Klaasen and Duminy mastermind Proteas triumph

A masterclass knock of 69 runs off 30 balls from Heinrich Klaasen gave South Africa the impetus they needed to win the second T20 International against India, at Centurion, and take the series to a decider at Newlands on Sunday.
The scintillating knock from Klaasen was the difference between the two sides as the Proteas chased India’s 188 for 4 with 8 balls remaining to earn a well-deserved six-wicket win.
JP Duminy won the toss and elected bowl on a rainy day on the Highveld, where the curtain-raising women’s match was rained out before an innings could be completed. South Africa named an unchanged side, while Shardul Thakur made his T20I debut in the place of a stiff Jasprit Bumrah.
The capacity crowd was undeterred by the rain and the fact that it comprised almost as much Indian as South African support, provided a lively theatre for some T20 cricketainment.
Conditions were trying when India began their innings and they lost three wickets inside the powerplay. Junior Dala (2-28) was the pick of the bowlers and accounted for two of those as he dismissed Rohit Sharma (0) and Virat Kohli (1) cheaply. Suresh Raina (31 off 24 balls) consolidated with Manish Pandey before taking on the South African attack.
Dane Paterson (0-51) was on the receiving end of a great deal of the clobbering, as he conceded 12.75 runs per over. His series figures of 0-99 from eight overs, with only seven dot balls in total, mean that the selectors will need their heads checked if they persist with a player that simply does not use enough variation for this level of this format.
Pandey (79 not out off 48) was sublime at a ground where I first remember his name being bandied about, while he struck a sweet hundred in the 2009 IPL. MS Dhoni (52* off 28) threatened to steal the show as he showed his ecstatic Indian fans that he was still an innings finisher par excellence.
189 represented a big target on a Supersport Park pitch that has been much slower than in the past but on a small ground under lights and with a fair bit of drizzle around to negate the Indian spin, the Proteas would believed in themselves.
🌷🔥🌷🔥🌷🔥
Led by Klaasen's 69 and Duminy's 64*, the Proteas beat India by 6 wickets in the 2nd T20 at SuperSport Park to level the series 1-1. #SAvIND pic.twitter.com/b9JPw1soGN— SuperSport (@SuperSportTV) February 21, 2018
Another disappointment from JJ Smuts (2 off 7) was not the ideal way to begin the chase. Hendricks (26 off 17) looked classy before Thakur got his maiden T20I victim. It was then that India’s luck ran out, however, as the spectacular Klaasen joined a sensible JP Duminy in a 93-run partnership from just 49 balls.
Klaasen’s look-in to the Proteas side came about through an injury to the distinctly out-of-form Quinton de Kock and he has certainly grabbed the opportunity with both hands. De Kock on form picks himself but Klaasen has done enough to be stay in the mix as a batsman, regardless of who wears the gloves in the future.
Klaasen’s innings came to an end through an edge behind off Jaydev Unadkat (2-42) but not before he had struck three fours and seven sixes and produced South Africa’s fastest T20 fifty against india and the fastest at Centurion.
Yet another fruitless effort from Dave Miller (5 off 6) saw the game in the balance once more with the score on 141 for 4, with 48 runs required from five overs.
A mature effort by Farhaan Behardien (16* off 10) and his determined skipper Duminy (64* off 40) saw hosts home in convincing fashion. Duminy thus silenced his critics in style as he clubbed consecutive sixes to finish off the match.
Yuzvendra Chahal (0/64) got an absolute mauling at the hands of Klaasen and Duminy and went completely off the boil sending down a bizarre final over, the sixteenth of the chase, in which he might have had Duminy stumped and dropped Behardien.
Saturday’s tickets, for the last match of India’s tour, suddenly just became a lot harder to come by.
Latest
-
News
Jonathan Trott warns England not to get ‘too desperate’ against India spinners
The duo have taken a combined 42 wickets in the series so far.
-
News
Darren Gough fears England could be on the end of another hiding by India
Gough knows all about two-day Test wins.
-
News
Chris Silverwood hopes England batsmen can learn from quickfire third-Test loss
Silverwood would not be drawn into criticising the pitch.
-
News
England players clash online over Alex Hartley’s social media comments
Hartley advertised England Women’s one-day international with New Zealand by referencing the men’s third Test defeat inside two days to India.
-
News
Nat Sciver excels as England wrap up series win in New Zealand
Sciver claimed three for 26 and hit 63.
-
News
Joe Root invites ICC to make own judgement on Ahmedabad pitch
England were beaten by 10 wickets to go 2-1 down in the series.
-
News
It was nice to bat on – Rohit Sharma defends pitch after India seal two-day win
The hosts thrashed England by 10 wickets in Ahmedabad.
-
News
Charlotte Edwards elected as first female president of the PCA
The former England captain takes over from Graham Gooch at the Professional Cricketers’ Association.
-
News
Joe Root refuses to blame pitch for England’s quickfire defeat in Ahmedabad
It was the shortest match since 1935 in terms of balls bowled.
-
News
7 Tests with the most premature endings since 2000
A turning wicket caused chaos for batsmen on both sides as England’s first-innings collapse for 112 set the tone.