Published: Mar 12, 2015, 06:18 PM (IST)
Edited: Mar 12, 2015, 06:18 PM (IST)
As expected South Africa dealt UAE a crushing 146-run defeat. UAE were good in fleeting moments but otherwise were simply not equipped enough to challenge the might of South Africa. Rishad D’Souza looks at some highlights from the match. Full Scorecard: South Africa vs UAE
South Africa lose early wickets: UAE picked early wickets and had South Africa on the back-foot. The bowlers bowled consistent line and lengths and made the batsmen work for their runs. In the process they got the wickets of Hashim Amla and Quinton de Kock. De Kock tried hard to get back in form but never really got going and that will be a point of worry for South Africa. Top 10 batsmen in ICC Cricket World Cup 2015
AB de Villiers again!: AB de Villiers has been in absolutely stunning form throughout the World Cup and looked all set to add another century under his belt. Only he got out one run short of the milestone. In the process he built a good partnership with David Miller and rescued South Africa from a tough spot. Yet again he ended as the top scorer for South Africa. AB de Villiers breaks into top 10 run scorers in World Cup history; only 6 behind Jacques Kallis
Farhaan Behardien’s finishing touches: After de Villiers got out chances of South Africa getting past 310 looked bleak but Behardien was in good touch today. He punished the bowlers for some poor death bowling and ended with an unbeaten 64 off 31 balls to propel South Africa to 341 – a total that was too big for UAE. Top 10 bowlers in ICC Cricket World Cup 2015
South Africa start well: The South African bowling was excellent right from the onset. They came down hard on the UAE batsmen. Morne Morkel caused a lot of trouble with pace and steep bounce and bounced out Andri Raffaelo. He then also got the wicket of Khurram Khan cheaply. JP Duminy picked the wicket of Amjad Ali for 21.Top 10 fielders in ICC Cricket World Cup 2015
Shaiman Anwar-Swapnil Patil partnership: After the three early wickets Shaiman Anwar and Swapnil Patil batted well and stitched a good partnership giving UAE a glimmer of hope. But Anwar got out for 39 to Imran Tahir and the resistance was as good as over since other batsmen all got out cheaply even though Patil batten on. Top 10 wicketkeepers in ICC Cricket World Cup 2015
Swapnil Patil half century: When Anwar got out the result was a foregone conclusion, but Patil batted on and constructed a slow but memorable half-century against a mighty South African attack. He remained unbeaten at 57 even as the remainder of the batsmen folded up. UAE’s innings was finished at 195 giving South Africa victory by a 146-run margin. ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: Pool-wise Team Standings
(Rishad D’Souza, a reporter with CricketCountry, gave up hopes of playing Test cricket after a poor gully-cricket career. He now reports on the sport. You can follow @RishadDsouza on Twitter)
