Ken Borland

There were no nasty surprises for South Africa as they thrashed neighbours Zimbabwe by 10 wickets, with 7.2 overs to spare, in their ICC World T20 match at Hambantota on Thursday.

12th over – Kyle Jarvis returns and his first delivery is cut hard to backward point by Hashim Amla, but Vusi Sibanda can’t hang on to the catch going to his left. Amla gets a let-off on 29.

11th over – A touch short from Ray Price and Richard Levi slashes the ball through the covers for a fine boundary.

9th over – Nicely controlled and crisply struck as Levi slog-sweeps Prosper Utseya for a one-bounce four.

6th over – Two cracking drives on the up through the covers for four by Levi off Brian Vitori.

5th over – Amla creates room for himself so well and his quick hands allow him to lean back and slash a perfectly good delivery from left-arm spinner Price through extra cover with great timing for four.

4th over – In the slot from Jarvis and Levi pulls it from off stump over mid-on for a one-bounce four.

2nd over – Levi top-edges a hook at left-arm paceman Vitori for four.

1st over – Jarvis drags a slower ball down short and wide, Amla waits for it and cuts the ball powerfully through the covers for four. Jarvis again provides too much width on the last ball of the over and an edged slash by Amla flies to the third man boundary for another four.

Zimbabwe innings

Jacques Kallis was the hero as the South African pacemen blasted Zimbabwe and restricted them to 93 for eight in their ICC World T20 match at Hambantota on Thursday.

20th over – Ray Price ends the innings by stepping back and forehand-smashing Kallis between mid-off and extra cover for four.

18th over – WICKET – Kallis has four now and it’s the admirable Craig Ervine out for 37 off 40 balls. Kallis sends down a well-directed short-pitched delivery which the left-hander tries to run down to third man. But there’s steep bounce and the line is tight, so a cramped shot can only succeed in giving wicketkeeper AB de Villiers his fourth catch.

17th over – Dale Steyn has conceded just three runs in his previous three overs, but now Ervine half-steers/half-edges him past the slip for four. WICKET – Steyn ends with a well-deserved wicket as Prosper Utseya (5) tries to fend off a fast, short-pitched delivery on leg stump and can only glove the ball, wicketkeeper De Villiers taking a superb diving catch.

14th over – WICKET – Kallis now has tremendous figures of 1.4-1-2-3 as Graeme Cremer (6) gloves an attempted hook at a bouncer and is caught behind by De Villiers.

11th over – Two wickets in two balls for Kallis in his first over! WICKET – Stuart Matsikenyeri (11) comes down the pitch and slaps the ball hard, but straight to Robin Peterson at cover. WICKET – Elton Chigumbura goes back to his first delivery, but it’s full, the bat is nowhere near the ball and he’s plumb lbw for a royal duck.

9th over – Johan Botha tosses up the first ball of the over and Ervine responds with a beautifully-played drive through the covers for four.

8th over – Robin Peterson joins Botha in the attack but a flatter, quicker delivery is brilliantly reverse-swept for four by Ervine.

5th over – Albie Morkel joins the attack, but his first delivery is short and angling across the left-hander and Ervine punches the ball crisply through the covers for four. WICKET – But three balls later, Morkel gets in on his brother’s act with a wicket of his own. Hamilton Masakadza (6) gives himself room, Albie Morkel follows him and a cramped drive, on the up, loops to deep mid-on.

4th over – WICKET – Morne Morkel strikes again as Zimbabwe captain Brendan Taylor plays an awful shot. Taylor backs away to leg and then plays a half-hearted cut shot as Morkel puts the ball outside off stump, presenting a comfortable edge for De Villiers and Taylor is caught behind for four. The first boundary of the innings comes after 23 balls as Masakadza bashes a delivery straight down the ground as Morkel over-pitches a touch.

2nd over – WICKET – A brilliant delivery from Morkel bowls Vusi Sibanda for a duck! Morkel gets a ball to jag back and bowl Sibanda through the gate, hitting the top of off stump.

1st over – A fantastic opening over from Steyn. All six deliveries are pitched just outside off stump, swinging away and he concedes just a single as Masakadza comes down the pitch and then defends the ball into the covers.

Shane Warne may have been the greatest leg-spinner to ever grace the game, but not even he could also score double-centuries as is the case with South African women’s sensation Dane van Niekerk.

The 19-year-old Van Niekerk will be one of South Africa’s key players in the ICC World Twenty20 tournament in Sri Lanka next month and her confidence must be sky-high after her phenomenal performances in the domestic women’s league last season.

Van Niekerk was a leading light as Northerns defended their title, finishing second in the batting averages with 494 runs at an average of 123.50, including two centuries and a half-century and her brilliant highest score of 203 not out. She scored her runs at a strike-rate of 92.55.

But it is as a bowler that Van Niekerk shows tremendous promise. Her leg-breaks saw her also finish second on the bowling averages with 17 wickets at the laughable average of just 4.29, plus she conceded just 73 runs in the 41-and-a-half overs she bowled!

The national women’s team are fulsome in their praise of their coach, former Dolphins mentor Yashin Ebrahim, and he, as a former spinner himself, has been able to guide young Van Niekerk.

“Yashin has taught me about different tactics, about when to bowl over the wicket or around the wicket, and when to use the googly,” Van Niekerk told supersport.com on Wednesday.

“But I was fortunate at a young age to work with Johan Rudolph – Jacques’ father – and he has a real passion for leg-spin, as well as Harry Shapiro [who modelled his Cricket Coaching Institute on the Australian Academy] and now Henry Williams.”

The South African Women’s team had a morale-boosting series win over the England Academy side in their last competitive outing in April and Van Niekerk believes they are a closing in on the top four of undisputed leaders England, Australia, New Zealand and India.

“We tested ourselves last year against the full English team and came up short, but we’ve made huge strides in the last year. There’s still a gap between us and the top four, but twenty20 cricket is always a huge gamble, you never know what will happen and it depends on who wants it most on the day,” Van Niekerk said.

With the ICC World T20 being held alongside the men’s competition in the sub-continental conditions of Sri Lanka, Van Niekerk’s leg-spinners should be more than useful, but, having had previous experience of those kind of pitches, the Centurion resident knows she can’t just rock up and expect success.

“I’ve been to Bangladesh on a previous tour and, although it’s nice to bowl in the sub-continent, you still have to work hard and sum up the conditions. You need to work out what pace to bowl, whether you need to bowl quick or slow,” Van Niekerk said. “But I’m fortunate in that the team also has another leg-spinner in Sunette Luus and I’m ecstatic that we’ll be able to work as a pair. Leg-spin is always a weapon in any form of cricket.”

South Africa have been placed in the same group as hosts Sri Lanka, New Zealand and the West Indies, with the top two teams going through to the semi-finals.

“New Zealand will hopefully not be that familiar with the conditions, so one of our goals is to beat them. They’ve been in the top four for a long time, but their recent results against England were not much different to ours. We have not played them since the last World Cup in 2010, but our scores against England were pretty level,” captain Mignon du Preez said.

“Our first game against Sri Lanka is a big one too, if we can win our first game, then we’ll be on the front foot. They’ll obviously know their home conditions better than us, but matches have always been close between us. We then play New Zealand, and end with the West Indies, who’s strength is more in the twenty20 game.”

It is clear that the South African women’s team are not overawed anymore on the international stage.

“Our goal is to make the semi-finals, even though we have not made the playoffs before,” Du Preez said. “For the first time, we are really well-prepared, we’ve had a strict fitness programme and our own academy.

“Yashin has given us the mindset to perform at international level and we now have different options and styles when we’re bowling, and several batting options too. We’re much more like the men’s side now. There’s not that much awareness about women’s cricket and there’s a misperception, people think you have to be butch to play cricket. But cricket is for any girls – and pretty ones too!” the petite Du Preez smiled.

Those with a longer memory of women’s cricket will be hoping the current crop of young stars does not go the same way as Johmari Logtenberg, the batting phenomenon who gave up cricket in 2007 to take up golf.

Van Niekerk, who is so dedicated to cricket that she is completing her matric through home-schooling, is confident she will not be forced down a similar path.

“I think it’s possible for me to become a professional cricketer, although there’s still a long way to go. We need sponsors, but Cricket South Africa are doing a lot for us. It will take time and performances, but for any sportsperson, the goal must be to do what you love for a living,” Van Niekerk said.

http://www.supersport.com/cricket/women/news/120808/Warne_has_nothing_on_Van_Niekerk

South African fans are gleefully anticipating Dale Steyn joining Morne Morkel in the same team for the ICC World T20 later this year after the two fast bowlers produced the outstanding individual performances in last week’s IPL action.

Delhi Daredevils spearhead Morkel is still at the summit of the Purple Cap standings for most wickets with 18 in nine matches, and he produced one of the most brilliant overs in IPL history at the weekend, taking one for three in the 19th over against the Rajasthan Royals.

The Royals needed just 15 runs from two overs, with nine wickets in hand and two set batsmen at the crease before Morkel’s incredible over.

The Daredevils eventually snatched an astonishing victory by just one run and have extended their lead on top of the IPL log to three points over the Kolkata Knight Riders.

Morkel finished with one for 26 against Rajasthan, and also bowled superbly against the Mumbai Indians, with one for 21 in four overs, to rebound from a slightly-expensive return of one for 34 against the Pune Warriors.

The tall fast bowler’s wickets have come at a rate of one every 11.6 deliveries, which is the fifth-best strike-rate in this year’s IPL.

The Deccan Chargers have won just one of their eight matches to prop up the table, but it has not been due to any lack of performance on behalf of Steyn, who has taken 11 wickets at an economy rate of 5.66.

His exceptional two for 10 in four overs against the Mumbai Indians at the weekend will probably remain the best bowling performance of the season, but it was sadly in a losing cause as the Chargers were defending just 100.

South Africa’s leading batsman in the competition, Faf du Plessis, played just one game last week, scoring 29 off 20 balls for the Chennai Super Kings against the Kings XI Punjab to take his runs tally to 331, the fourth highest.

Titans teammate AB de Villiers played one of the most stunning innings of the season when he plundered 59 not out off just 23 balls for the Royal Challengers Bangalore against the Rajasthan Royals, but South Africa’s limited-overs captain was out for a first-ball duck in his next innings, caught off Jacques Kallis as the Challengers lost their crunch game against the Kolkata Knight Riders.

The Knight Riders had their match against the lowly Deccan Chargers washed out, but scored an emphatic 47-run win over Bangalore, with Kallis being one of their heroes as he scored 41 off 27 balls and then claimed the key wickets of De Villiers and Virat Kohli to finish with two for 31 in his four overs.

JP Duminy is playing alongside Steyn for the last-placed Chargers and now boasts the highest batting average (129.00) in the competition after innings of 26 not out and 25 not out, both off 24 deliveries, last week.

Robin Peterson announced his talents to the world with strong displays with both bat and ball following his belated inclusion in the Mumbai Indians team.

In an effort that was reminiscent of his crucial innings against India during the World Cup, the left-hander blasted 16 not out off seven balls to help Mumbai come back from the dead and snatch victory against the Kings XI Punjab, and then claimed three for 37 as they conceded 207-5 against the Delhi Daredevils.

The Pune Warriors finally included Alfonso Thomas in their line-up and they were glad they did as he bowled six overs for 41 runs in his two matches, while the Chennai Super Kings must be relieved Albie Morkel is back from South Africa after attending Louis Vorster’s funeral as the allrounder took three for 29 against the Kings XI.

David Miller must have earned himself more starting time for the Kings XI as he scored 34 not out off 17 balls and 19 off 15 in his two innings last week, while paceman Rusty Theron will be hoping for more action after taking two for 37 for the Chargers against Pune in his one appearance.

Richard Levi will be desperate for runs after he was bowled first ball by a fast Steyn in-swinger in his only innings, leaving him with just 83 runs in six innings.

Marchant de Lange (KKR), Gulam Bodi (DD), Roelof van der Merwe (DD), Kyle Abbott (KXIP), Herschelle Gibbs (MI), Davy Jacobs (MI), Wayne Parnell (PW), Johan Botha (RR), Charl Langeveldt (RCB) and Rilee Rossouw (RCB) will all be kicking their heels in frustration after not seeing any action in the last week.

http://www.supersport.com/cricket/indian-premier-league/news/120430/Steyn_Morkel_produce_brilliant_displays