Proteas Beat Afghanistan In Final Pool Game

AHMEDABAD: A career-best four-for by Gerald Coetzee followed by an unbeaten Rassie van der Dussen half-century helped the Proteas complete the league phase of the 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup with a five-wicket win over Afghanistan in Ahmedabad on Friday.

Hasty bowler Coetzee was in fiery mood as he claimed four for 44 in 10 overs, playing a pivotal role in restricting Afghanistan to 244 every out after they had won the toss and batted first at the Narendra Modi Stadium.

Although South Africa lost five wickets, they were always in control and Van der Dussen (76* off 95 balls, 6 fours, 1 six) and Andile Phehlukwayo (39* off 37 balls) shared an unbroken 65-run stand to carry them to victory with 15 deliveries to spare.

The result was the perfect reaction for Rob Walter’s side after their huge loss to hosts India in the previous game. It also ensured they made it seven wins out of nine as they jumped to second on the table and they will now depart into next week’s semi-final against Australia full of confidence.

They were full value for the win thanks to an assured performance with the ball with only Azmatullah Omarzai (97* off 107 balls, 7 fours, 3 sixes) really troubling them.

World Cup debutant Coetzee guide the way, supported brilliantly by Keshav Maharaj (2/25), who removed two of the top four in Rahmanullah Gurbaz (25) and Hashmatullah Shahidi (2).

Ibrahim Zadran (15) was dismissed by the former leaving Afghanistan on 45 for three. Although Omarzai tried to rebuild, the Proteas kept chipping away to reduce their opponents to 116 for six.

Rashid Khan (14) and Noor Ahmad (26) at least helped Afghanistan acquire to a respectable total when they were eventually bowled out in the final over.

Amongst the other bowlers, Kagiso Rabada (0/40) and Phehlukwayo (1/36) also impressed.

South Africa made a strong start to the reply by racing to 64 for none in the 11^th over when captain Temba Bavuma fell for 23.

Quinton de Kock was trapped leg before wicket for 41 by Mohammad Nabi (2/35) two runs later. However, a 50-run stand between Aiden Markram (25) and Van der Dussen keep the sprint chase back on track.

There was another slight wobble when both Markram and Heinrich Klaasen (10) fell in quick succession to Rashid Khan (2/37)

But David Miller (24) and the sixth-wicket pair eased every nerves by taking their side home for confidence-boosting win.

Source: cricket.co.za

Kevin Pietersen: With an HPI of 19.94, Kevin Pietersen is the 4th most famous South African Cricketer. His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Kevin Peter Pietersen (born 27 June 1980) is an English cricket commentator, conservationist, and former England international captain. He is a right-handed batsman and occasional off spin bowler who played in all three formats for England between 2005 and 2014, which included a brief tenure as captain. He won the Player of the Series award for his heroics in 2010 ICC World Twenty20 and for helping the England Cricket Team win their maiden ICC trophy. Pietersen was born to an Afrikaner father and English mother in South Africa. He made his first-class debut for Natal in 1997 and moved to England in 2000, after voicing his displeasure at what he said was the racial quota system in South African cricket. Being of English ancestry, Pietersen was eligible for the England team so long as he first served a four-year qualifying period in English county cricket. He was called up by England almost immediately after he completed four years with Nottinghamshire. He made his international debut in the One Day International (ODI) match against Zimbabwe in 2004 and his Test match debut in the 2005 Ashes series against Australia.Pietersen left Nottinghamshire for Hampshire in 2005, but the England team’s subsequent reliance on him resulted in Pietersen making only a single first-class appearance for his new county between 2005 and 2010. In June 2010, Pietersen announced his wish to leave Hampshire; he joined Surrey on loan for the remainder of the season, then moved permanently in 2011.Pietersen was captain of the England Test and ODI teams from 4 August 2008 to 7 January 2009, but resigned after just three Tests and nine ODIs following a dispute with the England coach Peter Moores, who was sacked the same day. Pietersen’s relationship with the ECB never fully recovered. This came to a head in 2012 when, after a disagreement over his schedule, Pietersen announced his retirement from all forms of international limited-overs cricket on 31 May. Although he later retracted his retirement, his relationship with both the ECB and his team-mates soured during the series against South Africa, and he was dropped for the final Test of that series. Pietersen last played for England in the 2013–14 Ashes and subsequent ODIs, after which he was informed that he was no longer being considered for international selection. He also played for the Melbourne Stars in the Big Bash League until the end of BBL|07 (seventh season), the Quetta Gladiators in the Pakistan Super League as well as the Hollywoodbets Dolphins in the CSA T20 Challenge. He was also signed by the Rising Pune Supergiants for the 2016 season of the Indian Premier League. Pietersen is one of the fastest batsman to reach 1,000 ODI runs and still holds the record for being the fastest player to cross 2,000 runs in One Day International cricket. He has the second-highest run total from his first 25 Tests, behind only Sir Don Bradman of Australia, and was the fastest player, in terms of days, to reach 4,000, 5,000 and 7,000 Test runs. He became only the third English batsman to top the ICC One Day International rankings, doing so in March 2007. In July 2008, after a century against South Africa, The Times called him “the most complete batsman in cricket” and in 2012 The Guardian called him “England’s greatest modern batsman”. On the occasion of England’s 1000th Test in August 2018, he was named in the country’s greatest Test XI by the ECB.