Cricket World Cup 2015 Tables: Updated Groups and Latest Results on Feb. 27
South Africa (408/5) made a strong statement on Friday in their 257-run demolition of West Indies (151 all out), reminding everyone they remain among the favourites to win the 2015 Cricket World Cup.
Some may have written off the Proteas after their 130-run loss against defending champions India, but after what AB de Villiers and company did to the Windies, those people may quickly change their minds. Friday's win was a record-breaking one and a match that will be the talk of the town in the coming days.
South Africa move back in second place in Pool B with the win, just one spot behind India.
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Here's how the standings currently look:
| New Zealand | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | +3.586 | 602/87.1 | 498/150.0 |
| Sri Lanka | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | +0.047 | 801/148.2 | 803/150.0 |
| Australia | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | +2.220 | 342/50.0 | 231/50.0 |
| Bangladesh | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | +0.130 | 507/100.0 | 494/100.0 |
| Afghanistan | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -0.760 | 605/149.3 | 713/148.2 |
| England | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -1.415 | 657/150.0 | 651/112.2 |
| Scotland | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1.735 | 536/150.0 | 660/124.2 |
| India | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | +2.060 | 607/100.0 | 401/100.0 |
| South Africa | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | +1.260 | 924/150.0 | 735/150.0 |
| Ireland | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | +0.338 | 586/95.1 | 582/100.0 |
| West Indies | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | -0.313 | 1127/198.0 | 1164/193.5 |
| Zimbabwe | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -0.827 | 852/146.0 | 986/148.0 |
| United Arab Emirates | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -0.175 | 563/100.0 | 565/97.2 |
| Pakistan | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -2.260 | 384/100.0 | 610/100.0 |
West Indies did a solid job limiting the South African damage in the first 20 overs, but with De Villiers putting in another fantastic display with the bat and his team-mates soon following suit, things quickly got out of hand.
The last 20 overs turned into carnage, as the Proteas added 261 runs—a World Cup record, per ESPN Cricinfo's Sidharth Monga—with De Villiers leading the way, scoring 162 from 66 balls for the fastest 150 in ODI history, per BBC Sport:
The 31-year-old wasn't the only star performer on Friday, as Hashim Amla, Faf du Plessis and Rilee Rossouw all added over 60 runs to the total, but understandably, all eyes were on De Villiers.
His 162 runs would end up being more than the entire Windies team could manage in their innings, and per NBC Sports' Arlo White, he clearly likes playing the inconsistent squad:
The chase of 409 always looked next to impossible for West Indies, and when star man Chris Gayle was lost on just the fourth ball he faced, the floodgates opened. Just four players would score in double digits, with Jason Holder putting in the best knock with 56 from 48.
Imran Tahir feasted against a group of batsmen devoid of any hope, picking up five wickets and giving up 45 runs in 10 overs.
Holder's performance with the bat was a stark contrast to what he did with the ball, giving up a staggering 104 runs and taking a single wicket. Speaking to ESPN Cricinfo, he tried to put the performance behind him and focus on the clash with India:
"Did pretty well early on, keeping the run-rate down. But AB took the game away from us. If you take away his innings, it looked a totally different score. We dropped chances, and chasing 400 was always tough. But had we held on to some of those chances, we could have had 350 to chase and could have had the chance. Our death bowling need to be looked at. Just need to take the positives from today and go on to India. Need to put it behind us, but need to correct the errors moving forward. Still up for the quarter finals. Need to play good cricket.
"
West Indies have the quality to keep Zimbabwe, United Arab Emirates and Pakistan behind them in the standings, and it would be a shock if the squad didn't qualify for the next round. But inconsistencies continue to plague the team, and against the likes of South Africa and India, Windies look downright pedestrian.
This team doesn't look like a potential dark horse capable of shocking a top team from Pool A in the next round, as Windies cricket goes through one of its darkest periods in years.
The Proteas are starting to hit their stride and should continue building momentum toward the next round, having already played their toughest opponents on paper. The match against Ireland should be a fun one, but don't expect any upsets.
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