Crowd trouble cannot stop South Africa wrapping up series with win in Cuttack

05 October 2015 05:47

Crowd trouble marred South Africa's six-wicket win over India in Cuttack which secured victory in the T20 series.

The tourists took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the best of three series despite the match twice being halted when spectators threw bottles on to the field of play.

South Africa, who had won the opening game in the three-match series by seven wickets in Dharamsala, were on course for a comfortable win after dismissing the home side for 92.

Albie Morkel claimed three wickets and Chris Morris and Imran Tahir two each, Rohit Sharma and Suresh Raina both making 22 as only two other India batsmen reached double figures.

South Africa replied with 96 for four off 17.1 overs, with JP Duminy top scoring on 30 and Ravichandran Ashwin taking three wickets.

Shikhar Dhawan was the first Indian batsman to depart, falling for 11 when he was trapped leg before wicket by Morris with the home side's total on 28.

South Africa struck again in the next over and Morris again had a part to play.

Virat Kohli worked a full-toss away to deep midwicket but was not ready for the call for a second run from Sharma and was run out for the single he had already taken.

Kohli was well short of his ground to a throw from Morris and AB de Villiers whipped off the bails.

India lost their third wicket, again to a run out, with the total on 43 when Sharma (22) was dismissed by David Miller's direct hit.

Four balls later India Kagiso Rabada bowled Ambati Rayudu for a duck, MS Dhoni edged a wide delivery from Morkel to De Villiers, before Raina fell to Tahir when the batsman presented a simple catch to Hashim Amla at cover.

It was 69 for seven when Harbhajan Singh fell to his first ball from the next delivery, a successive googly from Tahir claiming another victim.

India lost two more wickets in the 16th, Morkel having Axel Patel caught by Faf du Plessis at midwicket and then two balls later bowling Bhuvneshwar Kumar for a duck.

Morris finished off the India innings when he bowled Ashwin for 11 off the second ball of the 18th over to remove the home side for what looked like an under par 92.

Ashwin did his best to stop South Africa reaching their modest target when he claimed the wickets of Amla, du Plessis and De Villiers before the crowd made their first intervention.

The first halt came after 11 overs but after a short delay play was resumed only for the crowd to become restless once more and the players to leave the field until order had been restored.

Play eventually resumed after nearly half an hour and South Africa lost a fourth wicket with the total 76 when Farhaan Behardien fell leg before to Patel.

There were no more problems for South Africa as Duminy and Miller saw them to victory in the match and the series.

Source: PA