CHITTAGONG, Bangladesh – Stand-in skipper AB de Villiers and Hashim Amla scored aggressive half-centuries to propel South Africa to 196-5 in a World Twenty20 Super-10 match against England at Chittagong Saturday.
De Villiers, deputising for suspended Faf du Plessis, smashed a 28-ball 69 not out for his fifth T20 fifty while Amla scored a 37-ball 56 for his first after South Africa were put into bat at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury stadium.
De Villiers was ruthless in the final overs, taking 26 off Jade Dernbach's 18th over and reached his fifty with a towering six off just 23 balls.
In all he hit nine boundaries and three sixes to help South Africa post the highest total thus far in the tournament in an innings stopped twice for ten minutes each for floodlight failure.
South Africa managed 75 in the last five overs.
Amla and Quinton de Kock (29) helped South Africa to 90 without loss in the 11th over with the former in a punishing mood.
The bearded Amla hit six boundaries and two sixes before he was caught at deep mid-wicket off Stuart Broad.
South Africa made two changes from the line-up which beat the Netherlands in their last game, with Farhan Behardien and Wayne Parnell in for Du Plessis and Lonwabo Tsotsobe.
England remained unchanged from the side which upset Sri Lanka on Thursday.
New Zealand sent the Netherlands out of the tournament with a clinical six-wicket defeat earlier in the day.
India have already qualified for the semi-finals from Group Two. The top two teams from each group will advance to the last four.– Sapa-AFP