Ken Borland

South Africa thrashed Zimbabwe by six wickets with 14 balls to spare on Saturday to reach the final of the Pran RFL T20 Triangular Series at Harare Sports Club.

18th over – Albie Morkel ends the match as he launches his second ball from Stuart Matsikenyeri over midwicket for six, South Africa reaching their target with 14 balls to spare.

17th over – WICKET – Justin Ontong gives his wicket away as he heaves a wide off-spinner from Malcolm Waller to long-off, Vusi Sibanda taking a running catch. Ontong scored 24 off 32 balls.

11th over – WICKET – A magnificent piece of fielding by Christopher Mpofu has run out Richard Levi! Levi drives Richard Muzhange crisply to long-off, Mpofu is in quickly from the boundary and unleashes a superb throw back to wicketkeeper Brendan Taylor that has Levi well short coming back for the second. Levi has once again produced the perfect start though, his quickfire 54 off 30 balls, with four sixes, all but settling the result.

10th over – A powerful sweep shot – well-placed too – brings four runs for Ontong off leg-spinner Graeme Cremer.

9th over – Six more runs to end the over for Richard Levi via a well-struck slog-sweep off Prosper Utseya.

6th over – WICKET – Kyle Jarvis makes a fine return as he has Faf du Plessis caught behind for 14. The batsman makes room for a big drive, but there is a bit of away swing and he edges an easy catch to wicketkeeper Brendan Taylor.

5th over – The introduction of spin – in the form of Utseya – proves disastrous as the off-spinner dishes up three short balls that are dispatched through the leg side for boundaries, one by Du Plessis and two by Levi.

4th over – Elton Chigumbura comes on but drops short and Levi dispatches the ball behind square-leg for four. The next delivery is in the arc and Levi shows magnificent timing as he just flicks the ball over midwicket and out the ground for six! The over costs 15 runs as Levi edges the last ball to third man for four.

3rd over – Du Plessis waltzes down the pitch to Christopher Mpofu and lashes him over wide mid-off for four.

2nd over – Levi ends the over with successive sixes off paceman Jarvis! The first is beautifully walloped over long-on, the second just flicked over square-leg.

1st over – Levi gets off the mark with a single off the second ball of the over, but Hashim Amla is then out first ball! WICKET – Amla tries to glance a short ball from Mpofu down the leg side, but there is some extra bounce and wicketkeeper Taylor takes a superb catch, diving low to his left as the edge made the ball die on him.

Zimbabwe innings

Zimbabwe posted 124 for six – a tough total to defend – in the decisive Pran RFL T20 Triangular Series match against South Africa at the Harare Sports Club on Saturday.

19th over – The superb Wayne Parnell bowls the penultimate over but his first ball is too short and Graeme Cremer smashes a pull in front of midwicket for four.

17th over – Cremer expertly paddles Lonwabo Tsotsobe from outside off stump, past short fine leg for four.

16th over – Albie Morkel is introduced into the attack and claims a wicket with his fourth delivery. WICKET – Stuart Matsikenyeri skies a slog to long-on and is out for 22 off 29 balls as Faf du Plessis judges the steepling catch very well. Morkel ends the over with a short delivery which Cremer hits for four with a crunching pull shot.

15th over – Cremer leans back and cuts Robin Peterson with such force he loses his balance and topples over! But he’s made good contact and Tsotsobe can’t stop the ball crossing the point boundary.

14th over – Well-struck by Matsikenyeri as he bashes Du Plessis through mid-off, beating long-off to the boundary.

12th over – A good sweep shot by Matsikenyeri brings him four runs off leg-spinner Du Plessis.

11th over – Elton Chigumbura lashes a shortish delivery from Parnell through backward point for four. But the left-arm paceman responds with an excellent delivery, perfect length and just nipping away a touch, and Chigumbura’s flatfooted drive edges a straightforward catch to wicketkeeper Dane Vilas. Chigumbura took 12 balls to score five runs.

9th over – Just like he did yesterday, Parnell takes two wickets in an over! WICKET – The in-form Hamilton Masakadza drives at a full delivery, but is a bit cramped and Farhaan Behardien scoops up a fine catch low at extra cover. Masakadza looked set for his fourth successive half-century but his innings ends at 36 off 30 balls, with four fours and a six. WICKET – Two balls later, Malcom Waller edges a flatfooted drive at a full, wide delivery, and is out for a duck as wicketkeeper Vilas dives low to his right to take a brilliant one-handed catch.

6th over – Two boundaries for Masakadza in the Tsotsobe over as he backs away and gets a shortish delivery up and over cover-point and then dispatches a short ball that sits up through midwicket.

5th over – WICKET – Peterson strikes at the end of his first over as Taylor tries to flick the left-arm spinner through midwicket, but gets a leading edge and Tsotsobe runs round from mid-on to take the catch. The Zimbabwe captain is out for just a single.

4th over – Chris Morris comes back well as he removes Sibanda for nine and just five runs come from the over. WICKET – Sibanda steps right across his stumps and misses a swing to leg, and is plumb leg-before-wicket.

3rd over – Too straight and in the slot from Tsotsobe and Sibanda flicks the ball elegantly over backward square-leg for another six! Masakadza then hops down the pitch and flat-bats Tsotsobe just past Sibanda for a brutal boundary.

2nd over – Masakadza takes 10 runs off the last two balls of Morris’s opening over. He flicks a leg-side delivery off his pads, straight past Lonwabo Tsotsobe at short fine leg for four, and then hops down the pitch outside leg-stump and slaps Morris over the covers for a stunning six.