Zimbabwe crash out with huge loss

If Australia's victory over Ireland can be called routine for a bigger nation against a smaller one, then South Africa's over Zimbabwe was surgically clinical, almost coldly so. After limiting their neighbours to their second-lowest total in T20 cricket, South Africa chased down the target inside 13 overs.

With some assistance for the seamers, Dale Steyn was able to scare the Zimbabwe batsmen with swing and pace while Morne Morkel intimidated them further, combining bounce and intermittent use of the full ball. But it was Jacques Kallis who broke the back of Zimbabwe's batting with discipline, variation and supreme experience as he took four wickets to send Zimbabwe home red-faced.

They exit the tournament having lost both their matches, which may have been expected but the manner in which they fell would have left them disappointed. Far from putting up the fight they promised, Zimbabwe could not even aim a punch at their opponents' body. Their batting, in particular, was an indication of the importance of regular cricket, something Zimbabwe have sorely lacked.

After their first five overs against South Africa, Zimbabwe looked in danger of not lasting 20, as they teetered on 17 for 3. Kallis had not bowled a ball at that stage. Morkel offered Vusi Sibanda three balls short of a length and then bowled one fuller. Sibanda was on his back foot, anticipating more of the short stuff, and missed the drive to have his bails removed.

Morkel's next wicket was not achieved through menace. Brendan Taylor reached for a ball outside off, did not move his feet and edged behind to de Villiers. With Zimbabwe in trouble, Masakadza tried to make something happen and attempted a lofted drive off Albie Morkel but offered Richard Levi a simple catch at mid-on.

Craig Ervine scored more than a third of Zimbabwe's runs and four of the six boundaries and looked like he could rescue the team. He and Stuart Matsikenyeri put on 35 for the fourth wicket and settled Zimbabwe temporarily. Matsikenyeri threw it away though, when he flat-batted Kallis to extra cover.

Kallis removed Elton Chigumbura plumb lbw with his next ball but Graeme Cremer saw off the hat-trick delivery. Ervine had two more stands which could have developed into steadying ones with Cremer and Prosper Utseya but both his partners abandoned him.

Cremer gloved Kallis to de Villiers and Utseya fell to a spectacular catch, with de Villiers diving full stretch to his left. Had Ervine lasted the full innings, Zimbabwe may have eked over three figures but he edged behind as he tried to run the ball down to third man. Zimbabwe's only solace was that they lasted the full 20 overs but bowlers simply had to perform a formality, rather than defend their total.

Richard Levi found some important form ahead of more challenging matches. He scored most of his runs on his favoured on-side but was not undone by balls bowled on off stump and was able to spend time at the crease, something he has lacked of late. Other than his 117 in Hamilton, Levi has not scored a higher number of runs in T20s.

On the other end, Hashim Amla played a characteristically calm innings. He sandwiched it between two risks, both off Kyle Jarvis. In the first over, Amla edged over slip and in what turned out to be the penultimate over, he cut to point but Vusi Sibanda put down a simple chance. Between those two flutterings of feathers, he ushered South Africa home in the match and put Zimbabwe out of the competition.