Did South Africa Secure Their Place in the T20I Final with a Win Over Zimbabwe?

Harare, July 20 (NationPress) South Africa delivered a crushing blow to the home team Zimbabwe, marking their third straight defeat in the current T20I Tri-series with a convincing seven-wicket victory at the Harare Sports Club on Sunday. This triumph propels the Proteas into the final of the series, where they will contest against New Zealand on July 26.

Key contributions came from Rubin Hermann, who scored 63, and Rassie Van der Dussen, who remained not out on 52, as South Africa successfully chased down Zimbabwe's total of 144/6 in just 17.2 overs, finishing with 16 balls to spare.

Zimbabwe aimed to avoid an early collapse, with Wessly Madhevere scoring 13 and hitting consecutive boundaries off Lungi Ngidi before falling to Corbin Bosch. Clive Madande, with 8, managed to hit a six off Nandre Burger but also succumbed to Bosch. Notably, the wicket-keeper batter has been dismissed for eight runs in all three matches of the tri-series.

Captain Sikander Raza, scoring just 9, failed to make an impact and was caught attempting a slog sweep, resulting in a straightforward catch for Burger at deep backward square.

Following the early dismissals, Bennett and Ryan Burl, who scored 36 not out, joined forces to stabilize the innings with a solid 78-run partnership. Bennett showcased his attacking flair with a six and a four off Nqabayomzi Peter, and continued his assault on George Linde, scoring 13 runs in the 13th over.

He achieved his fourth T20I half-century in just 38 balls with a six off Linde, but was eventually bowled by the Proteas pacer in the 16th over.

Despite Bennett's effort, Zimbabwe's tailenders, including Tashinga Musekiwa (0), Tony Munyonga (1), and Tinotenda Maposa (8*), failed to build on the momentum, which hindered Burl's chance to finish strongly.

Bosch stood out with his impressive bowling, claiming two wickets while conceding only 16 runs in his four overs, helping to restrict Zimbabwe to 144/6 in their 20 overs.

In their response, South Africa faced early challenges with Tinotenda Maposa taking the wickets of Lhuan-dre Pretorius (4) and Reeza Hendricks (6). The hosts missed a run-out opportunity against Rubin Hermann when captain Raza failed to hit the stumps.

Van der Dussen and Hermann worked well together, gradually building their partnership, and picked up pace in the 10th over by scoring 17 runs off Raza.

Hermann reached his half-century in just 29 balls with a six off Maposa, further solidifying South Africa's position. His innings, featuring three boundaries and four sixes, ended in the 16th over when he was bowled by Richard Ngarava, but by then, the damage was done.

Van der Dussen and Dewald Brevis, who also scored a half-century off 40 deliveries, guided the Proteas to victory, sealing a seven-wicket win.

Brief score:

Zimbabwe 144/6 in 20 overs (Brian Bennett 61, Ryan Burl 36 not out; Corbin Bosch 2-16) lost to South Africa 145/3 in 17.2 overs (Rubin Hermann 63, Rassie Van der Dussen 52 not out; Tinotenda Maposa 2-38) by seven wickets.