T20 World Cup 2024: South Africa bowlers had good plans and pulled it off against England, says Aiden Markram

South Africa skipper Aiden Markram applauded his bowlers for sealing a thrilling seven-run victory against England in a T20 World Cup Super Eight match here on Friday, saying they did not wilt under pressure.

England needed just 25 runs in the last three overs with six wickets in hand, but tight bowling left the team stranded at 156/6 in its chase of 164 on an easy-paced wicket with even bounce.

“Last three overs we had a lot against us but the bowlers had good plans and pulled it off,” said Markram, whose side’s innings was built around opener Quinton de Kock’s fine 65 off 38 balls.

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“If I am greedy, we were 10-20 short especially after the start we got. Not quite played a complete game of cricket but we are on the right track.”

He singled out de Kock for special praise, who dished out a second good performance in the Super Eight stage and helped South Africa win their sixth game on the bounce in the World Cup.

“Quinny (de Kock) has been good for us in the last two games. It was a bit nerve-wracking in those (last three) overs but it can happen. The plans were there just the execution wasn’t. I’m grateful that catch (of Harry Brook) stuck,” he added.

England skipper Jos Buttler too praised De Kock for his enterprising batting.

“I think the way Quinny played at the top sort of really put us under a lot of pressure, and he played some great shots, and we weren’t able to match that,” Buttler said during the post-match press conference.

With de Kock going strong, South Africa made 63 for no loss in the powerplay.

““I think that was the difference in the game. The tougher overs in the power play today were from the bottom end which de Kock really took on and took some risks and played well, so as I’ve mentioned, I felt like the power play was the difference in the game,” he said.

De Kock, who picked up his second ‘Player of the Match’ in Super Eight, said he just tried to carry on from where he had left off against the USA in the previous game.

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De Kock had scored 74 off 40 deliveries in the opening Super Eight game.

“I’ve played a lot of day T20s in cricket in the West Indies and generally that is the most important time to score runs, it was the easiest time to score runs.

The match started at 10.30am local time, while the previous four T20 World Cup games at the venue had an 8.30pm start.

“I don’t know if the rest of the guys knew, but I had a fair sense. I’ve played here quite a bit in the Caribbean League. Same thing, (the) wicket looks beautiful at night, plays most differently, but at the day 160-170 are winning scores here in the day. I think generally it goes by like that in the Caribbean. I think the lights and maybe a bit of dew at night help the ball skid on a bit better,” he said.

“The easier time to score runs is in the powerplay. When the ball is old and as the wicket deteriorates, it gets harder.” De Kock said powerplay wasn’t the only factor and there were other moments which helped them win. I think our bowlers also bowled really well, one or two key moments that could have also been a standout over I think KG’s (Kagiso Rabada’s) final over was also could be potential match winning,” De Kock added.