AB de Villiers’ blitz helps South Africa finish at 408/5 after 50 overs against West Indies in ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 match at Sydney
De Villiers blitz helps SA finish on 408/5 vs WI in ICC World Cup 2015
South Africa finished on score of 408 for the loss of five wickets at the end of their quota of 50 overs during their ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 match against West Indies at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Friday. AB de Villiers top-scored for the Proteas with score of 162 off 66 deliveries, scoring the second-fastest World Cup century as well as the fastest 150 of all time in ODIs. Hashim Amla, Faf du Plessis and Rilee Rossouw propelled the South African innings with knocks worth 65, 62 and 61 respectively. Chris Gayle was the highlight among the West Indians, but for his bowling efforts this time as he took two wickets while conceding 21 runs off four overs. Live Scorecard: South Africa vs West Indies at Sydney
South Africa won the toss and skipper AB de Villiers elected to bat. The Proteas replaced JP Duminy, Wayne Parnell and Vernon Philander with Rilee Rossouw, Farhaan Behardien and Kyle Abbott. West Indies on the other hand decided bring in Suleiman Benn in place of Nikita Miller. South Africa were off to a slow and shaky start, losing wicket-keeper batsman Quinton de Kock for a score of 12 off 19 balls as South Africa lost their first wicket with 18 runs on board. At a score of 30 for one after 10 overs, a few boundaries were needed from Hashim Amla and Faf du Plessis in order to bring their side back to control. Live Updates: South Africa vs West Indies at Sydney
The pair began to steady the innings with singles, before flexing their arms to get the boundaries along the way once they were settled at the crease. Amla eventually brought up his 28th One-Day International (ODI) half-century, with du Plessis following suit a few deliveries later, his being the 14th ODI fifty. The duo also brought about the 100-run partnership in 123 deliveries. ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: SCHEDULE & MATCH DETAILS
While the West Indians were desperately looking for a breakthrough, it was Gayle who eventually got the breakthrough for his side by dismissing both du Plessis and Amla in the 30th over. While du Plessis was caught brilliantly by Ramdin for 62, Amla was trapped leg-before for a score of 65 off 88 balls. West Indies were once again back in the game, and were now looking to exert pressure on de Villiers and Rossouw, who were fresh at the crease. ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: POINTS TABLE
De Villiers and Rossouw did not waste much time attacking the opposition bowling attack. The pair began to gets the fours and sixes, getting to their fifties in no time. The pair eventually brought up the 100-run partnership after facing half as many deliveries, both of them getting to their respective fifties. Rossouw got to his half-century with an upper-cut off a rising delivery, that he jumped a couple of feet in the air for, to send the ball flying towards the backward point boundary. The partnership worth 134 runs came to an end with Rossouw edging an Andre Russell delivery to the wicket-keeper. ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: Complete Coverage
David Miller’s short stay at the crease fetched him 20 runs off 16 balls, without scoring a single boundary. He was eventually caught by Jeromy Taylor at the long-off boundary, with the West Indian pacer taking a brilliant one-handed catch that caught everyone at the SCG by surprise. Top 10 batsmen in ICC Cricket World Cup 2015
The presence of De Villiers at the crease was still the worrying factor for the West Indians, as the South African plans had his own plans to murder the attack in the death overs. De Villiers brought up his century in 51 deliveries, the second-fastest century in a World Cup. He then smashed his way to 150 in 64 balls, becoming the fastest to reach the milestone in One-Day Internationals (ODI). The last five overs fetched a staggering 96 runs for the Proteas, with de Villiers scoring 30 off the last over by Jason Holder, who ended up conceding 104 runs from 10 overs while taking a solitary wicket. The West Indian skipper’s figures were the worst in a World Cup match after New Zealand’s Martin Snedden’s figures of 12-1-105-2 against England in the 1983 World Cup. Top 10 bowlers in ICC Cricket World Cup 2015
Brief scores:
South Africa 408 for 5 in 50 overs (Hashim Amla 65, Faf du Plessis 62, Rilee Rossouw 61, AB de Villiers 162*; Chris Gayle 2 for 21, Andre Russell 2 for 74) vs West Indies.
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(Amit Banerjee, a reporter at CricketCountry, takes keen interest in photography, travelling, technology, automobiles, food and, of course, cricket. He can be followed on Twitter via his handle @akb287)