RESULT
24th Match, Group 2 (N), Colombo (RPS), October 02, 2012, ICC World Twenty20
152/6
(19.5/20 ov, T:153) 151

India won by 1 run

Player Of The Match
21 (15) & 2/23
yuvraj-singh
New
SA
Full commentary

All the qualifying rounds, calculations, minnows, group stages, different grounds and permutations are now done with and we move to good old-fashioned knockout cricket. First semi-final is on Thursday with hosts Sri Lanka taking on Pakistan, that is going to be a humdinger in Colombo at 7pm IST. The second semi follows on Friday as Australia and West Indies engage in what should be a really interesting match, tough one to call, also at 7pm IST. But from the Super Eights, this is Alex Winter signing off...



So India, despite winning four out of five games in the tournament, go out of Group 2 alongside South Africa, who won just two games out of five. A tough pill for India really, being undone on net run-rate, that hammering against Australia really cost them. But the reality is that they have failed again at the World T20 and have a very poor record since winning the inaugural edition in 2007. South Africa's miserable run at major tournaments continues too, a semi-final in 2009 is all they have to show from the four World T20s - this is a bit of a disaster for them considering the side they came into this tournament with and their No. 2 world ranking.



So both these teams heading home, time for a fun presentation. "Disappointed isn't the word to describe it, we've had a poor tournament," AB de Villiers says. "We've let the country down and that's what hurts most. We did all the preparation possible, we though we were ready but the guys didn't click."



"If you take the Australia game out, where the rain intervened, we performed brilliantly and can't have control over how other teams played," an also disappointed MS Dohni says. "Overall I'm quite happy with how the team performed. There were instances where we should have had 10-15 runs more on the board. We lost too many wickets early." Man of the Match goes to Yuvraj Singh for runs and wickets.



Well what an ending that turned out to be. A dead rubber ensued but South Africa came fighting back and lost it with a ball to spare by just a run. India put up a decent total, largely thanks to Suresh Raina's 45 in 34 balls after a rare failure for Virat Kohli. South Africa then strolled past the 122 they needed to knock India out, not that it mattered to them, and looked in good shape to win the game while Faf du Plessis was compiling a breezy half-century but when he fell, others struggled, wickets tumbled, and, despite Morne Morkel's late blast, fell short by the smallest margin, Balaji holding his nerve at the death.



19.5
W
Balaji to Morkel, OUT

got him!! Full onto the off stump and Morkel swings and misses, is cleaned up and India win it by a run! What an ending. After a terrible long hop, Balaji has responded really well there with a fast, straight yorker that was too good for Morkel

Morne Morkel b Balaji 6 (3b 0x4 1x6 2m) SR: 200

So now 2 from 2...Super Over anyone...

19.4
6
Balaji to Morkel, SIX runs

oh amazing! Into the stands again! Picks up a back of a length ball going back in the crease and it's a huge shot, 78 metres over square leg, what a shot that is

19.3
Balaji to Morkel, no run

another slower ball, really well bowled, Morkel totally deceived and was there way too soon as it went over middle stump

My investment looks safe again...

19.2
W
Balaji to Morkel, OUT

another slower ball, this time fuller outside off and he drags it on so India back on top. Backed away and tried to go off side, got a thin edge onto the middle stump, was reaching out for it and it came off a thin bottom edge

Albie Morkel b Balaji 10 (6b 0x4 1x6 12m) SR: 166.66

And the odds on SA come tumbling...

19.1
6
Balaji to Morkel, SIX runs

hoho! First ball slugged over midwicket, what a shot, pitched outside leg, a little slower than normal, batsman clears the front leg and smashes it over the rope, big hit

So 14 to win off the last over, my cash if firmly on India...

end of over 1910 runs • 1 wicket
SA: 139/8CRR: 7.31 RRR: 14.00
Albie Morkel4 (4b)
Dale Steyn0 (0b)
Ravichandran Ashwin 4-0-27-1
Zaheer Khan 4-0-22-3
18.6
1
Ashwin to Morkel, 1 run

full on the off stump, dug out past extra cover

18.5
W
Ashwin to Botha, OUT

goes again but this time find long off who goes to his left to take a two-handed catch at head height, wasn't quite to the pitch and reached out for it, slapping it almost wide enough of long off but not far enough

Johan Botha c Raina b Ashwin 8 (5b 0x4 1x6 6m) SR: 160
18.4
6
Ashwin to Botha, SIX runs

but that will help, a gorgeous strike down the ground for a straight six, beauty of shot, a step down and timed to perfection over the rope

Forgot there was still a game on here, South Africa struggling...

18.3
1
Ashwin to Morkel, 1 run

meets this on the full outside off, slapped down to long off

18.2
1
Ashwin to Botha, 1 run

leg stump, flicked in the air down the ground, nearly carries to long on

18.1
1
Ashwin to Morkel, 1 run

floated up and tucked from off stump towards point

end of over 183 runs • 2 wickets
SA: 129/7CRR: 7.16 RRR: 12.00
Albie Morkel1 (1b)
Johan Botha1 (2b)
Zaheer Khan 4-0-22-3
Lakshmipathy Balaji 3-0-25-1
17.6
1
Khan to Morkel, 1 run

gets the yorker spot on again but the bat comes down at the very last moment and keeps it out to long leg

17.5
1
Khan to Botha, 1 run

leg stump flicked into midwicket

17.4
Khan to Botha, no run

short and leg side, hooked at and missed, obviously close enough to leg stump to be legal

Hat-trick ball...

17.3
W
Khan to Peterson, OUT

oh lovely, two in two as Peterson is yorked. Perfect inswinging yorker onto the base of off stump as Peterson backed away and tried to play into the off side, done by a beauty

Robin Peterson b Khan 10 (10b 1x4 0x6 17m) SR: 100
17.2
W
Khan to Behardien, OUT

slower ball, plays with hard hands down the ground, chipped up and it carries to long on running in off the rope to claim a comfortable catch

Farhaan Behardien c Raina b Khan 13 (12b 1x4 0x6 26m) SR: 108.33
17.1
1
Khan to Peterson, 1 run

length ball around off stump, goes down and paddles down to third man, loves playing the wrong way goes old Peterson

Bye, bye India. Can they go out on a high here with a win though...Zaheer's final over...

end of over 1713 runs
SA: 126/5CRR: 7.41 RRR: 9.00
Farhaan Behardien13 (11b 1x4)
Robin Peterson9 (8b 1x4)
Lakshmipathy Balaji 3-0-25-1
Ravichandran Ashwin 3-0-17-0
16.6
4
Balaji to Behardien, FOUR runs

mid off is up so this is four, lifted up on over the in-field, good timing this, length ball on off stump timed nicely

South Africa reach 122 and even if India win, they will go out on net run-rate. Pakistan are through to their fourth World T20 semi-final in a row...

16.5
1
Balaji to Peterson, 1 run

slower short ball, pulled off a glove wide of the keeper and that's it for India

So India need to take 5 for 0 now...

16.4
1lb
Balaji to Behardien, 1 leg bye

length ball again, goes across his stumps to flick to leg, struck on the pad to point

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