Photo Credit: ICC
It has been shown time and again at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 that there is no replacement for speed and South Africa have bags of it.
Kagiso Rabada was the standout performer in the six-wicket win over Bangladesh, taking three wickets in the powerplay and decimating the Bangladeshi top order.
His combination of pace and swing was too much for Bangladesh, but just as crucial from a South African perspective was the way the rest of the attack backed him up, with Anrich Nortje actually ending up with even better figures as he finished with three for eight compared to Rabada’s three for 20.
Rabada said: “Whenever I can contribute to the team success, I will take it, even if I’m not taking wickets. But on a personal note, it feels good to take wickets, especially up front in the powerplay, making inroads. That’s what I’ve always strived to do.
“We knew we had got off to a good start but it was crucial that we didn’t take the foot off the pedal. Every bowler who came on made sure they stuck to the game plan. That got us to an even more powerful position.”
Such was South Africa’s dominance early on that Bangladesh’s innings was already in disarray by the time that Tabraiz Shamsi, officially the world’s best bowler, was called into action.
Like Rabada and Nortje, he underlined his threat, and if South Africa are to beat England in their final Super 12 match to give themselves the best shot of making the semi-final, then it will likely come down to the bowlers.
How the likes of Rabada and Nortje can get on against Jos Buttler and Jason Roy will be crucial. If they can find a way to slow down England’s power hitters, then it would give the Proteas a real chance.
With a net run-rate that is currently vastly superior to Australia, a win in that one may well be enough to make the semi-final.
Of course that depends on what the Aussies do against Bangladesh and the West Indies in their remaining matches, with the Windies also still technically in contention, albeit with an even bigger run-rate mountain to climb.
But for a team who started very slowly against Australia in the opening game of the Super 12, South Africa have been able to turn it around.
As with most teams in this tournament, they have done it by bowling first and making early inroads and that will be the template for any future success.
The relatively small total meant the chase was never really an issue, and finishing the job inside 14 overs boosted the net run-rate.
Another useful knock from Bavuma will help the skipper’s confidence, although none of the South Africa batters have quite fired as yet.
If the bowlers can continue to deliver as they have so far though, they might not have to.
