Unbeaten India, South Africa clash in grand final

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC):

The two unbeaten teams in the ICC Twenty20 World Cup will meet in today’s grand final at storied Kensington Oval, bringing an end to the 26-day spectacle which has engulfed the region.

South Africa will be chasing their first-ever T20 World Cup title and first-ever global honour after managing to make the knockout stages of major competitions over the last two decades and failing to get over the final hurdle.

India, meanwhile, are seeking their second T20 World title following their capture of the inaugural one 17 years ago, and their first global title since winning the 50-over World Cup 13 years ago, when they co-hosted the tournament with Sri Lanka.

The Asian powerhouses will enter the contest as favourites, especially on the backs of their 68-run crushing of dethroned champions England in Thursday’s second semifinal at the Guyana National Stadium.

“I think it’s good that we are consistent and playing good cricket,” said India coach Rahul Dravid.

“For many years, especially in the last year, being number one in all three formats, playing in the finals, is a good thing. It gives a lot of credit to the boys, a lot of boys who are Test cricketers, who are our one-day players and also our T20 players.

“So Indian cricket has shown a lot of consistency and it is a very happy thing. And … if we play well and if we have the rub of the green, then we will win.”

Captain Rohit Sharma and the fast bowling duo of Jasprit Bumrah and Arsheep Singh have been India’s talismen throughout their dominant campaign.

Rohit has gathered 248 runs at an average of 41 and a strike rate of 155 while left-armer Arshdeep has led the bowling with 15 wickets, with Bumrah picking up 14 and left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav, 10.

South Africa’s bowling has been their strong suit, with speedster Anrich Nortje (13), veteran seamer Kagiso Rabada (12) and left-arm spinner Tabraiz Shamsi (11) proving match-winners.

Left-handed opener Quinton de Kock has led their batting with 204 runs at an average of 25 but instructively, no other batsman has passed 150 runs for the tournament.

And captain Aiden Markram conceded yesterday that the tournament had been a difficult one for batsmen.

“It’s been tough as a batter but I suppose either way, as a captain – whether it’s batting or bowling friendly – it’s your unit that’s putting performances in for you to get the wins,” Markram said.

“Or if they’re doing their job like they have been, you’re pretty happy as a captain. So I suppose it’s been nice for the bowlers.

“I think T20 cricket as a whole throughout the world now has pretty much been a batter-friendly game, so I guess it’s been nice to see for the bowlers, and something nice for the bowlers to work with.

“But from a batting point of view, it’s been pretty challenging.”

South Africa also enjoyed an impressive semifinal, thrashing Afghanistan by nine wickets at the Brian Lara Stadium in Trinidad, after dismissing the Asian side for a paltry 56.

The two teams will be meeting in an ICC final for the first time, the match set to bowl off at 9:30 a.m. (Jamaica time).

SQUADS: India – Rohit Sharma (captain), Hardik Pandya, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Siraj

South Africa – Aiden Markram (captain), Ottniel Baartman, Gerald Coetzee, Quinton de Kock, Bjorn Fortuin, Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, David Miller, Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tabraiz Shamsi, Tristan Stubbs

Umpires: Christopher Gaffaney, Richard Illingworth; TV – Richard Kettleborough.