SA-WI match abandoned following rain

Winning skipper Temba Bavuma will have mixed emotions about the start of his Test captaincy after South Africa beat the West Indies in the first Test at Centurion on Thursday but the diminutive batter joined an unwanted club.

Bavuma, 32, was installed as the new Test skipper just weeks before the two-Test series when Dean Elgar was stripped of the job after heavy defeats in both England and Australia over the last six months for South Africa.

But while Bavuma led his side to a comfortable 87-run win over the West Indies on Thursday, his own performance left much to be desired.

He earned the unwanted distinction of becoming the fourth player to get a pair of ducks on his test captaincy debut after Mark Taylor (Australia), Rashid Latif (Pakistan) and Habibul Bashar (Bangladesh).

Bavuma was dismissed second ball in the first innings and first ball in the second innings, which will fuel the debate over his place in the team and continuing to select a batsman who has scored a single century in 95 test innings.

But he was not the only failure with the bat as South Africa, who had won the toss, elected to bat and score 342 in the first innings only to wilt in the second innings and make 116.

It set the West Indies a target of 247 runs but they fell well short as the pace bowlers dominated the contest.

"We did not get many partnerships. The wicket did not get easier, there was variable bounce," said Bavuma.

"But our lead eventually proved to be a lot. The bowlers need to rest, it was a big effort from them. The batters need to get together and work on our game plan. We need to do better next time," he said after the victory.

Kagiso Rabada's six wicket haul in the second innings ensured victory inside three days for South Africa.

"It wasn't the best wicket," said the South African paceman, "but we made sure to keep up a good intensity and do well."

Rohit Sharma became the first player to hit five centuries in a single World Cup as India cantered to a seven-wicket win in their final World Cup group match against Sri Lanka yesterday.

The opener smashed 103 off 94 deliveries as semifinalists India chased down their target of 265 in 43.3 overs to end the group stage with seven wins, one defeat and a washout.

Sharma’s opening partner KL Rahul top-scored with 111 as the pair put on 189 runs for the first wicket to put India in complete command.

Man-of-the-match Sharma reached his milestone with a boundary off Kasun Rajitha to pass the mark set by Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara, who scored four hundreds at the 2015 tournament.

His century came off 92 balls, with 14 fours and two sixes.

Sharma was dismissed shortly afterwards, caught by Angelo Mathews off the bowling of Rajitha.

Known as the “hitman”, Sharma leads the current World Cup’s run-scoring charts with 647 runs in eight matches after hitting his third successive century.

“I’m just trying to go out there and do my job, I’m not thinking of milestones,” Sharma said.

“If I play well these things will happen on the way.

“I have learned from my mistakes in the past. I don’t go into a match thinking of hundreds. Every day is a new day.”

He is only the fourth batsman after Sachin Tendulkar, Matthew Hayden and Shakib Al Hasan to score more than 600 runs at a single World Cup.

Tendulkar, India’s all-time record run-scorer in one-day internationals, tweeted his praise for Sharma.

“3 consecutive 100s and 5 in a single @cricketworldcup is just phenomenal, Rohit,” Tendulkar wrote.

Rahul registered his first century of the tournament but was caught behind shortly before the end of the game off veteran paceman Lasith Malinga -- playing his final World Cup match -- after hitting 11 fours and one six.

Skipper Virat Kohli remained unbeaten on 34 and Hardik Pandya hit the winning runs to give India a chance of finishing above group leaders Australia, who are playing South Africa in Saturday’s later match at Old Trafford.

“We wanted to play good cricket but we didn’t expect to do this well heading in to the semis,” Kohli said.

“That’s what hard work gets you. I am really proud of this team as a captain, they are amazing people.

“More or less everything is set for the semis but we don’t want to be one-dimensional. We need balance in the side. We are very happy.

“England or New Zealand next? The opposition has never mattered. We don’t focus on what they bring to the table. If we play well we can beat anyone.”

Earlier, Mathews hit his third one-day international century and put on 124 runs for the fifth wicket with Lahiru Thirimanne (53) to give Sri Lanka a respectable total after they were reeling at 55-4.

Jasprit Bumrah returned impressive figures of 3-37 in his 10 overs as India, who had already qualified for the semifinals, restricted Sri Lanka with some quality  bowling.

The 1996 champions finished their World Cup campaign with three wins, four defeats and two games ending in no result.

Captain Dimuth Karunaratne said Sri Lanka would take stock as they try to build for the future.

“After this World Cup we have to think about what we have to do and what we got wrong. We will talk to the selectors and find some new talent,” he said.

Expectations were high ahead of the World Cup in England but upon the team’s return home yesterday, captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza spoke of his disappointment of not meeting their own expectations in the coveted tournament, although he lauded the poise from the youngsters.

Aside from Shakib Al Hasan, Mehedi Hasan Miraz, Sabbir Rahman and Liton Das, all of whom are currently on vacation, the rest of the Tigers departed from Heathrow Airport on July 6.

Following their quarterfinal exit in the 2015 edition, the Tigers left for the ongoing World Cup with high hopes of reaching the semifinals for the first time in history.

The accumulation of experience and the fact that the team won their first multi-nation tournament just ahead of the World Cup during a tri-series on their tour of Ireland, where they beat West Indies in the final, provided the team with impetus going into the showpiece event.

Expectations were further justified when they began their campaign with a win against South Africa. However, results did not go their way when it mattered most. Given the format, where all ten teams played each other in the group stage, it was always going to be a tough ask. Yet, the Tigers finished well below the expected mark, ending in eighth place after having targeted a semifinal berth.

“We went there with expectations and from that point of view it is disappointing. If we look at the whole World Cup and how we played, if some things went in our favour, we could have played the semifinals. Overall it was a positive experience but at the same time, the expectations were higher and from that point of view, it was disappointing,” Mashrafe told reporters yesterday upon his arrival at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka.

The close defeat to New Zealand and the washed out match against Sri Lanka certainly played a hand but Mashrafe took responsibility nevertheless.

“As a captain, when the team does not fulfil expectations, then I will have to accept criticism. Of course I am taking full responsibility and at the same time it is normal that there will be criticism anywhere in the world after a big tournament,” the inspirational skipper added.

While his disappointment was evident when he suggested that ‘the chips were down’ in crucial matches, Mashrafe spoke highly of the youngsters’ efforts and said they should not be blamed, adding that some could match the levels of the current Big Five.

“It’s always the young players who are particularly blamed. Those who are seniors now, they were young once and not as consistent as they are now. The youngsters now are playing with a level of consistency and under a kind of intense pressure that we did not have to face when we were young,” Mashrafe said, referencing younger players like Mohammad Saifuddin, Mehedi, Mustafizur and Liton Das.

“So, they cannot be blamed unilaterally. They tried very hard. It is a big stage and it is not easy to perform here. I am hoping that with more experience they will reach the levels shown by Shakib, Tamim, Mushfiqur and Riyad.”

Lack of consistency played a key role for the captain in their campaign, which could have ended differently. However, Shakib Al Hasan performed magnificently throughout the tournament and the captain duly credited his star all-rounder.

“Shakib was outstanding. Shakib, Mushfiqur [Rahim], Mustafizur and Saifuddin played outstanding cricket. The others performed less consistently. At some particular points we needed luck to be on our side but that did not happen.”

South Africa set a new record for chasing in international T20 cricket when they scored 259 for four to beat West Indies by six wickets at Centurion on Sunday.

Johnson Charles smashed a 39-ball century for the visitors as they posted an imposing 258 for five, the joint sixth-highest total in T20 internationals.

However, Quinton de Kock responded with 100 from 44 balls, a maiden T20 century, while fellow opener Reeza Hendricks hit 68.

Captain Aiden Markram (38) saw his side home with seven balls to spare.

The previous highest run chase was Bulgaria's 246 to beat Serbia in 2022 while Australia made 245 to beat New Zealand in 2018.

List of highest successful T20 international run chases after South Africa set a new record against West Indies on Sunday:

259/4 (18.5 overs): South Africa v West Indies, Centurion, March 26, 2023

246/4 (19.4 overs): Bulgaria v Serbia, Sofia, June 26, 2022

245/5 (18.5 overs): Australia v New Zealand, Auckland, February 16, 2018

236/6 (19.2 overs): West Indies v South Africa, Johannesburg, January 11, 2015

230/8 (19.4 overs): England v South Africa, Mumbai, March 18, 2016

229/4 (19.3 overs): Bulgaria v Serbia, Sofia, June 24, 2022

226/5 (19.1 overs): England v South Africa, Centurion, February 16, 2020

215/5 (19.4 overs): Bangladesh v Sri Lanka, Colombo, March 10, 2018

212/3 (19.1 overs): South Africa v India, Delhi, June 9, 2022

211/4 (19.1 overs): India v Sri Lanka, Mohali, December 12, 2009

211/6 (19.2 overs): Australia v India,  Mohali, September 20, 2022