🏏ICC T20 WC 2024, Match 4: Sri Lanka vs South Africa @ New York🏏 - Page 27

On a tricky pitch with an outfield that was very slow, South Africa have managed to sneak through. It was set up by their bowlers who bundled Sri Lanka out for just 77. If anyone expected the chase to be straightforward then Sri Lanka made sure it was not the case. Every run was earned from a South African point of view as the pitch and conditions made for some hard watching if you are a T20 fan expecting slam-bang cricket.

If Nortje is POTM match then 100 points for me

I was d one who picked him for POTM

Otherwise 25

Originally posted by: Sevenstreaks

If Nortje is POTM match then 100 points for me

I was d one who picked him for POTM

Otherwise 25

On a tricky pitch with an outfield that was very slow, South Africa have managed to sneak through. It was set up by their bowlers who bundled Sri Lanka out for just 77. If anyone expected the chase to be straightforward then Sri Lanka made sure it was not the case. Every run was earned from a South African point of view as the pitch and conditions made for some hard watching if you are a T20 fan expecting slam-bang cricket. Thushara got Reeza early but de Kock knuckled down and despite the loss of three more wickets, Klaasen hit a six and a four to ease the tension at the end. Sri Lanka will rue the fact that they did not show application while batting and did not assess the pitch or the conditions well. That's where the game was lost. Another 30-40 runs on this and it could well have been a different story.

So despite some nervy moments South Africa eventually secure a resounding win to kick off their WC campaign in style. On a surface that proved to be two-paced to go with some uneven bounce, Sri Lanka might rue the decision to bat first having won the toss. It was pretty much all downhill from that point on as they struggled to come to terms with the sluggish surface, though credit should go for the South African bowlers who gave the SL batters nothing to work with. With just a target of 78, South Africa then inched their way to victory despite the best efforts of the impressive Lankan bowlers.

Originally posted by: Sevenstreaks

If Nortje is POTM match then 100 points for me

I was d one who picked him for POTM

Otherwise 25

Coming to the pitch and the conditions, it was spungy, two-paced, sticky and extremely difficult for strokemaking. The outfield being slow made it even more painful for the players and this was quite a challenging wicket for a T20. Just the first game here where there are still 7 more games to be played. Will be interesting to see if the drop-in pitches play any differently in those games. Remember South Africa will play two more games here so they will be pleased that they got off to a winning start which should help them going forward. Group D is the group of death as it has Netherlands and Bangladesh too. All set for fascinating battles ahead.

Originally posted by: SoniRita

its confirmed as per cricinfo that nortje is potm so congrats again

Thank you Soni

Coming to the pitch and the conditions, it was spungy, two-paced, sticky, variable bounce and extremely difficult for strokemaking. The outfield being slow made it even more painful for the players and this was quite a challenging wicket for a T20. Just the first game here where there are still 7 more games to be played. Will be interesting to see if the drop-in pitches play any differently in those games. Remember South Africa will play two more games here so they will be pleased that they got off to a winning start which should help them going forward. Group D is the group of death as it has Netherlands and Bangladesh too.

Anrich Nortje | Player of the Match - Definitely, this will get some momentum going. Tough few days, we've worked hard and it's nice to get some momentum. Very happy, I've been feeling good from the last few games, finally great to have a good game and get a few wickets. The guys did well to restrict them to a low score. Been a while since I got many wickets and was happy to be helpful in the team's win. We needed to assess as quickly as possible (on the conditions), it was up and down at times (on the wicket), I needed to hit my straps, hit the wicket hard, it was important that we got some early wickets. It was a tough one, practicing on these drop-in wickets is hard, we weren't able to bowl on the pitch on the pre-match day, the plans were simple, that helped me, I just need to get my rhythm better in the next few games.