South Africa defeated Zimbabwe in the grand finale of the T20I Tri-Series to lift the silverware at Namibia Cricket Ground in Windhoek on Sunday, September 6.
Delving into the details of the game, South Africa batted first and posted an imposing total of 205/5 in 20 overs. Jordan Hermann was the top scorer, amassing 52 runs in 29 balls with eight fours and a six.
In response, Zimbabwe got bundled out for 157 runs in 18 overs. Brad Evans’ 56-run unbeaten knock off 31 balls went in vain. Duan Jansen scalped a match-winning three-wicket haul while captain Bjorn Fortuin also shone with a three-fer.
On that note, let’s take a look at who said what after SA vs ZIM, Tri-Series Final.
Bjorn Fortuin, SA captain:
[On winning the final] A very good way to end the series. I think the most pleasing thing was seeing different guys stand up at different times. We saw Jordan (Hermann) do that for the team today, and it’s also a team in good stead going into the future. [How was your outing here in Namibia?] It’s always nice to come back and not be reminded of the past losses every time, but it’s a lovely place to play cricket. We love the crowds that come out here, and hopefully we can spend some more time here in the future. [What stood out for you today?] Just like I mentioned earlier, just another guy standing up and putting in a performance for the team. We don’t want to be one of those teams where we’re too dependent and too reliant on two or three players. So to see another guy stand up and put in a performance was the highlight.
Sikandar Raza, Zimbabwe captain:
[On the tri-series] It has been an overall (a good) outing. It’s been good to be here and play some good cricket. The only downside to that is I felt like we took two steps forward and a step back, and that’s something that’s really hurtful. [Where did Zimbabwe fall short today?] I think we missed out on a lot of boxes. South Africa showed us how to bowl on that wicket. You cannot tell me the wicket got better in the second innings. South Africa was a great example of how to bowl on a wicket like that. Unfortunately, we didn’t bowl as well as we should have, and then to top it off, I thought when we came out to bat as well, we just didn’t capitalise. We didn’t give ourselves a chance to do the right things, and suddenly we got ourselves on the back foot and we lost the game. [On lower-order putting up a fight] A lot of inspiration can surely be drawn from Brad Evans, Matigimu, as well as Nyamhuri showing a lot of character there towards the end. Our tail has been scoring a lot of runs as well, and you can take a lot of heart in that as well, but that doesn’t mean the top order or the middle order don’t do their jobs. Imagine if you can set the platform for these guys, then they can surely win us the game. Unfortunately, we haven’t given them the platform. They keep coming, scoring all those valuable runs that make us take to some respectable total, but still I feel like that’s not good enough from all of us.
Jordan Hermann, Player of the Match:
[Everything came together in the final?] Yes, I think it’s a very good performance from us. It’s pretty tough to bring back the win. [On his brother Rubin Hermann] I always pray the best for him, and I think he does the same for me. So, it’s never a competition. I’m just glad that he can perform as well.
