Led by skipper Quinton de Kock’s 70 and some spirited bowling performance, South Africa scripted a 12-run win at St George’s Park in Port Elizabeth on February 23 (Sunday) to level the T20I series 1-1. Meanwhile, the highlight of the match was a moment of brilliance from Faf du Plessis and David Miller when they combined to pull off a stunning catch at the boundary line.
Australia were well poised during the run chase of 159 runs with David Warner leading the charge. The Aussies needed 20 runs from the final two overs with Warner in the crease but some terrific bowling from the Proteas led them to an emphatic victory. Australia managed only seven from the last 12 deliveries; thus losing the game by 12 runs.
Read More: Jason Gillespie hails Ishant Sharma following his five-wicket haul in Wellington
Kagiso Rabada, who has returned from an injury, bowled an excellent 19th over, conceding just 3 runs. In the final over, Anrich Nortje defended 17 runs with ease, conceding just four runs. However, the turning point of the game was when Faf du Plessis and David Miller combined to pluck and outrageous catch in the fifth delivery of the 17th over to remove Mithcell Marsh for six.
Marsh mowed that slower length ball from Ngidi straight down the ground, nearly a six. But du Plessis came from nowhere to take the catch only to backhand it back before falling over. However, he failed to aim too well with it, but Miller dives forward to take a spectacle of a catch which will certainly go down as one of the best in the season.
Watch the video here:
Wowee! What a catch! #SAvAUS pic.twitter.com/3UPDKpNZuU
— Trishan Naidoo (@trishannai) February 23, 2020
Earlier in the day, South Africa banked on another marvellous knock from skipper Quinton de Kock to post a challenging total on the board. De Kock’s 70 and Rassie van der Dussen’s vital 37-run knock proved to be enough for Australia to chase down.