crutches. It might be the end of the road for Jason Roy.
England have now lost Tymal Mills, Jason Roy along with Ben Stokes & Jofra Archer before the world cup had begun.
Jason Roy may have played his last game of the #T20WorldCup
T20 World Cup Points Table, Most Runs, Wickets, Catches, Dismissals
No need to go elsewhere for thePoints Table, Highest Run Scorer, Highest Wicket Taker, Most Catches, and Most Dismissals. We will keep updating it in every article!
Image Courtesy: Graphic (original work), Kyle Coetzer – Photo by Francois Nel-ICC/ICC via Getty Images, Mahmudullah – Photo by Mike Hewitt-ICC/ICC via Getty Images
“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results,” said someone not named Albert Einstein.
In the world of cricket, there is one player who follows this advice closely—Sam Curran. Commonly known by commentators around the world as Sam “Makes Things Happen” Curran, when results are not going England’s way, you can always find Curran around the corner—trying new things and rescuing England time and again.
In the first T20I against South Africa, he bowled a match-winning spell of 3-28 along with a crucial 7*(3) finishing punch. Another game, and yet another important contribution from Sam Curran.
He is given this title for a reason—the lad never gives up hope. And this is exactly why he is one of my favorite players in the current cricket circuit.
Ask him to salvage Test matches in the lower order? Can do. Ask him to sit out for the Andersons and the Broad? No problem sir. Operate as a swing bowler, death bowler, gun fielder, opener, pinch-hitter, finisher?
The sample size in ODIs/T20Is is relatively small with 5/7 games respectively with uninspiring numbers of combined 39 runs and 14 wickets. Hence, we will only focus on his Tests and T20 stats.
Batting
Tests: 19 matches, 728 runs, best of 78, average 26.96, 3-50s
T20s: 85 matches, 1032 runs, best of 55*, average 19.47, 130.79 SR, 5-50s
Bowling
Tests: 19 matches, 41 wickets, 32.12 average, Best Match – 5/92, 2-4 fors
T20s: 85 matches, 79 wickets, 29.16 average, Best – 4/11, 2-4 fors
The numbers are not that spectacular, are they? Yet, numbers do not paint the whole picture. It his impact that is palpable.
My First Memory of Sam Curran
I am not sure I have ever seen a more sparkling introduction to Test cricket in recent memory.
India lost the 5-match series 4-1 although the series was closer than the score line suggested. Were India ever out of the series like 2011? No, but just whenever England seemed to lose their way, Sam came into the picture.
It all started in the first test at Edgbaston, which was the second Test for Curran.
In the first innings, from 6-224, he dragged England to 287 with a valiant 24(98). Next innings, he pulled England from 6-85 to 180 with an attacking 63 (103). In between, 3 wickets in space of 8 balls at Edgbaston to reduce India from 50-0 to 59-3.
He played a couple of other knocks like 78 (136) at Southampton, a few 40s here and there, and took important wickets.
Not the highest scorer, nor the highest wicket taker, but impactful nevertheless. Ending up winning England’s Man of the Series award and was deservedly, one of the breakout stars of 2018.
How good has this guy been? England’s Player of the Series, nominated by Ravi Shastri and Virat Kohli, is @CurranSM! pic.twitter.com/Peu7bnOC01
Since that Test debut, he has not got too many opportunities. With a bowling line up of Broad-Anderson-Woakes in Tests and Archer-Rashid-Jordan in limited overs, it is hard to find consistent opportunities. Heck, he even has to compete with his brother Tom for a spot.
Yet, as the South Africa match showed, whatever opportunities he gets, he makes the most out of it. Recently, in the IPL, he was one of the young stars for CSK amidst a dismal campaign. He bowled at the death, opened the innings, and finished a game or two as well.
So what can we learn from him?
The Lessons
Quick Learner: Give him a new role, he will take a game or two to adjust and then you see immediate results. Good skill to have for a job application.
Keep Curiosity Alive: There is never an age to stop learning. Ask questions, keep on learning.
Jack of All Trades, Master of None: Literally strike that out. As a rule of thumb, master two trades and the rest is bonus. Having a primary and a secondary skill is crucial in today’s day and age. Then, you can go and become the jack of the rest of the trades.
Be ready: Being Sam Curran may not always be easy. You are never guaranteed a game. Your role is not defined clearly. It does not matter. When your time comes, give it your all.
Courage: When things are not going your way, keep on trying new things even if it may be risky. Volunteer for the pinch-hitter opener role. Pitch the ball up hoping for some swing. How about a slow cutter with a risk of getting hit?
As one of my good friends said,
If you ain’t dying, you ain’t living.
So take risks once in a while. It is going to be okay. Try new things, but never give up.
The Legacy
Currently we can see the impact these utility players have. India’s two games against Australia exposed a problem – a sixth bowling option. None of India’s batsman bowl and none of their bowlers bat.
Yes – the Pandyas, the Cummins, the Ben Stokes – are all necessary for a team’s success, but having one all-rounder only may not be enough.
This English limited over team is built of giants – Roy, Bairstow, Root, Morgan, Buttler, Archer, Rashid, and Stokes. Their legacy is forever etched in record books and cricketing legend.
Without their star power, England could not have won the 2019 Cricket World Cup.
Yet, the world also needs the Liam Plunketts, the Moeen Alis, the Joe Denlies, and most definitely the Sam Currans. Whatever the team requires of them, they adapt and deliver. With a smile and without a grudge.
He has a long career ahead of him. The stats will improve. We can just sit back and enjoy Sam Curran’s presence—conquering the world one game at a time—calm, courageous, and charismatic.
