Not all heroes wear (just) capes; some don the gloves and keep wickets too

Wriddhiman Saha

Indian Premier League, 2023

Gujarat Titans

Chennai Super Kings

Unsung, unheralded Saha does the job for GT — again

Both teams are starting the season with a new captain, and will want to start off securing two points

Shreyas Iyer

Andre Russell

Jonny Bairstow

Liam Livingstone

Rahmanullah Gurbaz

Umesh Yadav

Punjab Kings

Kolkata Knight Riders

Unfancied PBKS and KKR aim to start on a winning note

A myopic view while constructing their squad led to a 7th position finish in the last season. Can they salvage anything this season?

Lockie Ferguson

Shardul Thakur

Nitish Rana

Sunil Narine

IPL 2023 Preview: Russell-power to the rescue?

Usually Punjab fall apart as the season progresses, but this time around they’re in tatters before a single ball bowled

Shikhar Dhawan

Sam Curran

Arshdeep Singh

Kagiso Rabada

IPL 2023 preview: Can Punjab get out of the tox6ic relationship?


Still reeling from the absence of their talismanic leader, Rishabh Pant, DC could find it tough to get the right combination 

KL Rahul

Axar Patel

David Warner

Prithvi Shaw

Avesh Khan

Mark Wood

Lucknow Super Giants

Delhi Capitals

Warner's Delhi could struggle against settled Lucknow

Even without Rishabh Pant, Delhi Capitals have the firepower but need to figure out the right balance in the XI

Mitchell Marsh

Anrich Nortje

Rovman Powell

Sarfaraz Khan

Abishek Porel

Rishabh Pant

Rilee Rossouw

Lalit Yadav

Khaleel Ahmed

Lungi Ngidi

Mustafizur Rahman

IPL 2023 Preview: Delhi Capitals hunt for right tactics to cover Pant-sized loss

The pendulum in T20s can swing in a flash. One ball, one bad decision, one over is enough change the complexion of the game. Here, we jot down the biggest game-changing overs of the 2022 T20 World Cup in the Super 12 and the semi-final stage. They are based on the movement of the Criclytics win projector between the start and the end of the over.&nbsp;Generally, most game-changing overs take place at the death. But in the 2022 T20 World Cup, most such instances were during the middle-overs phase. Spoiler alert, the 14th over of the run chase has made its appearance thrice.The first and the last over of the match are not considered. Hence, you won&rsquo;t see the maverick last over from the India-Pakistan game. For your curiosity, India had 1% chance before Virat Kohli deposited a debatable no-ball for six in the 20th over. Let&rsquo;s delve into the main thing now.Match 23, India vs Bangladesh, second innings, 12th overW . 1 . W 1India&rsquo;s win percentage increased by 40%<img src="https://images-cricketcom.imgix.net/1668174037612-articleimg" style="width: 600px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">The brisk start from Litton Das had put Bangladesh on the verge of an unlikely win. The rain break during the run chase broke their momentum but Bangladesh were still ahead. At the start of the 12th over, they needed 52 off five overs. Litton was run out but Bangladesh had enough batting left with eight wickets in hand.&nbsp;India&rsquo;s best bowler of the competition, Arshdeep Singh then delivered the most game-changing over of this World Cup. He only conceded two singles, pushing the asking rate from 10.4 to 12.5. More importantly, he dismissed both the incumbent batters - Afif Hossain and Shakib Al Hasan. Bangladesh pressed the panic button, trying to whack him every ball but could never find the middle of the bat.India&rsquo;s win percentage soared from 40 to 80%. Thanks to this over from Arshdeep, they won quite comfortably.&nbsp;Match 26, Australia vs Afghanistan, second innings, 14th over1+W W . W 2 .Australia&rsquo;s win percentage increased by 37%<img src="https://images-cricketcom.imgix.net/1668260280744-articleimg" style="width: 600px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">This over felt like Afghanistan shooting themselves in the foot. Ibrahim Zadran and Gulbadin Naib had pulled them back in the game, with a partnership of 59 runs. The game was in balance. Criclytics read Afghanistan&rsquo;s chances at 50%.&nbsp;The over began on a poor note for Afghanistan. Glenn Maxwell&rsquo;s direct hit caught Naib short off making the second run. Ibrahim, the other set batter top-edged a sweep stroke to the short fine-leg fielder. Afghanistan lost both their set batters on consecutive deliveries. Two balls later, Najibullah Zadran slogged his way out of the middle for some inexplicable reason.&nbsp;It was Adam Zampa&#39;s last over. While only scoring 3 runs in the over was fine but Afghanistan imploded losing three wickets. Australia&rsquo;s win percentage shot up to 87% and won by only 4 runs. Rashid Khan&rsquo;s unbeaten 48 off 23 balls showcased they could have crossed the line if he had some support at the other end.&nbsp;Match 28, South Africa vs Netherlands, second innings, 16th over1 W . wd W 1 1Netherlands&rsquo; win percentage increased by 32%<img src="https://images-cricketcom.imgix.net/1668260340329-articleimg" style="width: 600px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">An over that changed the tournament! A six from Heinrich Klaasen in the previous over had eased South Africa&rsquo;s nerves. 48 off 30 balls was quite well in reach for the Proteas.However, Brandon Glover fetched the prized wicket of David Miller on the second ball. Roelof van der Merwe took what is arguably the catch of the season to complete the dismissal. Miller&rsquo;s departure alone dipped South Africa&rsquo;s chances by 16%. Glover added salt to their wounds by sending Wayne Parnell for a two-ball duck. Only 4 runs in the over pushed the asking rate from 9.6 &nbsp;to 11.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cricket.com/criclytics/209303/sa-vs-ned-super-12---match-28-icc-men-s-t20-world-cup-australia-2022/game-changing-overs" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Glover&rsquo;s over forced Netherlands&rsquo; chances from 43 to 75%</a>. It led to the most shocking result in this tournament of upsets. The 13-run loss crushed the Proteas out of the World Cup, opening the door for Pakistan. And they are in the finals now. You see how the over changed the tournament?&nbsp;Match 18, India vs South Africa, second innings, 14th over6 2 1 1 1 6South Africa&rsquo;s win percentage increased by 23%<img src="https://images-cricketcom.imgix.net/1668260404068-articleimg" style="width: 600px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">17 runs from the over. In a match where the average run-rate is less than 7, such high-scoring overs can break the chase. In this case, South Africa had only 40 runs in the first 10 overs. They needed a few big overs and this over served exactly that.&nbsp;Ravichandran Ashwin, having come with the reputation of a defensive spinner, leaked a six each to David Miller and Aiden Markram. The duo did well to run hard between the wickets on other deliveries. It pulled down the asking rate from 9.4 to 8.2. It pushed <a href="https://www.cricket.com/criclytics/209265/ind-vs-sa-super-12---match-18-icc-men-s-t20-world-cup-australia-2022/match-reel" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">South Africa&rsquo;s chances from 41 to 64%</a>. They never looked behind from this point, winning the game in a comfortable manner.&nbsp;Semi-final 1, New Zealand vs Pakistan, second innings, third over. 4 1 4 2 4Pakistan&rsquo;s win percentage increased by 19%<img src="https://images-cricketcom.imgix.net/1668260455355-articleimg" style="width: 600px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">New Zealand&rsquo;s only hope after posting an underpar total in the semi-final was Pakistan&rsquo;s poor run-chase record in the World Cup. Both Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan were out of nick and any early inroads would have out the Kiwis right in the game.&nbsp;However, it was the duo of Babar and Rizwan who threw the first punch. It came in the third over. Trent Boult bowled quite short outside the off stump and the Pakistan openers lashed out on every opportunity. A 15-run over set the tone of a successful run chase. <a href="https://www.cricket.com/criclytics/209310/nz-vs-pak-1st-semi-final-icc-men-s-t20-world-cup-australia-2022/match-reel" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Pakistan&rsquo;s chances improved from 46 to 65%</a>. From thereon, it was one way traffic.&nbsp;Match 12, Zimbabwe vs Pakistan, second innings, 14th over. 1 wd 6 W W .Zimbabwe&rsquo;s win percentage increased by 18%<img src="https://images-cricketcom.imgix.net/1668260492308-articleimg" style="width: 600px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"><a href="https://www.cricket.com/criclytics/209259/pak-vs-zim-super-12---match-12-icc-men-s-t20-world-cup-australia-2022/game-changing-overs" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">One of the most seesawing overs</a> in one of the most memorable games of this World Cup. Zimbabwe began with only a 28% chance of toppling Pakistan. When Shadab Khan hammered Sikandar Raza for a six over long-on, their chances slumped to 20%. The Men in Green needed only 43 off 39 balls at that point.&nbsp;Raza then hit back with back-to-back wickets. The joy on the face of the Zimbabwean players vindicated the shift in the Criclytics win projection, elevating their chances to 44%. Another dot ball saw Zimbabwe at 46% at the end of the over. Pakistan were still ahead but they only slipped further. Zimbabwe won by 1 run in a major upset.From 28 to 20 to 46%, the pendulum swung both ways right in the middle of the 14th over.&nbsp; Powered by <a href="https://www.froala.com/wysiwyg-editor?pb=1" title="Froala Editor">Froala Editor</a>

A look at the biggest game-changing overs in the T20 World Cup 2022 and what caused the game to turn on its head

Brandon Glover

Virat Kohli

Sikandar Raza

Shadab Khan

Ravichandran Ashwin

Roelof van der Merwe

David Miller

Babar Azam

Mohammad Rizwan

Litton Das

Rashid Khan

Glenn Maxwell

Gulbadin Naib

Trent Boult

ICC Men's T20 World Cup, Australia, 2022

India

Pakistan

Bangladesh

Zimbabwe

Netherlands

South Africa

Afghanistan

Australia

The 14th over changed the game thrice in T20 World Cup

What&rsquo;s the common connection between South Africa and Australia? The obvious one is that they both are out of the tournament. Both of them were firm favourites prior to the tournament. And, lastly both the pace attacks were deemed deadly dangerous.Were.&nbsp;Not are.Only two pacers who have bowled a minimum of ten overs have a poorer record than Kagiso Rabada. An average of 75.5 with just two wickets in the tournament, conceding runs at an economy rate of 9.4 and a strike-rate of 48. Enough said. It could be a very good pub-quiz question, who are Rabada&rsquo;s scalps in this tournament?<img src="https://images-cricketcom.imgix.net/1668142429881-articleimg" style="width: 700px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Afif Hossain and Iftikhar Ahmed. Without context, it might really look like important wickets. Rabada picked up Afif&rsquo;s wicket in the sixth over of the innings after Bangladesh were already stuttering at 39/3. In Iftikhar&rsquo;s case, his wicket came late in the innings - the 20th over. As vanilla as it is, the Protea pacer had a stinker of a tournament.But it wasn&rsquo;t always the case, was it? That&rsquo;s where it gets intriguing. Earlier this year, the South African pacer picked up 23 wickets, representing Punjab Kings, with an average of 17.65, his second-best in any IPL year. That&rsquo;s where things got a bit exciting for the Proteas, leading into the tournament here in Australia.<img src="https://images-cricketcom.imgix.net/1668142460773-articleimg" style="width: 700px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Having said that, Rabada has been blowing hot and cold for some time now. It was first noticed in last year&rsquo;s IPL, where he averaged 30 in the powerplay. Since last year&rsquo;s T20 World Cup, South Africa&rsquo;s talisman pacer has been in dismal form across phases, and some of the numbers from there are beyond explanation.42.3 in the powerplay, 117 in the middle-overs and 56.5 at the death, it is beyond repair, isn&rsquo;t it? In a team that is the fourth-best in the Super 12 stage, these numbers are nowhere close to elite-worthy. It isn&rsquo;t nit-picking anymore with the right-arm pacer. Going all the way back to 2019 and comparing all the numbers since then, Rabada has been a shadow.Since 2019, the right-arm pacer averages 36.5 in the powerplay, 53.8 in the middle-overs and 26.8 at the death, with just 32 wickets. It wasn&rsquo;t just him, Anrich Nortje and Lungi Ngidi too have had moments of terrible display, which ultimately led the Proteas in such disarray.<img src="https://images-cricketcom.imgix.net/1668142501940-articleimg" style="width: 700px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">In the clash against Pakistan, Nortje conceded 31 runs in his last spell, the two-over one, which ultimately changed everything, with an economy rate of 15.5. If Nortje did the unthinkable against Pakistan, Ngidi was a massive failure in the do-or-die clash against the Netherlands. When needed, the right-arm pacer disappeared, conceding 35 runs in three overs, with just three dots across the 18-ball spell.*********There is more similarity than what meets the eye. Kagiso Rabada, South Africa&rsquo;s front-line pacer, was as bad as the collective Australian pace unit. Mitchell Starc and the possible reincarnation of his old self was a hoax, and so was Pat Cummins, who hasn&rsquo;t quite lit up the world in that format.Australia had the worst pace unit in this year&rsquo;s T20 World Cup. By worst, we rest assure it is the worst, with an average of 40. There is a sea of difference between them and the second worst pace-unit &ndash; Ireland &ndash; who have an average of 30.9.&nbsp;<img src="https://images-cricketcom.imgix.net/1668142542652-articleimg" style="width: 700px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">It is the hosts, the ones who had a pace unit that was going to take the tournament by storm. Neither was their average impressive nor was their strike-rate &ndash; 27.2, which again was the worst record in the tournament. There were teams, bad teams, worse teams and then Australia.Hazlewood has two wickets in the powerplay phase, one against New Zealand and the other against Afghanistan in their final game. The right-arm pacer blanked Ireland and Sri Lanka, showing how vulnerable Australia are without him in the powerplay. Not just that, it killed one more bird.<img src="https://images-cricketcom.imgix.net/1668142576548-articleimg" style="width: 700px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Coming into the tournament, the right-arm seamer had an economy rate of 6 in the year during the powerplay, averaging 16.6 with nine wickets. From there to picking up just two wickets in the entirety of the tournament during the powerplay is what ultimately led to their early crash.While Starc and Cummins obviously weren&rsquo;t the most threatening of bowlers leading into this year&rsquo;s tournament, their extremely underwhelming display in the Super 12 stage left the Australians reeling. Cummins&rsquo; numbers have been quite confusing in the lead-up to the tournament, but it amplified during the premier competition, where he picked up just three wickets.&nbsp;<img src="https://images-cricketcom.imgix.net/1668142629503-articleimg" style="width: 700px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">In fact, he averaged 44 in the global event, with no wickets in the middle overs, a phase where he bowled three overs. At the death, too, the right-arm seamer was extremely unimpressive, with just one wicket, conceding runs at 10 RPO.&nbsp;Ultimately, both South Africa and Australia have had their flaws, but not a lot of those flaws were arrowed in on their bowling units.Especially pace units. In the most anti-climactic of fashions, both the Proteas and the Kangaroos are knocked out. Their underwhelming pace units definitely had a major say in that.Powered by <a href="https://www.froala.com/wysiwyg-editor?pb=1" title="Froala Editor">Froala Editor</a>

Before the tournament, these words would have been met with a hahahahahahah

Pat Cummins

Josh Hazlewood

Mitchell Starc

An anticlimactic bowling malfunction ft. South Africa and Australia

<a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/12492/temba-bavuma/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Temba Bavuma</a>&rsquo;s batting form nosedived to an optimum level during the India series last month and such was his string of scores that even thinking of Bavuma as the captain of the South African team for the T20 World Cup beggared belief.&nbsp;But that would be underestimating the fact that Bavuma showed statesman-like character as the leader of the group, especially when controversy around players taking the knee erupted last year. He duly led the side in the 2022 World Cup, in which South Africa conceded a favorable spot after losing to the Netherlands by 13 runs on Sunday and thus bowed out of the tournament in an embarrassing fashion.Would that mean a change in guard for the Saffers in limited-overs cricket? Albeit most likely, Bavuma decided to wait for the new coach to take over before deciding on his future course of action. For starters, <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/631/mark-boucher/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Mark Boucher</a> has been confirmed to take over <a href="https://www.cricket.com/news/mumbai-indians-confirm-mark-boucher-as-head-coach-1663309079613" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">the role of head coach at Mumbai Indians</a> after Mahela Jayawardene was appointed global head of operations at Mumbai Indians.&quot;It&#39;s been a tricky time. To be considering that now, a lot of it will be emotional, in terms of my role as captain within the team. It&#39;s something I will think about. I will speak to the relevant people. We have to see who comes in as a coach. Generally when you have changes like that, they might come in with a different style. They might find a different leader to execute whatever vision or style of play that they have. It will be emotional now if I think about all of that,&rdquo; Bavuma said on Sunday.Bavuma&rsquo;s average of 22.67 and a strike rate of 116.08 in T20Is and that was bound to be a big talking point when <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/4356/reeza-hendricks/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Reeza Hendricks</a> scored four consecutive fifties on South Africa&#39;s tour of UK but sat out after Bavuma returned from <a href="https://www.cricket.com/news/last-few-months-toughest-from-an-injury-point-of-view-temba-bavuma-1663936544418" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">three-month layoff with an elbow injury</a>. Bavuma admitted that the chatter about his form did eat him up from inside even though he wanted to keep a level-headed approach.&quot;Mentally, it does eat at you as a player. You try to manage your mental space as much as you can. You try to control what gets to you but with social media, whatever is being said out there always gets to you,&quot; he said. &quot;I always try to keep a level head, through all the good and the bad times. I try to be as close to myself as possible. Not just for myself but for this group. We are going to take a lot of flack as a group and rightly so,&rdquo; Bavuma said.&ldquo;When you make a decision like that, you expect us to put them under pressure with the ball. We didn&#39;t do that,&quot; the skipper added.Powered by <a href="https://www.froala.com/wysiwyg-editor?pb=1" title="Froala Editor">Froala Editor</a>

Bavuma admitted that the chatter about his form did eat him up from inside even though he wanted to keep a level-headed approach

Temba Bavuma

Mark Boucher

It will be emotional decision thinking about captaincy now : Temba Bavuma

&lsquo;When we woke up.&rdquo;Mark Boucher responded with the above when he was asked what went wrong for his side on the day, as South Africa suffered a shocking loss to the Netherlands to crash out of the 2022 T20 World Cup.The toss went South Africa&rsquo;s way as they opted to bowl, but it was the only thing that ended up going their way. An extremely average bowling performance saw them concede 158, and an equally bad showing with the bat ensured that they slumped to a 13-run defeat to bow out of the World Cup.The Proteas&rsquo; defeat came as a total shock, for the prospect of Netherlands pulling off an upset looked near impossible; heading into Sunday&rsquo;s clash, the Dutch had lost three of their first four Super 12 matches.And yet the unthinkable happened as South Africa, not too long considered as one of the favorites for the cup, found themselves bowing out of the competition.It was a day Boucher described as his worst as a coach.&ldquo;Probably as a coach, yes. I think it is quite frustrating because as a player you can at least still have a say in the game. As a coach, you&#39;re sort of left to leave it up to other individuals to go out there and try and perform. Yeah, certainly as a coach, yeah, it&#39;s up there,&rdquo; the South Africa head coach said in the press conference.When asked what he felt was the reason for the loss, Boucher pointed to South Africa&rsquo;s lack of energy. The head coach also said that his bowlers did not execute their plans well and were out-bowled by their Dutch counterparts.&ldquo;I think if you look at the way that we started the game, our energies were low. Whether that&#39;s because it&#39;s a half-past-10 game, times have been quite difficult, I don&#39;t know, I haven&#39;t really put my finger on it. Haven&#39;t had a chance to speak to the guys yet and find out where they sort of feel it went wrong,&rdquo; Boucher said.&ldquo;I think our plans were there, but we didn&#39;t quite use them well enough. I thought if you look at the game as a whole, I think Netherlands out-bowled us. They bowled with good plans, bowled to the longer side of the field, and they were just able to create more pressure on us than we were able to put pressure on them.&ldquo;It&#39;s not that we over-trained. I think our training sessions have been very short because we understand we&#39;ve played a lot of cricket, but the energies didn&#39;t seem -- I don&#39;t know if that&#39;s the case. I haven&#39;t spoken to the players. It just didn&#39;t seem like it was quite there today, and we didn&#39;t bowl like I think we should have bowled.&rdquo;One of the players who&rsquo;s been focused on in the aftermath of the early exit is skipper Temba Bavuma, who with the bat endured a tournament to forget. Bavuma showed signs of getting back to form against Pakistan, but on Sunday, all he could manage was a run-a-ball 20. With the scratchy knock, the skipper rounded off his World Cup with an average of 17.50 and SR of 112.90.But when asked if Bavuma&rsquo;s lack of form played a part in the team&rsquo;s exit, Boucher defended his main man and asserted that the Proteas crashed out only because they collectively failed as a unit.&ldquo;You can look at it now and you can say, yes, that&#39;s the case, but all those batters that have been batting in the middle have been in great form, and they&#39;ve come off at certain times,&rdquo; Boucher said when asked about Bavuma&rsquo;s returns.&ldquo;I think you can&#39;t look at one or two players. I think we&#39;ve got to look at it as a unit, as a squad, and everyone has got to put their hands up and say, we just weren&#39;t good enough on the day today.&ldquo;As I said, we played some good cricket in the past, recent past, as well. We just weren&#39;t good enough as a squad today. Simple as that.&rdquo;On the day, the Proteas won the toss and opted to bowl, but in a way, the decision ended up backfiring, with the pitch slowing down with time. Batting became tricky as the game progressed and that ended up playing right into the Netherlands&rsquo; hands.But Boucher maintained that the toss did not play a big part, claiming that his side crashed out because they produced a substandard showing.&ldquo;I still think that in hindsight you can look at it now, and yes, it actually did start to slow up a bit. We didn&#39;t think it was going to do that. We got here yesterday and the wicket was quite wet. It was quite tacky this morning, as well, but it dried out a lot quicker than what we expected.&ldquo;Yeah, we can look at a lot of things. We can look at playing four seamers or maybe should have played an extra spinner. We can talk about batting first.&ldquo;Bottom line is we just weren&#39;t up to standard today as a team. We just weren&#39;t good enough and we didn&#39;t come out and perform as a unit. I think there was certainly individuals who really stood out, but as a team we just unfortunately didn&#39;t all rock up today,&rdquo; Boucher said.Not too long ago South Africa were in pole position to top the group, but now they find themselves exiting early, having not even made it to the semis. Boucher said that he was &lsquo;gutted&rsquo; by the exit and claimed that this particular squad &lsquo;deserved to give themselves a better chance.&rsquo;&ldquo;Gutted, to be honest. As I said, I think this squad deserved to give themselves a better chance, and yeah, unfortunately it didn&#39;t happen for us, which is very disappointing for me and certainly every single guy who&#39;s in our dressing room at the moment.&rdquo;The defeat against Netherlands was Boucher&rsquo;s last encounter as the head coach of South Africa. Going forward, the 45-year-old will shift his focus to franchise cricket, taking charge of Mumbai Indians in the IPL.&nbsp;Powered by <a href="https://www.froala.com/wysiwyg-editor?pb=1" title="Froala Editor">Froala Editor</a>

Boucher labeled Sunday as his worst day as a coach

‘Gutted’ Mark Boucher left dejected by South Africa’s abrupt exit

A shattered Temba Bavuma expressed disbelief over South Africa&rsquo;s loss against the Netherlands on Sunday as the Proteas failed to make it to the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup for the third straight time.&nbsp;South Africa entered Sunday&rsquo;s clash with five points to their name, and all they needed was a win against the Dutch to seal qualification. They were overwhelming favorites ahead of the contest, particularly with the Netherlands having lost three of their first four Super 12 games.But in a twist no one saw coming, Netherlands ended up winning by 13 runs after the Proteas failed to chase 158.Bavuma, post the heart-shattering loss, admitted that the defeat will be a hard one to swallow for the South African players.&ldquo;Very disappointing. We really played well before this game. We knew it was a must-win game and again we faltered when it mattered. Hard one to swallow for the guys. We had the confidence and the belief to get to the knockouts,&rdquo; Bavuma said at the post-match presentation.<a href="https://www.cricket.com/news/south-africa-knocked-out-what-does-this-mean-to-group-2-1667705904286" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">ALSO READ: South Africa knocked out: what does this mean to Group 2?</a>Bavuma conceded that, on the day, his side simply weren&rsquo;t good enough and attested that multiple reasons contributed to their downfall.One of the biggest reasons for the defeat, according to Bavuma, was his side getting stuck with the bat for the second game running. 159 was a very chaseable total, but quite shockingly, no Proteas batter crossed the 30-run mark.&nbsp;&ldquo;With the bat we just got stuck similar to the Pakistan game. We lost wickets at crucial times. The wicket maybe got a bit hard, but they used the dimensions of the ground a lot better than we did. From all us, just wasn&#39;t good enough,&rdquo; Bavuma said.The result of the South Africa-Netherlands clash has turned the Pakistan-Bangladesh encounter into a virtual quarter-final. The winner of that clash will qualify from Group 2 as the second semi-finalist. Thanks to the Proteas&rsquo; slip up, India have also sealed qualification. They&rsquo;ll progress even if they lose to Zimbabwe at the MCG.Powered by <a href="https://www.froala.com/wysiwyg-editor?pb=1" title="Froala Editor">Froala Editor</a>

Bavuma admitted that the defeat will be a hard one to swallow for the South African players

We faltered when it mattered: Temba Bavuma

South Africa vs Netherlands, Match 40, ICC T20 World Cup 2022 - Live Blog

As it happened - What an upset, South Africa are going home

South Africa take on Netherlands in Match 40 of the T20 World Cup 2022 at the Adelaide Oval on Sunday (November 6). The two teams have clashed just once in T20Is, which came in the World T20 2014 in Chattogram, which the Proteas won by just six runs.South Africa need to win this game to assure them of a place in the semi-final, while the Dutch, who won their previous game against Zimbabwe, are out of contention.Ground detailsThe pacers have been dominant at the Adelaide Oval, having picked up close to 77% of the wickets in the tournament so far. They have struck every 22.6 runs, 17.1 deliveries apart. The corresponding numbers for the spinners are 25.4 and 19.5 respectively.<img src="https://images-cricketcom.imgix.net/1667648374012-articleimg" style="width: 600px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">*The above image depicts stats in T20Is from the last three yearsThree of the four games played here in the T20 World Cup 2022 have been won by the team batting first and hence the captain winning the toss will be tempted to do so in this game. The average score batting first here is 164 and that total could be more than enough to get over the line.Suggested team<img src="https://images-cricketcom.imgix.net/1667648258016-articleimg" style="width: 600px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">While you could go for the above team, you also have the option of choosing your team from Cricket.com&rsquo;s <a href="https://www.cricket.com/fantasy-research-center/209303/sa-vs-ned-super-12-match-28-icc-men-s-t20-world-cup-australia-2022" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Fantasy Research Centre</a>. You can use this tool to build your team with the help of algorithms. Then, based on your preferences, the platform will guide you through creating the ideal fantasy XI.Captaincy suggestionsFor small leagues: Quinton de Kock (captain), Anrich Nortje (vice-captain)For grand leagues: &nbsp;Wayne Parnell (captain), Paul van Meekeren (vice-captain)Stats that matter<a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/63641/anrich-nortje/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Anrich Nortje</a> has picked up two four-wicket hauls in the four matches he has played in the T20 World Cup so far and South Africa will hope that he delivers yet again in this match. He is the leading wicket-taker for the Proteas in the tournament having picked up 10 wickets at 8.40 and has struck once every 8.1 deliveries with an economy rate of a little over six.<a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/28035/quinton-de-kock/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Quinton de Kock</a> was in sublime form in the first two games of the tournament scoring an unbeaten 47against Zimbabwe and followed that up with 63 against Bangladesh. However, he has managed just 1 and 0 in his last two games which could be worrying for his side. But you can bank on him to come good in this crucial tie once again. He has scored 316 runs at a strike-rate of 140 in T20Is this year out of which 111 runs (SR 173.43) have come in the ongoing tournament.&nbsp;Grand League PuntsWhile Bas de Leede with 11 wickets is just behind Wanindu Hasaranga in the leading wicket-takers list in the tournament, it is <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/63893/paul-van-meekeren/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Paul van Meekeren</a> who has stood out with the ball. He has troubled the batters with his pace and has reaped the rewards. Overall, he has picked up 10 wickets at 16.5 and has conceded just 5.89 runs per over.<a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/4360/wayne-parnell/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Wayne Parnell</a> could be an excellent option against the Dutch. They have scored at a strike-rate of 100.6 and lost a wicket every 18.7 deliveries against the left-arm pacers in the World Cup this time. Parnell has been excellent in keeping things tight having picked up five wickets at 14 at an economy rate of 5.83 this tournament.Top Criclytics predictions<img src="https://images-cricketcom.imgix.net/1667648334641-articleimg" style="width: 600px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Probable XI:South Africa: Quinton de Kock (wk), Temba Bavuma (c), Rilee Rossouw, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen, Tristan Stubbs, Wayne Parnell, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Tabraiz ShamsiNetherlands: Stephan Myburgh, Max O&#39;Dowd, Tom Cooper, Colin Ackermann, Bas de Leede, Scott Edwards (c &amp; wk), Roelof van der Merwe, Logan van Beek, Fred Klaassen, Paul van Meekeren, Brandon GloverPowered by <a href="https://www.froala.com/wysiwyg-editor?pb=1" title="Froala Editor">Froala Editor</a>

Here are a few tips that could help you create your fantasy XI for Match 40 of the T20 World Cup featuring South Africa and Netherlands in Adelaide

Quinton de Kock

Paul van Meekeren

Wayne Parnell

Fantasy: Bank on Proteas pacers to wreak havoc in Adelaide

South Africa are just one win away from making the semi-final of the T20 World Cup 2022. They have been to the semi-final of a global event on numerous occasions but are yet to take that punge and make it to the final. They have often been referred to as &#39;chokers&#39; for their failure to turn up in big matches and all-rounder<a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/4360/wayne-parnell/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> Wayne Parnell</a> says wining the T20 World Cup is the only way to get rid of that tag.&quot;I think that&#39;s probably the only way to kind of get rid of it, if you want to kind of call it that. It&#39;s always going to be there,&quot; Parnell said ahead of South Africa&#39;s final Super 12 game against the Netherlands on Sunday (November 6)&quot;So I think when we get that first trophy, hopefully it will go away. But until then, I think it&#39;s always going to be there. It&#39;s just something we have to deal with.&quot;Parnell also reckons that the fact that the team has bonded well off the field has helped them in putting up better performances on it as well. He reveals that the team has made it a point to refrain from social media and talk about the games gone by and learn from them.&quot;I think it&#39;s certainly something that we&#39;ve tried to do: Just trying to spend time together. Trying to actually talk about cricket as well. I think that&#39;s probably something that has kind of been lost with, like, social media and phones and all of that. After games you generally pick up your phone. You&#39;re on WhatsApp. You&#39;re on social media,&quot; Parnell explained.&quot;We actually made -- not really a pact, but it was something we spoke about I think it could have been back in India in June. Just to actually have moments where we just talk about cricket, talk about games that have gone past, what we did well, what we could have done better, and just learning.&quot;I think that&#39;s the nice thing as well. You know, all of us are at different stages of our careers. We&#39;ve played different amounts of games, and it&#39;s just about taking on the experience that we&#39;ve picked up and just trying to help people get better.&quot;I think that&#39;s the sort of key thing for me is that there&#39;s a genuine want for people to, firstly, do well, but then also for your partner to also do well.&quot;I mean, we saw the game against Bangladesh. Shamsi was in. He got a bag of wickets. Then we went to Perth. Shamsi didn&#39;t play. Lungi came in, bowled well, got a bag of wickets. Then we went back to Sydney. Then obviously both of them played.&quot;It&#39;s about trusting the selection and then trusting the unit to obviously do it.&quot;Speaking of what has changed in the team from when he made his debut to 2009 to now, Parnell says that the bond and unity between the players is extremely strong now.&quot;I think the first thing that really stands out is the unity. I think people really enjoying other people&#39;s successes. I think also, you know, around just trusting each other. Not really looking at one or two players to put in performances for us,&quot; Parnell, who has picked up five wickets at an economy rate of 5.83 this edition, said.&quot;I think also everyone is hungry to obviously go the distance. So, yeah, that&#39;s probably the one thing that really stands out for me.&quot;It will be a reunion of sorts for <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/5305/roelof-van-der-merwe/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Roelof van der Merwe</a> 13 ODIs and as many T20Is for South Africa, but now plies his trade with the Netherlands. The Dutch go into the game at the back of an impressive win over Zimbabwe and a win over South Africa could dent their chances of progressing.Speaking of the Proteas van der Merwe said, &quot;I think South Africa is a good outfit. I think we&#39;ve played some good cricket at stages this tournament, and we know on the day we can turn them over if we just stick to what we&#39;ve been doing well and just compete on the day.&quot;While it has been a successful tournament for the Netherlands, who had to play the first round of the tournament to get into the Super 12s, van der Merwe reckons the game against Bangladesh was theirs for the taking and the scenario could have been much different.&quot;Yeah, I think if you look at our previous game against Zimbabwe, we had a good win. I think you always want to get as far as you can in the competition, so you always talk about semifinals and finals and winning trophies,&quot; van der Merwe, who had to miss a couple of matches through injury, said.&quot;I think the interesting thing is when we look back at like one of our first games against Bangladesh, if we had won that chase, that success would be how different it could look. That&#39;s all in the past now, and tomorrow the boys are ready, they&#39;re excited, and we&#39;re looking forward to the challenge against South Africa.&quot;We have seen Namibia beating Sri Lanka, Scotland beating West Indies and also Ireland beating England as well. Van der Merwe does not feel the word &quot;upset&quot; is apt in these circumstances.&quot;I think you look at the different formats and then you look at T20 cricket, the shorter the format is, the closer the teams are. I don&#39;t think there&#39;s as many -- well, they call them &quot;upsets&quot;. Like 10 years ago, there would have been one a tournament. I think you&#39;re seeing it more and more happen now,&quot; the Netherlands all-rounder reckons.&quot;Guys, teams are getting more clued up on how they want to prepare and what needs to be done in winning games, so I think that&#39;s definitely something that&#39;s evolved over the last 10 years or so.&quot;But yeah, teams are getting closer to the guys at the top, which is good to see. It&#39;s good for cricket. Hopefully that can continue, and there&#39;s more type games coming.&quot;With Netherlands already eliminated from this edition of the tournament, they still have a chance to finish fourth in the Group 2 table. For that to happen, both Bangladesh and Zimbabwe have to lose their respective matches on Sunday which will guarantee them a spot in the 2024 T20 World Cup.&nbsp;Powered by <a href="https://www.froala.com/wysiwyg-editor?pb=1" title="Froala Editor">Froala Editor</a>

South Africa need to brush Netherlands aside in their final Super 12 fixture to book their place in the semi-final

Winning the World Cup only way to get rid of 'chokers' tag: Wayne Parnell

Two spots, and five possible contenders from Group 2. Alright, let&rsquo;s be more realistic. Zimbabwe are more or less out of the race, while Bangladesh&rsquo;s poor NRR (-1.276) could lead to their downfall, that is if they manage to defeat Pakistan. The Men in Green will also need at least one result to go in their favour if they want to make it through to the semi-finals of <a href="https://www.cricket.com/series/international/2254/icc-men-s-t20-world-cup-australia-2022/home" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">the 2022 T20 World Cup</a>. Hence, India and <a href="https://www.cricket.com/teams/7/south-africa/form" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">South Africa</a> are the only two sides from this group who have their fates in their own hands.&nbsp;All India have to do is beat Zimbabwe, and the same goes for Temba Bavuma and his men who will <a href="https://www.cricket.com/live-score/209303/commentary/super-12-match-28-icc-men-s-t20-world-cup-australia-2022" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">come face to face against the Netherlands</a> at the Adelaide Oval. Scott Edwards and Co. have already been knocked out of the World Cup but wouldn&rsquo;t mind spoiling South Africa&rsquo;s party and ending this World Cup on a high. <a href="https://www.cricket.com/news/probably-a-bit-of-a-wake-up-call-bavuma-on-defeat-against-pakistan-1667487266539" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Proteas were given a &ldquo;wake-up call&rdquo; by Pakistan</a> in their previous encounter and will have to be at their absolute best against the Netherlands.&nbsp;Wayne Parnell, Proteas&rsquo; unsung heroSouth Africa have one of the fiercest pace attacks in the showpiece event. Kagiso Rabada has been the face of South Africa&rsquo;s fast-bowling unit for a while now, while Lungi Ngidi is an outright wicket-taker. Then there is Anrich Nortje who is as quick as they come. These three often end up stealing all the limelight, allowing <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/4360/wayne-parnell/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Wayne Parnell</a> to fly under the radar. Amongst South African bowlers who have bowled at least 10 overs this year, the left-arm seamer (7.5) is the only one with an economy of less than 8.In this World Cup, Parnell has claimed five wickets in four matches at an impressive economy rate of 5.83. Nortje and Ngidi have picked up more wickets but it&rsquo;s Parnell who has bowled with a lot better control. The 33-year-old has been consistent for South Africa ever since his comeback and allowed other bowlers to attack and go for wickets. It would also be interesting to see which spinner South Africa go with. Tabraiz Shamsi was preferred over Keshav Maharaj but the former has an economy of close to 9 in 2022. It&rsquo;s quite simple, Shamsi is a wicket-taker, while Maharaj brings more control.Hit-or-go-home is the right approach for BavumaSouth Africa&rsquo;s batting unit struggled big time against Pakistan but the team management would be happy with the fact that <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/12492/temba-bavuma/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Bavuma</a> managed to find some touch. Prior to the match against Pakistan, the right-handed opener was averaging just 9.75 and striking at 77.2 in T20Is this year. His place in the T20I unit has been questioned numerous times and it&rsquo;s because of him that in-form Reeza Hendricks can&rsquo;t find a place in the playing XI. There is not a single stat that would convince anyone why Bavuma is playing ahead of Hendricks except for the fact that he is the captain of the side. Bavuma is going nowhere, at least in this World Cup, and South Africa would want him to play with the same mindset that he did against Pakistan.&nbsp;<img src="https://images-cricketcom.imgix.net/1667617826395-articleimg" style="width: 700px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">The 32-year-old slammed four fours and a six in his 19-ball 36 and registered just his second 10-plus score in nine T20I innings. Only once in his T20I career, Bavuma has operated at a better strike rate and this innings will do his confidence a lot of good. In Quinton de Kock, Rilee Rossouw and Aiden Markram, the Proteas have some quality white-ball batters, so Bavuma wasting deliveries in the powerplay would do them no good. South Africa missed the services of David Miller against Pakistan as the left-hander had to miss the game due to a lower back muscle spasm and they would hope that the in-form middle-order batter is match-fit for the all-important clash.A World Cup to remember for van MeekerenThe Netherlands got their first win of the Super 12 stage when they defeated Zimbabwe by five wickets on Wednesday. They could have also got the better of Bangladesh but their batters simply haven&rsquo;t been consistent enough. However, the same can&rsquo;t be said about their bowling unit, with <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/63893/paul-van-meekeren/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Paul van Meekeren</a> leading the charge. The right-arm paceman has picked up 10 wickets in seven encounters at an economy of just 5.89 in this competition. He has an economy of less than seven in every single phase and has also got big wickets.Overall, in the Super 12 stage, the Netherlands&rsquo; bowling unit has the fourth-best economy rate (7.3) and balls/boundary (8). The likes of Tim Pringle, Roelof van der Merwe, Fred Klaassen, Bas de Leede, Logan van Beek and Brandon Glover have all been pretty good and it&#39;s not going to be very easy for the South African batters to put them away. In the batting department, the Men in Orange will once again rely on Max O&#39;Dowd as the other batters haven&rsquo;t really been able to step up.Probable XIsSouth Africa - Quinton de Kock (wk), Temba Bavuma (c), Rilee Rossouw, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen/David Miller (subject to fitness), Tristan Stubbs, Wayne Parnell, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Keshav Maharaj.Netherlands - Stephan Myburgh, Max O&rsquo;Dowd, Tom Cooper, Colin Ackermann, Bas de Leede, Scott Edwards (c &amp; wk), Roelof van der Merwe, Logan van Beek, Fred Klaassen, Paul van Meekeren, Brandon Glover.Powered by <a href="https://www.froala.com/wysiwyg-editor?pb=1" title="Froala Editor">Froala Editor</a>

The Netherlands have already been knocked out of the World Cup but wouldn’t mind spoiling South Africa’s party

SA VS NED,Super 12 - Match 28

Summary

Commentary

Scorecard

Dugout

Highlights

MatchInfo

Articles

Videos