There have been some extremely close matches in the ICC World T20 over the years. The match between South Africa and New Zealand at Chittagong was definitely one. The Proteas batted first and put up an impressive 196 for 5 on the board. AB de Villiers starred for the side with an unbeaten 69 from 28 balls, with 9 fours and 3 sixes. Earlier, Hashim Amla gave the team a rollicking start with his 56 from 37 balls. England responded well, but not one of their batsmen could reach a half-century as a result of which they fell short by three runs. Alex Hales made 38 from 22. Jos Buttler slammed 34 from 24 while Ravi Bopara blasted 31 from 18. Alas, England could not get over the finishing line. A look at a few other chases in which teams got extremely close, but failed to achieve the target.
New Zealand vs South Africa (Lord’s, June 9, 2009): This was a group match in which the Proteas batted first. They put up a disappointing show, managing only 128 for 7 in their 20 overs. Skipper Graeme Smith was the top scorer with 33 from 35 balls while JP Duminy made 29 from 23 balls. In the chase, New Zealand fell one run short in spite of a half-century from Brendon McCullum. Ross Taylor and Jacob Oram made 22 and 24 each, but Roelef van der Merwe’s spell of 2 for 14 pegged them back as they finished one run short, Oram getting run out off the last ball.
New Zealand vs Pakistan (Barbados, May 8, 2010): New Zealand batted first this time, and posted a disappointing 133 for 7. Opener McCullum again starred with 33 from 29 balls while Daniel Vettori made 38 from 34 balls. Sami, Afridi and Abdur Rehman claimed two wickets each for Pakistan. In response, opener Salman Butt scored a fluent, unbeaten 67 from 54 balls, with 8 fours and a six. Later, Abdul Razzaq made a run-a-ball 29 with three sixes, but Ian Butler’s 3 for 19 crippled them as Pakistan finished on 132 for 7.
India vs South Africa (Colombo, October 2, 2012): India batted first in this match and posted a competitive 152 for 6. Suresh Raina top-scored for India with 45 from 34 balls while Rohit Sharma, Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni contributed 20s. In response, Faf du Plessis blasted 65 from 38 balls but the rest of the batting crumbled. Zaheer Khan and L Balaji claimed three wickets each while Yuvraj added two wickets to his 25. South Africa were all out for 151.
South Africa vs New Zealand (Chittagong, March 24, 2014): South Africa batted first and posted an imposing 170 for 6. The innings was built around JP Duminy’s unbeaten 86 from 43 balls, with 10 fours and 3 sixes while Amla contributed 41. New Zealand were cruising at one stage, at 117 for 2 with Kane Williamson smashing 51 from 35 balls. Dale Steyn however claimed 4 for 17 to destroy the Kiwis and leave Ross Taylor stranded as he was run out for 62 off the last ball.
--By A Cricket Analyst
