Story ICC World Twenty20 2018 (What if?) | Super 12 in full flow

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Super 12​

South Africa vs Sri Lanka
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Group 1, Match 22
26th August, 11:30 Local​

Live from SuperSport Park, Centurion​

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Pitch Report: Centurion has always been a good batting wicket, and today we might see it actually behave that way, unlike the last two matches here, on a new wicket. Quality bowlers can still thrive.

Toss: Sri Lankan captain Mathews calls heads and it is tails. South Africa have won the toss.

Faf du Plessis: We are going to bat first. It's a good wicket. Always enjoy batting in Centurion. Having a home World Cup helps not only in crowd support but you know the conditions so well, having played here all your life. We started with a great victory, but the games will only get tougher. Every win counts. Sri Lanka are a great side, certainly not to be underestimated. We'll need to continue to put in the hard yards. It'll be great to win in front of the home crowd. We're still going unchanged, so no Steyn yet. Our players have all done well, would be unfair to drop anyone now.

South Africa: Quinton de Kock , Hashim Amla, Faf du Plessis , Jean-Paul Duminy, David Miller, Heinrich Klaasen, Chris Morris, Andile Phehlukwayo, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Imran Tahir

Angelo Mathews: We'll take that. The wicket seems good to bat on. If we bowl well straight up, the total shouldn't be anywhere out of reach for us. Last game was an exhibition of that, very happy with how the boys played and our bowlers definitely put on their best performance. However South Africa at their home turf are going to be a big challenge, but with our current form we should not let ourselves down. We're going unchanged, we haven't tinkered with our XI at all five games into our tournament, as all our players have done their spot justice. Should be a good contest.

Sri Lanka: Danushka Gunathilaka, Kusal Perera , Kusal Mendis, Dinesh Chandimal, Angelo Mathews , Dhananjaya de Silva, Thisara Perera, Isuru Udana, Akila Dananjaya, Lasith Malinga, Nuwan Pradeep
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South Africa won the toss and opt to bat first.​

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1st Innings​

It's yet another brilliant batting performance from Hashim Amla that does it for South Africa today. The opening duo of de Kock & Amla pick up where they left off last game, with a swashbuckling stand of 81 runs in just 7 overs, before the former departed. de Kock missed his fifty by just a run, scoring a lightning fast 23 ball 49- but Amla carried on, scoring 61 in the end which proved to be the backbone of the South African innings. Wickets then fell in quick succession to Pradeep & Thisara Perera, but Morris & Phehlukwayo's 20-ball partnership in the end carried the Proteas to 166. A solid enough score to defend?
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Sri Lanka need 167 runs to win off 20 overs​

@ 8.35 RPO​

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2nd Innings​

South Africa have done the impossible! Lungi Ngidi and co pull off a stunning comeback to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat in what seemed to be a cakewalk of a chase for Sri Lanka! The opening pair of Gunathilaka & Perera got off to a flyer, both of them reaching their half-centuries in style before Morris & Phehlukwayo managed to get rid of them to stall that bit of momentum. With Perera's wicket, only 40 runs were needed in the last 7 overs- it seemed like a sureshot Sri Lankan win. Until the South African bowling fought back- as Lungi Ngidi came on top with 3 wickets of the middle-order to completely derail the chase, with assistance from the others. Sri Lanka still needed only 7 in the final over, but a masterclass of a last over from Imran Tahir for 4 runs sealed the deal, as the Lankans fell agonizingly short by just two. The crowd erupts- Two in Two for the Home Team!
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South Africa won by 2 runs​

MOTM: Hashim Amla​

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Points: South Africa 2, Sri Lanka 0​

 

[Viper.]

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Super 12​

India vs West Indies
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Group 2, Match 23
26th August, 15:30 Local ​

Live from Wanderers, Johannesburg​

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Pitch Report: The Wanderers pitch has always been batting friendly, and today will be so as well. The wicket is flat with little cracks, with grass on surface.

Toss: Virat Kohli calls tails and it lands on tails. India have won the toss.

Virat Kohli: We're going to bat first on this surface. It looks good, fresh and nice for batting. Certainly better than the last game we played. Think it would be ideal to put a good total on board first and then back our bowlers to defend it. We're playing against the defending champions, they're the ones who knocked us out of the last World T20 in a semi-final at our own home, went onto win, and are coming off a massive win to start this tourney as well. And with the batting ability some of their players have, we've seen in the IPL itself, it's going to be very competitive. We're coming off a win as well, against a long-time rival, it's definitely given us confidence and we know our abilities too. So we'll be going with an unchanged team, this should be a great contest.

India: Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli , KL. Rahul, Mahendra Singh Dhoni , Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal

Carlos Brathwaite: We started the tournament off well with a chase, so bring it on, we'll hopefully do it again. India are no small opponent, they are extremely consistent and tough to beat, and even as defending champions they might be above us in the favourites order. Our bowlers will need to be at their best, the chase won't be easy. But we bat deep, our all-rounder core is our strength and it will be ever so important for us in a match like today. We're known to have a destructive lineup, but we need to stay composed so we don't get too complacent. Everyone did well last game, so no team changes. We'll be going with the same XI, hopefully it gives us the same kind of result we had last match.

West Indies: Chris Gayle, Evin Lewis, Andre Fletcher , Marlon Samuels, Kieron Pollard, Andre Russell, Dwayne Bravo, Carlos Brathwaite , Sunil Narine, Ashley Nurse, Kesrick Williams

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India won the toss and opt to bat first​

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1st Innings​

The pair of Rohit Sharma & Shikhar Dhawan step up for India this match, getting twin fifties to ensure India post a strong total on the board. Rohit takes on the aggressor role as he has always done, while Dhawan steps on the backfoot to anchor at the other end as the Rohit-Dhawan partnership flourishes in it's most typical fashion. Rohit got to his fifty first but got out immediately after, ending a 68-run stand. Kohli & Dhawan then stitch a partnership of another 80 runs till the 16th over to get India well on course to a good score. Bravo removes the pair, but Dhoni comes in to provide the finishing touch in the end- as he always does, to propel India to 179/3. A strong score indeed. But is it enough against the West Indian juggernaut?
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West Indies need 180 runs to win off 20 overs​

@ 9.00 RPO​

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2nd Innings​

STUMPS CLEAN BOWLED and JASPRIT BUMRAH does the honours for India as they shut down the West Indies' batting giant before the 20th over! The Universe Boss threatened to walk all over the Indian bowling with a destructive innings up top, but what good is it without any support? Courtesy Umesh Yadav and Yuzi Chahal, India constantly picked up wickets at the other end to stay well in the game; and then Krunal spun his magic to get rid of Gayle as well, effectively pulling the match entirely back into India's hands. Russell & Bravo tried to fight back but couldn't stay for long enough- and the incredible Windies batting depth appeared to crumble, as Bumrah finished things off with the last two wickets to close the Windies' innings for just 131. An all-round bowling effort wins another match for India- and it's Umesh Yadav the MOTM Again!
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India won by 48 runs​

MOTM: Umesh Yadav​

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Points: India 2, West Indies 0​

 

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A lot in life is temporary and might change over time, but one thing remains constant-​

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