Muscular South Africa stroll into Super Eight with all-win record

South Africa go to the Super Eight of the T20 World Cup undefeated after brushing UAE aside in Delhi by six wickets with 40 balls to spare. Corbin Bosch's three-for and George Linde's 1 for 17 stood out with the ball as South Africa rested Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj and Lungi Ngidi. Aiden Markram, Ryan Rickelton and Dewald Brevis all got fast starts in a chase that required just that ahead of potentially tougher tests.

UAE could not make a dent in their final game of the tournament. Alishan Sharafu top-scored with 45 in an innings where six of the eight batters on show scored 13 or fewer. Four of their bowlers took a wicket each but none threatened South Africa in a modest chase.

Muhammad Waseem's intent was clear from the start when he drove Kwena Mapakha for four down the ground. He hit three boundaries off Kagiso Rabada to start the third over, making room and going down the ground twice and then helping one down to fine leg.

But when Waseem looked to take down spin in similar fashion, he missed a sweep off Linde and was pinned in front.

Sharafu couldn't get going for large parts of his 38-ball 45. He was hit on the helmet twice and was dropped twice. He started well with an inside-out drive off Linde and carved Anrich Nortje over deep third, but he then went 17 balls without a boundary. He got three fours in his last ten balls before edging a cramped pull to midwicket.

On a tacky surface in Delhi, South Africa's pacers worked out their lengths early and stuck to them well. According to ESPNcricinfo's ball-by-ball data, they bowled 46 balls on a short or short-of-good-length spot and conceded just 41 runs and took four wickets with those.

The death overs also had a lot of short balls, with some cutters thrown in, and UAE made just 20 runs and lost two wickets in that period.

Bosch bowled across all phases, took a three-for, and was the most economical bowler. He had Aryansh Sharma and Muhammad Arfan pull to midwicket, and got rising bounce to get Sohaib Khan nicking to the keeper.

Nortje conceded 18 in his first two overs but came back sharply with the wickets of Syed Haider and Sharafu in his back two, both of them with into-the-pitch balls that were pulled to fielders.

Linde had a great day in Maharaj's absence too. He got Waseem, kept it slow, and often hit the length length to concede just one boundary in his four-over spell.

South Africa dropped four catches in UAE's innings, it was a major blemish in an otherwise clinical performance for them.

It started with a regulation chance to Quinton de Kock off an Aryansh Sharma miscue. De Kock ran back but couldn't get underneath the swirling ball and a late turn to the side didn't help as the ball popped out.

Then there were three drops between the 15th and 17th overs. Nortje tried to relay a catch to Jason Smith, who couldn't collect it. Sharafu survived again next over as Nortje ran in from deep third but couldn't hold on to a low chance in front of him. Bosch dropped a regulation chance off Muhammad Arfan, running in from mid-off, and juggling a high catch to the ground.

A rain break between innings did not matter to South Africa's top-order batters, who approached the chase with free-flowing batting that resulted in 11 fours and a six in a 56-run powerplay.

Markram hit five fours and a six in 11 balls. He was severe on Junaid Siddique, who bowled too straight, and Haider Ali, whom he hit both sides of the ground before missing a slog and losing his stumps.

Rickelton and de Kock kept South Africa rolling by punishing Siddique and Muhammad Jawadullah as they bowled short and wide. It did work as de Kock fell cutting to deep-backward point but by then the required rate was under five.

With the game in the bag, Brevis flayed and pulled Jawadullah before slapping Haider over extra cover for boundaries. Rickelton looked to finish in a hurry as he whacked two sixes off Muhammad Farooq before pulling to the fielder on the deep-midwicket boundary. Tristan Stubbs then belted a six and then top-edged a pull to mid-off with the game effectively over. It got over soon after.