The 2022 Twenty20 World Cup began with India suffering their first setback as they were defeated by South Africa by a score of five wickets. The explosive fast bowling of Anrich Norrje, Wayne Parnell, and Kagiso Rabada, together with a four-wicket haul from Lungi Ngidi, assisted South Africa in limiting India’s score to 133/9. Suryakumar Yadav’s 68 runs off 40 balls nearly single-handedly brought India to their total after they had lost half of their batting line up in the first 10 overs of their innings. India did very well to get to their score despite this setback.
After that, India got off to an incredible start in their defence, which resulted in South Africa losing three wickets in the first four overs of their innings. But Aiden Markram and David Miller won the game for their team, taking it away from India. Both players hit half century, with Miller remaining unbeaten to lead South Africa to victory with two balls to spare after he saw his team pass the finish line.
Before the match, India was the team with the best overall record in Group 2, holding a one-point advantage over South Africa and maintaining their position as the group’s top side by maintaining a higher net run rate than Bangladesh, who were in second place. They still retain a lead over Bangladesh, but South Africa has moved ahead of them by one point and is now in first place. The Proteas now have five points after three matches, with two victories and one match in which there was no result. They have a cumulative run rate that is positive by +2.772. India, on the other hand, has recorded four points after three matches, with two victories and one defeat. They have a positive run rate of +0.844 in their operation. They are now equal on points with Bangladesh, who are currently in third place with a negative net run rate of 1.533. India and South Africa are the countries who are currently sitting in the qualification slots.
The ranking of India has dropped from first to second.
Earlier on Sunday, Pakistan secured their first victory of the competition with a six-wicket victory over the Netherlands. This was Pakistan’s first win of the tournament. They had to chase down a target of 92, but it was anything from an easy chase for them. They had held the Dutch to a score of 91/9, so they only had to chase down a target of 92. As Pakistan tried to reduce their score as quickly as possible, they ended up losing too many wickets, and it was not until the 14th over that they were eventually able to win the match. Since they have only collected two points over their last three matches and have a net run rate of +0.765, it was inevitable that Pakistan would only move up one spot on the table with a victory. Zimbabwe is now in a higher position than them, holding the fourth spot with three points after three matches played and a net run rate of 0.050.
