Proteas fall short again after crushing defeat to Black Caps at T20 World Cup

New Zealand players celebrate the wicket of South Africa’s Ryan Rickelton during the T20 World Cup semifinal in Kolkata on Wednesday. Picture: Pankaj Nangia/Getty Images A limited overs world title continued to elude South Africa after the Proteas were thumped by New Zealand in their T20 World Cup semifinal in Kolkata on Wednesday. Set a target of 170 runs to win,New Zealandhad no trouble after getting off to a spectacular start in their chase, with opening batters Finn Allen and Tim Seifert racking up 83 runs in the powerplay.

Seifert was eventually bowled by speedsterKagiso Rabadamidway through the innings, after contributing 58 off 33, but the damage had already been done with the Black Caps pair sharing 117 runs for the first wicket. Allen, who raced to a 19-ball half-century, went on to finish unbeaten on 100 runs off just 33 balls, guiding his team to 173/1 as they earned a nine-wicket victory with more than seven overs remaining. His ton was the the third fastest scored in T20 International cricket, as Allen set a New Zealand record for the quickest century in the short format by a Black Caps player.

Earlier, after being sent in to bat,the Proteasstruggled to get going as spin bowler Cole McConchie removed top-order batters Quinton de Kock and Ryan Rickelton with successive deliveries in the second over. And while in-form captainAiden Markramlooked like he might lead a recovery effort, he was controversially dismissed for 18 runs in the eighth over. Markram, who was dropped by Rachin Ravindra when he was on three, was later given out when the third umpire declared he had been caught by Daryl Mitchell off a Ravindra delivery in the eighth over, though replays suggested the ball had bounced before Mitchell got his hands under it.

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Following the skipper’s dismissal, the Proteas found themselves in real trouble at 77/5, and they relied on a quickfire 55 not out off 30 balls down the order by Marco Jansen, who carried them to a respectable 169/8 in their 20 overs. It was a career best for the lanky all-rounder, who hit his second T20 International half-century, and while middle-order batters Dewald Brevis (34) and Tristan Stubbs (29) also made contributions, it was Jansen who kept them in the hunt. McConchie (2/9), Ravindra (2/29) and seam bowler Matt Henry (2/34) grabbed two wickets each for the Black Caps, and though Mitchell Santner did not grab a scalp, he gave away only 25 runs in his four overs to help keep the pressure on the SA team.

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