Windhoek [Namibia], August 29 (ANI): Proteas batter Dewald Brevis continued his good form with a blistering unbeaten 75 as South Africa registered a convincing seven-wicket victory over Zimbabwe in the T20I Tri-Series at the Namibia Cricket Ground in Windhoek on Saturday.
The Proteas, who suffered a surprise defeat to hosts Namibia in their opening game, produced a clinical all-round performance to chase down Zimbabwe’s 144/8 in just 13.4 overs on the back of Brevis’ 32-ball 75*.
After winning the toss and opting to bat first, Zimbabwe made an aggressive start, with Brian Bennett (34) and Ben Curran (24) putting the South African bowlers under pressure during the powerplay. The opening pair helped their team reach 45/0 in five overs. South African pacer Duan Jansen struck first for the visitors as he dismissed Ben Curran in the sixth over.
Prenelan Subrayen and captain Bjorn Fortuin tightened the screws in the middle overs, while debutant Eathan Bosch also chipped in with a wicket. Zimbabwe lost four wickets for just 18 runs as their innings slipped from 76/1 to 94/5.
Dion Myers (17), Brian Bennett (34), Sikandar Raza (10) and Ryan Burl (4) were the batters dismissed during the collapse, leaving Zimbabwe in need of a late surge. Tadiwanashe Marumani provided exactly that, smashing 30 off 13 balls, but his efforts could only lift Zimbabwe to 144/8.
Duan Jansen was South Africa’s most successful bowler with 3/45, while Prenelan Subrayen returned figures of 2/27.
South Africa lost two wickets in the powerplay, but openers Lhuan-dre Pretorius (22) and Jordan Hermann (20) made sure the Proteas reached 61/2 in 6 overs. However, it was Dewald Brevis who took the centre stage for South Africa.
The 23-year-old, who had also scored an unbeaten 75 in South Africa’s previous match against Namibia, unleashed another spectacular display of clean hitting. He smashed seven fours and six sixes from 32 balls, reaching his half-century in just 24 balls and leaving Zimbabwe’s bowlers with few answers. By the end of the 12th over, South Africa were already 124/3.
Brevis brought the chase to a close with a boundary in the 14th over, finishing unbeaten on 75 and being named Player of the Match. For Zimbabwe, Blessing Muzarabani, Newman Nyamhuri and Brad Evans were the only bowlers to make inroads, picking up one wicket each.
The emphatic win marked a strong response from South Africa and revived their campaign after their disappointing opening result.
Zimbabwe will face hosts Namibia in the next match of the tri-series on Sunday. (ANI)
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