South Africa beats US, England defeats West Indies in Super Eight playoffs at the T20 World Cup

NORTH SOUND, Antigua (AP) — South Africa had to work hard to earn an 18-run win over the fast-improving United States in the opening game of the Super Eight at the Twenty20 World Cup on Wednesday.

Co-host the West Indies also lost it first match in the Super Eight stage Wednesday, beaten by eight wickets by defending champion England. Jack Salt scored 87 runs to lead England.

Andries Gous made an unbeaten 80 off 47 balls for the U.S. — against the country of his birth — to move atop the batting charts at the World Cup before South Africa restricted the Americans at 176-6.

Fast bowler Kagiso Rabada claimed 3-18 and spinner Keshav Maharaj got the prized wicket of U.S. captain Aaron Jones for a duck — no runs — to finish with 1-24.

Quinton de Kock had earlier made a rampant 74 off 40 balls and Heinrich Klaasen provided the perfect finish with 36 not out in the South African total of 194-4 after Jones won the toss and elected to field.

“Pretty happy with the performance as a whole," South Africa captain Aiden Markram said. “A couple of overs here and there we need to tidy up … but the wicket definitely changes and gets a bit slower."

De Kock and Markram (46 off 32 balls) dominated both spinners and the pacers as they raised a solid 110-run stand after Saurabh Netravalkar (2-21) had provided the early breakthrough by getting the wicket of Reeza Hendricks in his second over.

“We’ve had some tricky wickets so it was nice to spend sometime in the middle today,” de Kock said. “The USA put us under pressure towards the end. It was a great game.”

Netravalkar, who bowled a sensational Super Over in the United States’ historic win over heavyweights Pakistan in the group stage, struck immediately in his return spell when Markram was brilliantly caught by diving Ali Khan at deep backward point off a full pitched ball.

But Klaasen used all his T20 experience in the last five overs and struck three sixes while Tristan Stubbs also hit two fours in his 16-ball unbeaten 20 which lifted the South Africa total.

“Hard to take a defeat after coming so close,” Jones said. “We did lack discipline in the bowling at times, (but) once we play good cricket we can beat any team in the world. We need to be a lot more disciplined.”

At Gros Islet, St Lucia, Salt carried his bat for 87 and Jonny Bairstow made an unbeaten 48 as defending champion England beat the West Indies by eight wickets in a match between two-time World Cup champions.

It was the West Indies’ first loss of the tournament and their first defeat in eight Twenty20 internationals.

The West Indies made 180-4 batting first on the same pitch on which they made 218-5 against Afghanistan in the final match of the group stage on Monday.

The fireworks came at the end and from England as Salt made his 87 runs from 47 balls with seven fours and five sixes and Bairstow added his 48 from 26 deliveries. England reached 181-2 with 15 balls to spare.

Salt provided a solid foundation for the England run chase, initially in a 67-run opening partnership with Jos Buttler.

Salt scored 30 runs — three sixes and three fours — from the 16th over bowled by Romario Shepherd.

“I’m not looking too far ahead at the minute, just glad that I could contribute to a good team win,” Salt said. “It was a little bit tougher in the middle overs with the spin."

The pitch may have been a little slower than on Monday but England captain Buttler also used his bowlers well and the West Indies innings included 50 dot balls.

A capacity crowd in the first night match of the Super Eight stage was out to party but the match really didn’t come alive until the end.

The West Indies started well but were disrupted in the six-over power play by the loss of Brandon King who retired hurt after 4.3 overs with a side or groin strain. King had just hit the first six of the match, a 103-meter (338-foot) blow that flew over the grandstand and out of the stadium.

He made 23 from 13 balls and was setting the early pace of the innings when he was forced to retire with the West Indies at 40-0. There was no immediate word on the seriousness of King's injury.

“Credit has to be given to the England bowling unit. You can see they had clear plans and executed them well,” West Indies captain Rovman Powell said.

AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket

England players celebrate the dismissal of West Indies' Andre Russell during the men's T20 World Cup cricket match between England and the West Indies at Darren Sammy National Cricket Stadium, Gros Islet, St Lucia, Wednesday, June 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

England's Phil Salt bats during the men's T20 World Cup cricket match between England and the West Indies at Darren Sammy National Cricket Stadium, Gros Islet, St Lucia, Wednesday, June 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

West Indies' Johnson Charles bats during the men's T20 World Cup cricket match between England and the West Indies at Darren Sammy National Cricket Stadium, Gros Islet, St Lucia, Wednesday, June 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

West Indies' Sherfane Rutherford bats during the men's T20 World Cup cricket match between England and the West Indies at Darren Sammy National Cricket Stadium, Gros Islet, St Lucia, Wednesday, June 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

England's Phil Salt bats during the men's T20 World Cup cricket match between England and the West Indies at Darren Sammy National Cricket Stadium, Gros Islet, St Lucia, Wednesday, June 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

South Africa's Quinton de Kock plays a shot during the ICC Men's T20 World Cup cricket match between the United States and South Africa at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in North Sound, Antigua and Barbuda, Wednesday, June 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)

South Africa's captain Aiden Markram, left, fist bumps with batting partner Quinton de Kock during the ICC Men's T20 World Cup cricket match between the United States and South Africa at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in North Sound, Antigua and Barbuda, Wednesday, June 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)

South Africa's Tristan Stubbs plays a shot during the ICC Men's T20 World Cup cricket match between the United States and South Africa at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in North Sound, Antigua and Barbuda, Wednesday, June 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)

United States' Steven Taylor plays a shot during the ICC Men's T20 World Cup cricket match between the United States and South Africa at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in North Sound, Antigua and Barbuda, Wednesday, June 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)

South Africa's Anrich Nortje, left, celebrates with teammates after the dismissal of United States' Corey Anderson during the ICC Men's T20 World Cup cricket match between the United States and South Africa at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in North Sound, Antigua and Barbuda, Wednesday, June 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)

United States' Harmeet Singh reacts after his dismissal during the ICC Men's T20 World Cup cricket match between the United States and South Africa at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in North Sound, Antigua and Barbuda, Wednesday, June 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)

United States' Andries Gous, right, bats during the ICC Men's T20 World Cup cricket match between the United States and South Africa at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in North Sound, Antigua and Barbuda, Wednesday, June 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)

United States' Andries Gous, left, and batting partner Harmeet Singh celebrate scoring runs during the ICC Men's T20 World Cup cricket match between the United States and South Africa at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in North Sound, Antigua and Barbuda, Wednesday, June 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)

England's Jofra Archer, centre, warms up ahead of the men's T20 World Cup cricket match between England and the West Indies at Darren Sammy National Cricket Stadium, Gros Islet, St Lucia, Wednesday, June 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

South Africa's Kagiso Rabada, left, listens to captain Aiden Markram before bowling his next delivery during the ICC Men's T20 World Cup cricket match between the United States and South Africa at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in North Sound, Antigua and Barbuda, Wednesday, June 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)

CAIRO (AP) — Human rights experts working for the United Nations on Wednesday accused Sudan’s warring parties of using starvation as a war weapon, amid mounting warnings about imminent famine in the African nation.

Sudan plunged into chaos in April last year when simmering tensions between the country’s military and a notorious paramilitary group, the Rapid Support Forces, exploded into open fighting in the capital, Khartoum and elsewhere in the country.

Fourteen months of fighting have killed more than 14,000 people and wounded 33,000 others, according to the United Nations, but rights activists say the toll could be much higher.

There were widespread reports of rampant sexual violence and other atrocities that rights groups say amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity. The conflict created the world’s largest displacement crisis with over 11 million people forced to flee their homes.

“Both the SAF and the RSF are using food as a weapon and starving civilians,” the experts said, using initials for the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces. “The extent of hunger and displacement we see in Sudan today is unprecedented and never witnessed before,” they said.

Neither the military nor the RSF returned phone calls seeking comment.

The experts warned that famine has become imminent in the country as humanitarian aid has been blocked and harvest season was disrupted because of the war. They added that more than 25 million civilians in Sudan and those who fled the country are being starved and need urgent humanitarian assistance.

A report by Clingendael Institute said last month that around 2.5 million people in Sudan could die from hunger by the end of September, with about 15% of the population in the regions of Darfur and Kordofan being likely the worst affected.

The independent experts said local efforts in response to Sudan's hunger crisis have been hampered by unprecedented violence and targeted attacks on civil society and local responders. Dozens of activists and local volunteers have been arrested, threatened and prosecuted in recent weeks, they said.

“The deliberate targeting of humanitarian workers and local volunteers has undermined aid operations, putting millions of people at further risk of starvation,” they said. “Local responders are risking their health and lives and working across battle lines.”

They urged both sides to “stop blocking, looting and exploiting humanitarian assistance.”

The experts are part of the Special Procedures, which is the largest body of independent experts in the United Nations Human Rights system.

The fighting has in recent months centered around el-Fasher, the capital city of North Darfur province, trapping hundreds of thousands of civilians. At least 143,000 people have been forced to flee el-Fasher over the past three months, according to the U.N.

The U.N.’s Security Council earlier this month demanded the RSF to immediately end its siege of the city, which is the military’s last stronghold in the sprawling Darfur region.

Follow AP’s Africa coverage at: https://apnews.com/hub/africa

FILE - Sudanese Children suffering from malnutrition are treated at an MSF clinic in Metche Camp, Chad, near the Sudanese border, on April 6, 2024. Human rights experts working for the United Nations, Wednesday June 26, 2024 accused Sudan’s warring parties of using starvation as a war weapon, amid mounting warnings about imminent famine in the African nation. Sudan plunged into chaos in April last year when simmering tensions between the country’s military and a notorious paramilitary group, the Rapid Support Forces, exploded into open fighting in the capital, Khartoum and elsewhere in the country. (AP Photo/Patricia Simon, File)

FILE - Sudanese soldiers from the Rapid Support Forces unit, led by Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, the deputy head of the military council, secure the area where Dagalo attends a military-backed tribe's rally, in the East Nile province, Sudan, on June 22, 2019. Human rights experts working for the United Nations on Wednesday, June 26, 2024 accused Sudan’s warring parties of using starvation as a war weapon, amid mounting warnings about imminent famine in the African nation. Sudan plunged into chaos in April last year when simmering tensions between the country’s military and a notorious paramilitary group, the Rapid Support Forces, exploded into open fighting in the capital, Khartoum and elsewhere in the country. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla, File)