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These are South Africa’s scores in powerplay in T20 World Cup 2024. Their run rate of 3.8 is the joint-lowest in any World Cup, alongside Afghanistan in 2010 and Uganda in the ongoing edition.
Afghanistan, in 2010, were playing their first T20 World Cup. The same goes for Uganda in this edition.
South Africa, however, is a well-established Test-playing side with batting their stronger suite in the competition.
You can cut them some slack given that they have played all their matches in New York. The conditions at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium have been equivalent to a green pitch on Day 1 of a Lord’s Test.
However, the Proteas have been powerless in this phase. Their top three — Quinton de Kock, Reeza Hendricks and Aiden Markram — average 6.8 runs per wicket put together, the lowest among the Test-playing nations in this tournament, barring New Zealand who have played only one game.
It is like the worst of two worlds coming together for South Africa in this World Cup, i.e., impossible batting conditions joining hands with an unproductive top order.
De Kock is having his worst year in T20I cricket. Hendricks now has the second-lowest batting average for an opener in World Cup history. The only constant between a high-scoring IPL 2024 and this low-scoring World Cup has been Markram’s poor form.
On top of it, the seamers have bowled perfectly against South Africa’s top-order. Good length has been a spot of landmines on the New York pitches. And the opposition pacers have ensured they target it well against the Proteas. Six of the nine top-order wickets South Africa have lost are off the good length.
Tanzim Hasan Sakib did the same in Match 21 on June 10. His first spell of 3/13 in three overs involved 42% deliveries in the good length zone and another 47.4% deliveries in the back-of-a-length region. His figures in these areas had 17 balls for three wickets and only six runs.
Like in the previous game against Netherlands, they found a partnership after the powerplay, with Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller taking them to a fighting total of 113/6, adding 79 runs for the fifth wicket.
For now, South Africa and their top three would be relieved this is their last game in New York. They will travel to Jamaica for their final group game against Nepal. With a change in conditions, they would hope for a change in the fortunes of their top three, which might really be the difference between a trophy pursuit and an early flight back home.
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