Tight bowling and disciplined ground fielding can make even a low total difficult to chase down in T20 cricket. That’s what South Africa showed against Australia in the opening game of the T20 World Cup Super 12 stage in Abu Dhabi on Saturday.

Australia huffed and puffed in their response to South Africa’s total of 118/9, scrambling home with two balls and five wickets to spare at the Zayed Cricket Stadium.

If not for the calmness of Marcus Stoinis (24 not out) and wicketkeeper-batsman Matthew Wade (15 not out)’s improvisation, South Africa could well have successfully defended one of the lowest totals in T20I cricket.

For sure, had the Proteas managed to eke out even 10-15 more runs on a pitch where strokeplay didn’t seem too easy, something evident during the recently-concluded IPL too, they could well have had the Australians further under the pump.

In fact, barring Aiden Markram’s 40 and Kagiso Rabada (19 not out), none of the other South African batsmen could get going. However, credit goes to the Australian bowlers as well, particularly Josh Hazlewood (2/19), who continued from where he had finished off in the IPL.

Bowling the Test match length continued to reap rewards for him, though he was a tad lucky with the scalp of Quinton de Kock, which was a freak dismissal. Equally good were Adam Zampa (2/21) and Pat Cummins (1/17), adjusting accordingly with the conditions and giving little chance to batsmen to free their arms.

The current form of Australia’s top order was a concern anyhow, and rival skipper Temba Bavuma unleashed the in-form Anrich Nortje and Kagiso Rabada against openers Aaron Finch and David Warner. Both Nortje and Rabada vindicated their captain’s faith in them, accounting for Finch and Warner, respectively.

Warner, dropped from the playing XI by his IPL side Sunrisers Hyderabad, again fell cheaply, getting only 14.

Having Australia at 38/3 in the eighth over, South Africa were right back in the game. But the fourth-wicket stand of 42 between Steve Smith (35) and Glenn Maxwell (18) took Australia closer.

South Africa managed to hang in there after Markram took a blinder at the deep that got rid of Smith, with Nortje picking up his second wicket. But the equation still wasn’t really intimidating for the Aussies. Stoinis and Wade then held their nerves to help Australia cross the line.