Picture : Twitter / ICC
England topped Group 1 and knocked opponents South Africa out of the tournament despite 94 from Rassie van der Dussen and a Kagiso Rabada hat-trick seeing South Africa to a 10-run win.
The Proteas had set England a chase of 190 to win the game with Van der Dussen hitting his highest T20I score off just 60 balls.
Although England failed in their chase, they made at least 131 which was all that was needed to confirm theirs and Australia’s places in the semi-finals of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021.
Reeza Hendricks never got going opening the batting with the potent Quinton de Kock, as he misjudged the flight of a Moeen Ali delivery and was bowled for two from eight balls.
With South Africa at 26 for one after five overs, they were in need of some boundaries and Van der Dussen got the memo, smashing Chris Woakes for back-to-back boundaries as the Proteas ended the powerplay with 40 for one.
By the halfway mark, De Kock and Van der Dussen were building a nice partnership together, putting on 58 as South Africa reached 73 for one with ten overs to go.
Mark Wood was then brought on for his first spell of the tournament but his express pace did not stop Van der Dussen who scooped him for six.
Instead, it would be Adil Rashid’s spin that disrupted the partnership, De Kock holing out to Jason Roy at long-on, and the right-hander was left staring in disbelief at the good start he had thrown away, having to depart for 34 off 26 balls.
Having brought up his own fifty off 38 balls at the beginning of Wood’s next over, Van der Dussen ended it by smacking a six to move South Africa past 100.
England matched boundary-less overs with bountiful ones as Chris Jordan conceded just four off the 15th over before Woakes was sent for back-to-back sixes from Van der Dussen, with Aiden Markram getting one for himself as South Africa raced ahead to 139 for two.
Another glorious shot saw Markram bringing up his fifty off just 24 balls, as South Africa set a mammoth chase of 190 to win.
There were a number of permutations as Jason Roy and Jos Buttler got England’s innings underway, first to reach 87 to ensure England’s qualification, then to 106 to top the group and anything past 132 would see South Africa knocked out and Australia join them in the semi-finals.
Having only taken two off the first over, Roy and Buttler teed off reaching 37 for no wicket after four overs before Roy pulled up in distress with a serious-looking calf injury and was helped off the pitch having made 20 off 15 balls.
But it was South Africa that seemed unsettled as Keshav Maharaj bowled a wide and a no-ball, with Anrich Nortje dropping the free hit to see England take 13 off the over.
And then for the first time in three innings, Buttler was out, sending a low catch to Temba Bavuma to fall two runs short of a double century across the three games.
Jonny Bairstow was not in the middle for long going for a single of Tabraiz Shamsi’s second ball as spin twins Shamsi and Markram restricted England.
Kagiso Rabada then released that pressure going for 11 as England reached 81 for two at the halfway point before a single for Moeen in Shamsi’s third over confirmed his side’s place in the semi-finals.
Just eight balls later and a six out the ground saw England secure top of the group, but that was Moeen’s last act caught in the deep by David Miller as Shamsi got revenge.
England then stuttered before Liam Livingstone walloped the biggest six of the tournament sending it out of the ground and 112m and then sent another one, a crushing blow to South Africa as they were knocked out of the tournament.
Dawid Malan was out having misjudged a slog as Eoin Morgan combined with Livingstone to pull England back into the game.
However, needing 25 off 12 balls, Livingstone was caught in the deep but Woakes continued where he left off until Rabada got him with the first ball of the final over, to leave England needing 14 off five balls.
Morgan went the next ball and then Jordan was out the ball after that as Rabada earned his hat-trick and snuffed out any chance of an England win as they eventually ten runs short on 179.
South Africa beat England at Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah by ten runs
South Africa 189/2 in 20 overs (Rassie van der Dussen 94 not out; Aiden Markram 52 not out; Moeen Ali 1/27, Adil Rashid 1/32)
England 179/8 in 20 overs (Moeen Ali 37, David Malan 33; Kagiso Rabada 3/48, Tabraiz Shamsi 2/24)
Player of the Match: Rassie van der Dussen (South Africa)
