Proteas take possession of World Cup spot, for now

The Proteas cantered to an eight-wicket victory, chasing a modest total put up by the Netherlands in their Cricket World Cup Super League clash at Willowmoore Park in Benoni.

It was a victory that sees the Proteas move above the West Indies and into eighth spot on the Cricket World Cup Super League.

Temba Bavuma leads the Proteas to a clinical victory

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Skipper Temba Bavuma led the chase with an unbeaten 90 while Aiden Markam made valuable contributions with bat and ball.

The Proteas chased down the Dutch target in just 30 overs, giving them a boost to their net run rate which will separate any teams tied on points.

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Earlier, Sisanda Magala struck twice to halt a promising start by the Netherlands.

Magala the hero for the Proteas with the ball

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Magala would finish with three for 37 as the Netherlands were bowled out for 189.

Of his success, Magala said: “It’s just keeping it as simple as possible. 

“It’s important to not try to overthink stuff and that was my role today. I like to envision what I want to achieve during the game. If it works, it works. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t. The nerves are always there. 

“The team environment is very good and very welcoming. They embrace everyone’s differences. You can go out there and express yourself. It’s an environment where people are encouraged to go out and excel. I’m excited and nervous about the opportunity [to go to the IPL] because it’ll be the longest I’ve ever been away from home. Tomorrow is packing day.”

Dutch start strong

Vikramjit Singh and Max O’Dowd put on 58 off 66 balls for the first wicket before Magala had O’Dowd caught behind for 18.

The left-handed Singh made an impressive 45 off 53 balls, which included two sixes in the space of three deliveries off Kagiso Rabada, before he too fell victim to Magala when he was caught at mid-on.

Teja Nidamanuru, who scored a century in a recent series against Zimbabwe, made 48 before becoming Magala’s third victim when the burly fast bowler came back for a second spell.

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Pace rules

But the rest of the batting crumbled against the pace of Magala and Anrich Nortje, while most of the batsmen had difficulty in reading the left-arm wrist spin of Tabraiz Shamsi, who took three for 25.

The match is the second in a three-match series. The first encounter in November 2021 was rained off, and the remaining two games were postponed because of a Covid scare.

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