In the first match of the Super Eight at the Twenty20 World Cup, South Africa emerged victorious with an 18-run win over the United States. The Americans put up a strong fight, but South Africa was able to hold them back and limit them to 176-6 thanks to key contributions from bowlers Kagiso Rabada and Keshav Maharaj. Rabada claimed 3-18, while Maharaj dismissed U.S. captain Aaron Jones for a duck.
The impressive performance of Andries Gous saw him move to the top of the batting chart at the World Cup as he scored an unbeaten 80 off 47 balls against his country of birth. Early on, Quinton de Kock led South African batting with a rapid 74 off 40 balls and Heinrich Klaasen’s 36 not out at the end helped propel the team to a total of 194-4 after winning the toss and electing to field.
The victory sets up an exciting Group 2 match between co-host West Indies and England later in the day in St. Lucia, where both teams will look to secure their place in the knockout stage.
