NICE TO GET SOME RUNS, SAYS DE KOCK AS PROTEAS EDGE USA

The Proteas required all the experience of Quinton de Kock and Kagiso Rabada to help their team to an 18-run victory over the USA in Antigua on Wednesday.

The pair hauled out their best performances at this ICC Men's T20 World Cup to date with Durban's Super Giants star De Kock smashing 74 off 40 balls (7x4, 5x6) to power the Proteas to 194/4 - their highest total of the competition - before Rabada kept the US reply in check with figures of 3/18.

In the absence of Sunrisers Eastern Cape death specialist Ottniel Baartman, who was omitted to accommodate both spinners Keshav Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi, it was MI Cape Town's Rabada that was tasked with delivering the all-important penultimate over.

By that stage the US were in the readying themselves for another stunning upset, having already accounted for 2009 champions Pakistan in the group stages, with South African-born Andries Gous (80 not out of 47 balls, 5x4, 5x6) and Harmeet Singh leading the charge.

But with the target reduced to an attainable 28 off the final 12 deliveries, Rabada stepped up and showed all his class.

The big fast bowler had already claimed the first two wickets of the innings when he removed the dangerous Stephen Taylor and Nitish Kumar in his opening spell and now once again delivered the decisive breakthrough when he had Harmeet Singh caught on the leg-side boundary to effectively end the US’s gallant challenge.

“The USA have been chasing well and that's the reason why they chose to bowl first. I must commend our batting lineup, especially Quinton. And at the end of the day, we got a respectable total on the board, or more than a respectable total on the board, which gave us an opportunity to put them under pressure with the ball,” Rabada said.

“We got a couple of early wickets and then Andries batted extremely well and gave them a good chance and they came close in the end.”

With the Proteas finally being afforded a decent batting surface at the Sir Viv Stadium - named in honour of the legendary West Indian “Master Blaster” - De Kock and Co. took full advantage.

De Kock kick started the innings by taking 28 runs, which included three consecutive sixes, off Jasdeep Singh to ignite the Powerplay.

This freed up the Proteas skipper Aiden Markram at the other end as he too rediscovered his touch.

Markram hauled out his trademark square drive to race to 46 off 32 balls as the pair shared a partnership of 110 runs for the second wicket off only 60 balls. 

Although Paarl Royals skipper David Miller suffered a rare failure when he chipped his first delivery straight back to Harmeet Singh immediately after De Kock’s dismissal, the Proteas still had enough firepower remaining in the sheds with DSG’s finisher Heinrich Klaasen (36 not out off 22 balls) and SEC’s Tristan Stubbs (20 not off 16 balls) compiling a rapid 53-run partnership off the final 30 deliveries.

“There have been a few tricky wickets, nice to spend time out there. 

“Nice for me and the rest of the guys to get out here and get some runs next to our names.

“USA put us under pressure, it was a great game,” De Kock said.

The victory over the US was the Proteas' fifth consecutive of their T20 World Cup campaign and all-important first of the Super Eight phase of the competition.

Their next Super Eight challenge will be against defending champions England in St Lucia on Friday.