Eoin Morgan is asked what that result does for England. “I think it does a lot,” he says cheerfully. “We were right in it throughout.” Quizzed about Roy’s injury, he points out that England have coped with a few absences already – “Stokes, [Sam] Curran, Archer”. True, but today they did seem to miss Tymal Mills, and they were scruffier in the field than hitherto. “Very happy to top the group,” Morgan says, which is fair enough. “Finals are all about going and expressing yourselves, so we’re going to do that.”
He isn’t asked about Liam Livingstone, but the semi should be easier now that England’s biggest hitter has found his groove. He may even be pushed up the order to form a pyrotechnic opening pair with Jos Buttler.
Nasser Hussain points out an odd thing about the semi-final – England may not know till Monday where it will take place. “It’s Dubai if India get through, but if it’s New Zealand, it’s Abu Dhabi.” Ours not to reason why.
Thanks for your company, your correspondence and your conspiracy theories, which were thankfully proved wrong. Do join me again on Wednesday for a World Cup semi-final in which England will take on Somebody, at Somewhere.
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The next question ...
... is who will play England in the first semi-final on Wednesday. It’ll be New Zealand if they beat Afghanistan tomorrow. If they stumble, it’ll probably be India, whose final game is on Monday against Namibia, although the Afghans will be in the mix too. The second semi, on Thursday, is almost certainly Pakistan v Australia.
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An email comes in from Matthew Singleton. “In the only way I can,” he says, “I’m supporting England from across the gulf in Bahrain starting with a Somersby Cider followed by an Abbot Ale and finishing up with a Yorkshire Tea. I’ll be on a plane for the short hop next week if England get to the final (fingers crossed).”
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Scores on the doors: England stay top
So England, Australia and South Africa all finish on eight points, with four wins from their five games. England are of the group, with a net run rate of 2.5 – still massive despite this defeat. Australia are second, on 1.2, and poor old South Africa are third with 0.73. They didn’t cash in against Bangladesh the way the Aussies did.
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Roy is on crutches
Well, one crutch. The South Africans are giving him sympathetic hugs. They won this game because they put together big partnerships, whereas England kept losing wickets.
South Africa get a consolation victory
20th over: England 179-8 (Rashid 2, Wood 1) South Africa win by 10 runs, and go out on a high, squeezed out by Australia on net run rate. England lose for the first time in the tournament, and lose Jason Roy to a calf injury. You just hope they haven’t lost their momentum too.
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Hat-trick! Jordan c Miller b Rabada 0 (England 176-8)
Rabada, who was awful for three overs, has now been immense for three balls. He digs the ball into this slow wicket and Jordan slaps it to long-off, where Miller takes another excellent catch.
Wicket! Morgan c Maharaj b Rabada 17 (England 176-7)
Morgan isn’t going to die wondering – but he too picks out the man on the rope, at deep square, and England have blown it.
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Wicket! Woakes c Nortje b Rabada 7 (England 176-6)
First ball of the last over, Woakes goes big ... but it’s down the throat of the man at deep midwicket, who clasps it to his chest – and, I think, manages to stay inside the Toblerone. Yes, that’s tremendous fielding.
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19th over: England 176-5 (Morgan 17, Woakes 7) Pretorius is now on the podium among the World Cup wicket-takers, third equal with his team-mate Nortje on nine, behind only two leg-spinners (Zampa and Hasaranga). But now he blots his copybook with a no-ball, so Chris Woakes can’t be out first ball, rather like you or me playing cricket on the beach. And he cashes in with a six! Belted over long-off. Pretorius recovers, beating Morgan outside off, so England need 14 off the last over. As dead rubbers go, this could hardly be more alive.
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Wicket! Livingstone c Miller b Pretorius 28 (England 165-5)
Pretorius starts his over with a slower ball, out of the back of the hand, and it does the trick as Livingstone hits this about 100 metres in the air. Miller, at long-off, is cool enough to wait for it and cling on. But Livingstone is back in business, which could be significant next week.
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18th over: England 165-4 (Livingstone 27, Morgan 14) Some good tight deliveries from Nortje, but Morgan is equal to them – swatting for four, squirting for four more. Nortje retorts with a wide yorker and finishes with 1-34. England need 25 off two overs.
“Fair enough then,” says Allan Down (see 2nd over). “I shall bundle up my cynicism and walk slowly away – and quietly enjoy the next round so much more than I had hoped.”
17th over: England 155-4 (Livingstone 27, Morgan 5) The other night on this ground, Eoin Morgan didn’t hit a four, or a sweep, for ages, as he clawed his way back to form. This time he plays the sweep first ball, off a seamer, and gets four right away! Livingstone adds an upper cut for four more, so England need 35 off 18 balls. The win predictor gives them a 31pc chance: it may not have done its research on Livingstone.
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Wicket! Malan c Rabada b Pretorius 33 (England 145-4)
Malan gets a slower ball and sends a top edge into the night sky. Kagiso Rabada, seizing the chance to recover from his mauling, takes a high-class catch, over his shoulder at backward point. England need 45 off 22 balls.
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South Africa are out – Australia go through!
16th over: England 144-3 (Malan 33, Livingstone 21) Rabada returns, with SA needing a hat-trick, and now Livingstone finds his feet! A swing to leg, and that’s the biggest six of the tournament – 112 metres. Same again! Not quite so big, but that’s South Africa dumped out of the World Cup. And another one – straight back over Rabada’s head. By hitting four successive sixes, England have put Australia in the semis. Funny old game.
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15th over: England 125-3 (Malan 33, Livingstone 2) Shamsi’s job is done, with the fine figures of 4-0-24-2. On comes Dwaine Pretorius, bearing dots, though Livingstone, with another inside edge, manages to go to his T20 World Cup career-best, and Dawid Malan, seeing the need for a statement, lofts the last ball for six.
“To celebrate reaching the semis,” says Kim Thonger, “I’ve added the merest soupçon of champagne to my negroni and it’s perked me up no end. I’ve christened it the negroni (Delta variant).” Ha.
14th over: England 117-3 (Malan 26, Livingstone 1) Nortje is back, understandably as he is the only seamer to have taken a wicket today – and it was the big scalp, Buttler. Malan, glad to have some pace to work with, shuffles across and flicks for four. Livingstone gives Nortje the charge, which is bold as the ball is a 92mph snorter, but he survives. England need 73 off six overs; SA, to join them in the semis, need six wickets for 14 runs. Neither seems very probable.
13th over: England 112-3 (Malan 21, Livingstone 1) Eoin Morgan holds himself back, in the interests of right-and-left, and sends in Liam Livingstone, who has one run in the tournament so far. He meets his first delivery, from Shamsi, with an inside edge, and his second with a block, but manages to work the third away for a single, so he has doubled his tally already. SA need a collapse now. If this was a Test match, England might well be able to help.
Wicket! Moeen c Miller b Shamsi 37 (England 110-3)
Nooo! Mo!!! Just after hitting a fabulously big six, Mo aims a drop-kick straight at long-on.
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12th over: England 104-2 (Moeen 31, Malan 20) Moeen reached that milestone with none of his usual flair, but he makes up for it now. Markram returns to be greeted by a languid six over extra-cover, before Mo suddenly reminds us that he can do power too, belting a drive back past an astonished bowler. Winning the match is still a tall order: England need 86 off eight overs.
England are in the semis!
11th over: England 89-2 (Moeen 19, Malan 19) Malan, facing Shamsi, plays a reverse-sweep for two, then gets away with another nick and picks up three for it. And then Moeen gets England over the line into the semis with a scrappy single, possibly a leg-bye. They all count.
10th over: England 81-2 (Moeen 18, Malan 12) Off goes Markram, which is a surprise as he did well and had two left-handers to torment. Back comes Rabada, and Malan gets away with a bottom edge for four, dribbling away through the vacant slips. That gets Malan’s feet moving and he crunches a drive through the covers: by his standards, this is a fast start. And that’s drinks, with SA on top in the match, but England on top in the group.
“Roy’s injury,” says Colum Fordham, “is a blow to England’s World Cup hopes, but at least we can take comfort from Buttler’s splendid form and Moeen’s experience of both the IPL and the Hundred where he has excelled as a batsman. This is a really good test for the England batting line-up ahead of the probable semi-final.”
9th over: England 70-2 (Moeen 17, Malan 2) Moeen is the only batsman left who’s in top form, so he decides to attack Shamsi. The results are mixed – a swish for four over square leg, a swing and a miss, a lofted cover-drive for two – but if Mo sticks around for another ten minutes, England will surely be in the semi-finals.
8th over: England 64-2 (Moeen 11, Malan 2) Seeing Shamsi’s success, Bavuma sends for Aiden Markram’s occasional off-breaks. Markram, who batted magnificently earlier, does well again, going for only three singles.
7th over: England 61-2 (Moeen 9, Malan 1) That’s a superb start from Shamsi, who has 1-2. The ball that got the wicket beat Bairstow for pace, Mike Atherton reckons. Not only have England lost three big stars: they’re all right-handers, so it’s all lefties now until Livingstone comes in. England need another 26 to qualify.
“It’s fairly obvious,” says Kim Thonger, “that we’re going to be 86 all out, thus allowing SA and Oz through. Therefore, I deduce, it’s NegroniTime™️.”
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Wicket! Bairstow lbw b Shamsi 1 (England 59-2)
Not even umpire’s call – hitting leg stump! And one way or another, England have lost their three top-order blasters. It’s now down to Moeen, who tends to deal in cameos; Malan, who’s not the T20 force he was; Morgan, who has only just scratched his way back to form; and Livingstone, who’s had very little time in the middle.
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Bairstow given lbw!
It’s Tabraiz Shamsi, it’s given, it’s leg-stumpish and it may well be umpire’s call.
6th over: England 59-1 (Moeen 8, Bairstow 1) Fair play to Bavuma, who not only held a rasping catch but brought Nortje back. The over started badly, with a six and a two, but went like a dream thereafter. At the end of the powerplay, England need another 131 off 14 overs.
Wicket!! BUTTLER c Bavuma b Nortje 26 (England 58-1)
The man who never gets out has just got out! Buttler had just swing Nortje for six, but when he tried a flat-bat hockey shot over mid-off, he didn’t clear the man and the man was Bavuma, who has a safe pair of hands. Good catch, big wicket.
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5th over: England 50-0 (Buttler 18, Moeen 8) Moeen came in because of some quick thinking from Buttler, who called for a left-hander to counter Maharaj and cash in on the short leg-side boundary. Maharaj goes wide outside off – and Mo chips him over extra-cover. It’s a no-ball, and the free hit produces a top edge, a dropped catch and two runs. It’s all happening.
Roy retires hurt
Jason Roy has hurt himself, badly, and he’s in tears. It looked like cramp at first, but is clearly worse than that – maybe a torn calf muscle. He’s being helped off the field, and his World Cup may well be over. Poor guy. Moeen Ali comes in at No 3.
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4th over: England 37-0 (Roy 20, Buttler 16) Kagiso Rabada replaces Nortje – like for like, pace for pace. Buttler is seeing it big, stroking a cover drive on the up, then whipping to deep square. Roy glances to make it three fours off the over: 15 from it.
“Geez,” says Alex McKay, picking up on my line about a crafty 131 (15:57). “Forget about country allegiance, if you don’t think this is a compromising issue to the integrity of the game, then the game will die. Structurally, no-one cares about the game any more. Bit pissed, it’s 3.10am here and I’ll leave you alone now. Just love this game so much and worry about it being ruined even further by the greed factor.” I was joking! I’m with you on the integrity of the game – and from the way England have set off, we can safely say that they are with you too. They’re itching to win this match.
3rd over: England 22-0 (Roy 15, Buttler 6) Roy isn’t going to let Maharaj have another good over. He lofts him for four over midwicket, then pulls for four more.
2nd over: England 12-0 (Roy 6, Buttler 5) It’s pace at the other end, from Anrich Nortje. He thinks he’s got Roy lbw, and is confident enough to review, but it’s too high – quite an achievement here in Sharjah, as Nasser Hussain observes. Roy is ready with a retort, stepping away and straight-driving for the first four of the innings. Jos Buttler follows up with the second, chipping over mid-off.
“This is why casual fans of T20, such as myself, are only casual fans of T20,” says Allan Down. “Having allowed the run total they have, I imagine England now huddled over the computers trying to figure out how many runs they have to score to make sure they stay first and South Africa come second. And the old enemy Australia is sent packing. I hope Karma punishes them for their hubris.” Joking apart, I’m not sure we can make that assumption, can we?
1st over: England 2-0 (Roy 1, Buttler 0) It’s Keshav Maharaj, as Temba Bavuma gets the memo about spin, and he starts superbly, tying Jason Roy down. Game on.
England's bowling ...
... was ordinary, for the first time in this World Cup. Wood went for 47, Woakes for 43, and Jordan for 36, so the tally for the seamers was ugly, 0-126 off their 12 overs. The spinners did better – Moeen 1-27, Rashid 1-32 – which suggests Morgan may have missed a trick, for once, by not using Liam Livingstone.
Latest from the mathematicians
“England,” says Krisha Kumar on Twitter, “need to score 87 runs to qualify for the semi-finals, 106 to top the group, and 132 to knock out South Africa.” So a crafty 131 would get rid of the Aussies – but on this form, SA might now fancy their chances of going all the way.
South Africa finish on 189!
20th over: South Africa 189-2 (van der Dussen 94, Markram 52) van der Dussen adds six more! It’s a big mow, which Jason Roy tips round the post when already over the rope. That brings up the hundred partnership in style. The last ball is only a single, so van der Dussen has to settle for 94 not out. These two have pillaged 71 off the last five overs, made SA favourites for this match, and given them a chance of squeezing into the semis. The word is that they have to restrict England to 130. See you shortly.
Fifty to Markram!
Jordan puts one in the slot and Markram wallops it over long-off for six, to reach a scintillating fifty off 24 balls.
19th over: South Africa 173-2 (van der Dussen 86, Markram 44) Wood is bowling at what should be the easier end, with the long boundary on the leg side, but Markram isn’t bothered – he pulls for six, sending the fielder (Jonny Bairstow, I presume) over the rope as well as the ball. The partnership is 87, and both it, and the total, are SA’s highest of this World Cup.
18th over: South Africa 160-2 (van der Dussen 82, Markram 35) Woakes is done, with the most unWoakesian figures of 4-0-43-0. Back comes Jordan, and van der Dussen finally connects with that scoop shot of his, deflecting over short third man. A hundred is within his grasp, and he deserves one.
“My motto:” says Andrew Benton, “never question a de Lisle on a de Kock.” Love it. “In fact, I’m such a fan of your writing skills that I’m reading in stereo! (whilst setting up a new laptop). Are England really the unstoppable force we like to think they are? I’m still waiting for the inevitable dismal batting failure, and I’m sure it’s coming – but in the semis there’s no second chance.” Ah, the sweet sound of English pessimism.
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17th over: South Africa 150-2 (van der Dussen 77, Markram 31) Jordan hands over to Wood, who starts parsimoniously (dot, one). Markram take action, stepping away to somewhere near the square-leg umpire. Wood follows him – and Markram improvises a lofted square-drive over third man. That wasn’t a cricket shot, it was a drop-kick. He cuts a slow bouncer for four more to make it 59 off the past five overs. And this is already the highest score against England in this tournament.
16th over: South Africa 139-2 (van der Dussen 76, Markram 21) Woakes replaces Rashid, finds his usual immaculate length – and sees van der Dussen wallop it back over his head for six. Next ball, Woakes goes fuller, and van der Dussen hangs back and whips him for six more. He’s going for that 150! Morgan holds a conference and Mike Atherton lip-reads him saying, “Go wide.” Woakes does – short too – and restricts van der Dussen to a slap for two. A single brings some respite, but then Woakes bowls a full toss! And Markram clips it for yet another six. Even with a dot at the end, that’s 21 off the over. “This,” says Atherton, “is where England may miss Tymal Mills.” The partnership is 53 off 28 balls – great stuff.
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15th over: South Africa 118-2 (van der Dussen 61, Markram 15) Jordan takes over from Wood, and van der Dussen steps away and tries a scoop over third man. If he’d connected, it would have been great. He tries again, going offside this time, aiming past short fine leg – and missing again. That’s a very good over from Jordan, in his quiet way.
An email comes in from an address in Australia. “The fix,” says Alex McKay, “is in.” Ha.
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14th over: South Africa 114-2 (van der Dussen 59, Markram 13) Markram sees that six and thinks he’ll have one too – a lofted on-drive off Rashid, who finishes with 1-32 off his four overs. This partnership has raced to 28 off 16 balls.
13th over: South Africa 103-2 (van der Dussen 57, Markram 4) van der Dussen, facing Wood, plays tip-and-run to reach fifty off 37 balls. Now he just needs to turn into Jos Buttler. And he’s threatening to – Wood’s next lifter is lofted into the stand with a nonchalant pull for six. That’s the way to bring up the hundred.
12th over: South Africa 91-2 (van der Dussen 49, Markram 1) Well bowled Rash – he’s got de Kock at last. Morgan gives him a pat on the back in the form of a slip for Aiden Markram.
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Wicket! de Kock c Roy b Rashid 34 (SA 86-2)
The breakthrough! Rashid lures de Kock into a big hit, deceives him with some dip, and leaves the rest to the safe hands of Jason Roy at long-on. That’s the end of a punchy partnership of 71 off 52 balls.
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11th over: South Africa 85-1 (de Kock 34, van der Dussen 44) Ladies and gentlemen, it’s time for Mark Wood. He comes racing in with his usual enthusiasm – and gets ramped for six by van der Dussen. That was a great shot, but it gets Wood going. He sends a searing bouncer past van der Dussen’s ear, and then hits him on the back of the hand with a snorter. Ouch.
“Pedantry, don’t we love it?” says Rob Lewis in Istanbul. “In the 3rd over, you start a sentence with small d for de Kock. Should that have been De Kock after a full stop? But what the hell do I know about it? As Mr Smyth constantly reminds us, Nobody Knows Anything...” Ha, true, nobody knows anything, but I do know a bit about Quinton de Kock’s middle name. I’ll give him an upper-case D when everyone whose name starts with a cap agrees to go lower-case in mid-sentence. Deal?
10th over: South Africa 73-1 (de Kock 32, van der Dussen 35) Rashid, curiously, has never got de Kock out in a T20 international, and he doesn’t change that now as de Kock plays a classy reverse sweep, along the ground, a real hockey shot. And that’s drinks, with South Africa doing well, but almost certainly not well enough.
9th over: South Africa 63-1 (de Kock 26, van der Dussen 33) On comes Chris Jordan, England’s unsung hero, often to be found advising the other bowlers from mid-off. He starts well, conceding only singles and having a good shout for LBW against van der Dussen. So good that England review and only umpire’s call gets in their way – it was a straight ball, but van der Dussen was more than 3m down the track. He celebrates by playing the shot he was just attempting – a tickle for four.
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8th over: South Africa 56-1 (de Kock 24, van der Dussen 28) We have a bowling change! Woakes gives way to Adil Rashid, who ought to be a handful on this pitch. He gets off to a poor start as van der Dussen reverse-sweeps for four. Trying to follow up with an orthodox sweep, van der Dussen misses. There’s a noise, and Jos Buttler thinks he’s got a catch: England review, but there’s nothing on snicko. SA have done pretty well so far, going fast enough on a slow pitch, while also keeping their powder dry for the firework display they need. They’re the first team in this World Cup to lose fewer than three wickets to England in the powerplay.
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7th over: South Africa 49-1 (de Kock 22, van der Dussen 23) Mo gets a fourth over and de Kock helps himself to a reverse sweep for four. After a few singles, Mo finishes with 1-27.
6th over: South Africa 40-1 (de Kock 15, van der Dussen 21) It’s the last over of the powerplay, and van der Dussen, facing Woakes, sees the need to make things happen. A flick off the pads slithers through Rashid at fine leg, and then a big mow over midwicket goes for six! He’s raced to 21 off only 15 balls. If he can add another 129 or so, South Africa will be in business.
The England team, by the way, are wearing black armbands in memory of Alan Igglesden, a fine fast bowler for Kent and England and a highly popular figure in the dressing-room.
5th over: South Africa 26-1 (de Kock 13, van der Dussen 9) Moeen’s wicket earns him a third over on the trot. It goes for five singles, as if this contest has reached the quiet middle overs already.
4th over: South Africa 21-1 (de Kock 11, van der Dussen 6) Rassie van der Dussen has come in early, threatening to wreak havoc with The Guardian’s auto-correct: he’s only been there two minutes and already he’s appeared on my screen as Dissen and Russen. Apologies in advance for whatever he turns into next. Anyway he starts well, strolling across his stumps to ramp Woakes for four.
“To answer Justin Horton’s question,” says Tom Hopkins, “if my arithmetic serves then if (say) South Africa make 200 England would need 95 to finish ahead of Australia. I think that would qualify as losing ‘quite badly’?” Ha, it would. And thanks for the single quotes, most thoughtful.
3rd over: South Africa 16-1 (de Kock 11, van der Dussen 1) Like Woakes, Mo has a commanding air about him at the moment. de Kock did manage one more wallop over mid-off, but that was a small price to pay for an early wicket.
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Wicket! Hendricks b Moeen 2 (SA 15-1)
Oh dear. Reeza Hendricks, stuck on 2 after eight balls, goes for a big sweep and misses a straight one.
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2nd over: South Africa 9-0 (Hendricks 2, de Kock 7) At the other end it’s Chris Woakes, who’s been bowling with such authority in this World Cup. He produces three dots and three singles, and his length is as immaculate as his hair.
1st over: South Africa 6-0 (Hendricks 1, de Kock 5) It’s Moeen Ali to get the game under way. Morgan fancies him to get Quinton de Kock, but it’s de Kock – fortified by taking the knee – who strikes the first blow, going inside-out to loft a one-bounce four over extra-cover.
“Never mind South Africa’s chances,” says Justin Horton, “how badly – no matter how unlikely – would England have to lose in order not to qualify?” Put it this way: they’d have to send Nasser Hussain out there. Even if SA make it up the mountain, England will almost certainly still be top of the group.
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“The Wood decision does seem odd at first glance,” says Stephen Holliday, “but then again, maybe Morgan wants to test his ankle in a dead rubber rather than in a semi-final. And it’s probably better for him to have a few overs under his belt going into a semi.” True. And Wood’s skiddy trajectory should be just the job on this low slow surface.
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The maths
South Africa’s net run rate, from their four games so far, is 0.74. Australia’s has ended up at 1.12, thanks to David Warner’s domineering performance today. Our learned friends at Cricinfo reckon SA need to make 160 and then bowl England out for 100 to squeeze into the semis. Well, it’s possible.
Teams: no surprises
Wood for Mills is the only change for either side.
South Africa 1 de Kock (wkt), 2 Hendricks, 3 Markram, 4 Bavuma (capt), 5 van Dissen, 6 Miller, 7 Pretorius, 8 Maharaj, 9 Rabada, 10 Nortje, 11 Shamsi.
England 1 Roy, 2 Buttler (wkt), 3 Malan, 4 Bairstow, 5 Morgan (capt), 6 Livingstone, 7 Moeen, 8 Woakes, 9 Jordan, 10 Rashid, 11 Wood.
Toss: England win and bowl first
Eoin Morgan resists the temptation to give South Africa a chance.
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“To judge from the team huddle,” Simon adds, “Mark Wood is back in the side tonight, replacing the injured Tymal Mills. I didn’t think they’d risk his ankle in a game that isn’t a must-win, but he was definitely getting congratulatory back-slaps for something.” Maybe he’s a Man City fan.
The first email comes in and it’s from our man on the spot, Simon Burnton. “Apparently they’re using the same track that New Zealand and Namibia played on yesterday,” he reports. “I didn’t see that game but I’m told it wasn’t the best, with occasional inexplicably low bounce. More happily, the last time England played here, against Sri Lanka on Monday, it was an absolute raging furnace of an evening in Sharjah, but tonight is positively balmy, with a very pleasant gentle breeze. I expect this means less dew, and certainly less sweat, than there was that night.”
Preamble
Afternoon everyone and welcome to a World Cup match that matters far more to one side than the other. England, with their immaculate record so far, can afford a bad day; South Africa can barely afford a bad over. They need not just a win but a rout, to make sure they squeeze ahead of Australia, who seem to be cruising to victory over West Indies. When that game ends, South Africa will know just how much of a mountain they have to climb.
Well, anything can happen in Twenty20 ... or so we thought until this tournament. There have been two broad surprises – West Indies flopping and India wobbling – but precious few matches have been upsets. Bangladesh and Scotland haven’t mustered a point between them, while England and Pakistan haven’t dropped one. This match is at Sharjah, where England toiled for the first ten overs against Sri Lanka’s spinners. But they still won.
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