Johannesburg — South Africa have played just 12 overs in this year’s T20 World Cup, and already find themselves on the backfoot in Group B, as a result of the weather.
With India and Bangladesh having already won, South Africa weren’t able to get full points at the Bellerive Oval in Hobart despite the best efforts of Quinton de Kock and the umpires who carried on the game through atrocious conditions that had already led to one injury for Richard Ngarava, who slipped and hurt his left calf.
Rain had already delayed the start of the match and it was then reduced to a nine-overs a side affair, with Craig Ervine, the Zimbabwe captain, choosing to bat.
South Africa started well picking up three wickets in the reduced, three-over power play, with two of those going to Lungi Ngidi. However, after the Proteas got ragged, perhaps as a result of the conditions in the outfield, which were extremely slippery, while the quick bowlers were somewhat one-dimensional with their plans - bowling too many short deliveries.
Zimbabwe scored 54 runs in the last five overs of the brief innings, with Wessly Madhevere scoring 35 not out off 18 balls, hitting four fours and a six.
The sixth over proved costly for the Proteas; there was a misfield on the boundary by Tristan Stubbs that went for four, while Madhevere was also dropped on 11 by Ngidi in the same over. It was a simple chance even with the wet ball, but Ngidi got his hands in a muddle before grassing the opportunity and it proved costly for the Proteas.
De Kock started the run chase in typically aggressive fashion, hammering the first three balls for fours and then following that up with a six over midwicket. More rain bucketed down at the start of the second over and when the players did return there was another lengthy delay while the officials tried to figure out the revised target.
That was eventually registered with the Proteas requiring an extra 40 runs off 35 balls.
Unfortunately the rain wouldn’t relent, and eventually, and understandably Ervine, having already lost Ngarava to injury, grew irritated at the umpires for not halting the match.
The rain fell harder and the umpires did take the players off the field and with time up, South Africa found themselves short of the required, revised target of 64.
Weirdly they were comfortably ahead of the Duckworth Lewis equation, but because five overs weren’t bowled, it didn’t constitute a match. De Kock was unbeaten on 47 off 18 balls having hit eight fours and a six, while Temba Bavuma was on two not out off the same number of deliveries.
South Africa head to Sydney for a clash with Bangladesh on Thursday and the early forecast is for sunny weather.
Brief scores:
Zimbabwe 79/5 (9 overs)
South Africa 51/0 (3 ov)