Jansen sparks celebration as Proteas win another thriller to reach semis

While all around him were losing their heads, Marco Jansen kept his. With five runs needed off the last over, Jansen slapped the first ball by West Indies fast bowler Obed McCoy for a straight six, securing a semifinal spot for the Proteas in the T20 World Cup.

As has been the case for the Proteas throughout the tournament, victory on Monday night (early hours of Sunday in South Africa) — by three wickets — was achieved with many heart palpitations along the way. There was rain, a reduced target, hope raised through a 20-run blitz by Heinrich Klaasen, then a collapse that included plenty of silly options by the Proteas batters — and then there was Jansen.

Before him there was Rabada, who channelled his inner Brian Lara to crack a thunderous cover drive off the last ball of the penultimate over from Roston Chase that scorched the outfield on its way to the boundary for four.

Before then, the collapse — a dreadful period of play in which David Miller, Tristan Stubbs and Keshav Maharaj panicked, keeping West Indies in the game and the crowd, who’d stayed at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in North Sound, Antigua well past midnight, raucously engaged.

“It was quite nervy at the end, but that has been the theme of our tournament,” Tabraiz Shamsi said.

He played a crucial role in the Proteas’ dominance of the first half of the match, picking up 3/27 as part of a bold strategy by Aiden Markram to bowl spin for most of the West Indies innings.

After winning the toss, the choice to field paid immediate dividends with Jansen having Shai Hope caught in the covers by Tristan Stubbs off the third ball of the match.

Markram bowled the second over, which would have come as a surprise to the West Indies, though it wasn’t shock that caused Nicholas Pooran’s downfall. Rather, wanting to dominate Markram he charged at the Proteas captain’s first ball, slogging him to long off where Jansen took an easy catch.

South Africa missed the opportunity to press home the early advantage, with Roston Chase, on 11, and Kyle Mayers, on 12, dropped in the power play. The pair added 83 runs in their third-wicket partnership, providing stability and a platform from which their powerful middle order should have thrived.

Markram bowled his four overs in a single spell and used Maharaj for one over in the power play, bringing on Shamsi only at the halfway stage of the West Indies innings. It was a smart strategy, using the conditions, and spreading those overs for as long as possible.

The Proteas bowled 12 overs of spin, with the trio finishing with combined figures of 5/79, with 32 dot balls. It also meant Rabada, who was involved in a horrible collision with Jansen in the sixth over — with both attempting to catch a straight hit from Mayers — only bowled the 18th and 20th overs.

The vital wicket of Andre Russell came via a run-out, the timing of which was crucial for the Proteas. Russell blasted him for two sixes, but Anrich Nortjé had his revenge, with a direct hit in the next over as Russell scrambled to get on strike.

Though a target of 136 was challenging given the conditions and spin bowlers available to West Indies, had Russell stayed until the end, the target could easily have been closer to 160.

As it was, the rain, which delayed the match for more than an hour, saw that target reduced to 123 off 17 overs and despite the loss of both opening batters in the second over to Russell, Markram believed the pitch played easier after the break and South Africa should have managed the chase better.

“We thought the wicket played nicely and we probably didn’t take care of the little partnerships,” he said.

It was Klaasen smashing Gudakesh Motie for 20 in the seventh over which seemed to wrest control of the game for the Proteas, but it wouldn’t be in keeping with how this tournament has unfolded for them if there wasn’t drama.

Alzarri Joseph bowled a superb spell and he and Russell dried up the runs, creating pressure that Miller, Stubbs and Maharaj all succumbed to.

But then came Rabada. And then there was Jansen. And a place in the semifinal was secured.

“By hook or by crook, we’ve got over the line — it’s been the story of our tournament,” Markram said.