ICC T20 World Cup 2016: England vs South Africa - 5 Talking Points

South Africa began their search for the elusive World title against an England side which had just come out on the wrong end of a Gayle Storm. A raucous crowd cheered both teams at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai as Eoin Morgans men faced a must-win contest.Perhaps highlighting the faith shown in the squad, they went in with an unchanged eleven. Despite succumbing to Australias aggression in their previous T20I assignment, the Proteas were confident after beating hosts India in a warm-up match at the same venue.It all appeared to go pear-shaped for England as Quinton de Kock and Hashim Amla ran riot to plunder 83 runs from the Power Play. Though the spinners brought them back with a couple of breakthroughs, Morgan struggled to control the relentlessness of the South African batting lineup.But, the England batsmen started off with a bang to turn the tables on the Proteas. An unbelievable pursuit was made to look easy as Morgans side pulled off the highest chase in World T20 history. Lets take a look at the five memorable moments of the engrossing encounter which never fade away like the Axe Signature.

#1 Quinton de Kock makes a mockery of the England bowlers

Quinton de Kock’s explosive start proved too much for England’s bowlers

When the first over came to an end, not a lot of people would have anticipated the carnage that was about to follow. Quinton de Kock began to annihilate the England attack with an array of powerful strokes.

The wicket-keeper batsman took 15 from a Reece Topley over and went further by carting David Willey for a staggering 20-run over. Morgan’s bewildered reaction summed up the day perfectly as England’s fielders wilted under the enormous pressure heaped upon them.

De Kock soon brought up the joint-fastest half-century by a South African when he whipped Adil Rashid for a brilliantly executed boundary. Though the 23-year old holed out to Alex Hales at mid-wicket, his maiden T20I fifty at a remarkable strike-rate of 216.66 had inflicted irreparable damage on an inexperienced bowling unit.

#2 Moeen Ali outsmarts Hashim Amla

Moeen Ali’s timely dismissal of Hashim Amla helped pull things back

Hashim Amla had looked in ominous form and was well on course for breaching the 100-mark before Moeen Ali was introduced into the attack. The South African was initially circumspect against the seemingly inncuous off-spin of Ali.

But, he soon opened up and deposited a loopy delivery into the stands to bring up another half-century. A promising battle was developing between the two attractive cricketers even as England was grappling with the onslaught.

The Birmingham-born Ali had the last laugh when he snared the veteran batsman with a faster one. Amla was trapped by the late hint of turn and had to walk back after a stunning knock while the England bowlers breathed a sigh of relief.

#3 JP Duminy stamps his authority

Ben Stokes showed his frustration as Duminy aggravated England’s woes

When JP Duminy walked in to bat, the damage had already been done with the scorecard reading 133/3 from 11.5 overs. If Morgan thought that his day cannot get worse, he was in for some more agony.

The classy left-hander was confidence personified as he started to feast on a demoralized outfit. He was also helped to some extent that Joe Root was introduced into the attack after the front-line bowlers had been blown away.

Alongside David Miller at the other end, Duminy provided the knockout punch to take the match further away from England. Reece Topley bore the brunt of his fury while Chrish Jordan also found the going tough.

His 28-ball 54 ensured that South Africa had as many as 229 runs to play with.

#4 England openers return the favour

Jason Roy treated the likes of Dale Steyn and Kagiso Rabada with disdain

Faced with a required run-rate of more than 11, the opening combination of Jason Roy and Alex Hales put on a rousing display of ball-striking. Kagiso Rabada’s opening over went for 21 runs as England unleashed all their anger.

Roy was at the forefront by looting four boundaries off the promising pacer. On the other hand, the vicious Dale Steyn watched in disbelief as Kyle Abbott offered a reprieved to Hales who capitalized on it to help England motor to 44/0 from the first two overs.

But, Abbott made amends by picking up Hales with a pin-point yorker. The bustling seamer followed up by inducing a faulty scoop from Roy who could only find the wicket-keeper’s gloves.

Though both batsmen were dismissed inside the Power Play, they had lit-up the Wankhede Stadium with their stunning performance. Roy, in particular, packed quite a punch.

#5 Root inspires England to a spectacular heist

Joe Root’s knock orchestrated a miraculous victory for England

In an admirable manner, the England middle-order blossomed at the right time to revive their campaign. After the platform laid by the openers, Joe Root took charge by asserting his dominance over the South African bowlers.

Supported by Stokes and Buttler, the star batsman utilized his calm temperament to negotiate the tricky part of the innings. Despite wickets falling at the other end, Root stood firm to resusciate the chase.

He scored 83 from just 44 balls in an enterprising knock which also included 4 sixes and 6 fours to help England pull the rug under South Africa’s feet. When their innings began, very few would have given them the chance to reach the target.

However, the England batsmen just dazzled their way past the Proteas on a high-scoring night in Mumbai. Amidst some nervous final moments, Ali hit the winning runs to seal a memorable victory for his team.