In another low-scoring thriller at the T20 World Cup in New York on Monday, South Africa held their nerve to defeat Bangladesh by just four runs. Spinner Keshav Maharaj was fortunate to defend 11 runs in the penultimate over.
South Africa emerged victorious in the World Cup for the third time in a row, and they were the first side to advance to the Super Eight round.
South Africa defended the lowest total in T20 World Cup history when Bangladesh could not chase down 114.
Bangladesh battled bravely till the very end, riding on hard blows from Mahmudullah (20) and Towhid Hridoy (37), but was unable to deliver the game-winning blow in the 20th over. The match saw fortunes swing from one side to the other.
Mahmudullah was caught on the edge on the long-on boundary by South Africa captain Aiden Markram off Keshav Maharaj, who was the country’s most successful bowler with stats of 3/27. Six runs were needed off the final two balls.
While Markram calmly ran to his right and took the catch aloft, inches inside the ropes at long-on, to dash Bangladesh’s hopes, Mahmudullah smacked the full toss straight down the ground.
Bangladesh’s batters finished on 109/7 and lost by a slim margin of four runs after failing to capitalize on three full tosses in the last over, which was Maharaj’s fault.
With 31 needed from 30 balls and six wickets, Bangladesh appeared to be winning. Still, South Africa’s bowlers displayed excellent control by giving up just one boundary in the final few overs, pressuring the batters to take needless chances.
Kagiso Rabada (2/19) and Marco Jansen (0/17) provided solid support, while Anrich Nortje (2/17) continued to use his form to the fullest.
Choosing to bat on what has proven to be a challenging surface at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York, South Africa, has rallied to record 113/6.
Despite striking a few fours, Tanzid Hasan (9) was out of the game early in the run chase, and neither Litton Das (9 off 13) nor their captain Najmul Hossain Shanto (14 off 23) could convert any early wickets.
When the right-armer bowled one short and the Bangladesh all-rounder mishit to loft one high into the sky, Nortje’s pace also defeated Shakib Al Hasan (3).
Bangladesh, who were struggling at 50/4, forged an outstanding partnership with Mahmudullah and Towhid Hridoy, who put on 44 runs for the fifth wicket to get their team very near to the finish line.
Hridoy, starting with a six, managed to withstand the strain while Mahmudullah was around. The duo demonstrated that the wicket truly offers rewards for those who could adjust their strategy by consistently cutting the target with shrewd strike rotation and picking up the odd boundary.
Before Hridoy was removed leg-before-before off Rabada in the eighteenth over, Bangladesh appeared to be coasting towards the goal.
Earlier, Bangladesh could limit South Africa to a score below average because of the outstanding performances of pacers Tanzim Hasan Sakib and Taskin Ahmed in favorable circumstances.
Together with Taskin (2/19), Tanzim (3/18) and Mustafizur (0/18) well navigated the Proteas top order, as Bangladesh delivered a collective display despite fierce opposition from Heinrich Klaasen (46) and David Miller (29).
With a 79-run partnership for the fifth wicket, Klaasen and Miller attempted to overturn South Africa after a shaky start. Still, they could never truly get going on a two-paced track that the Bangladeshi spinners were also controlling.
In his initial burst, Tanzim struck three times, leaving South Africa reeling at 23/4 after five overs.
Following an aggressive opening exchange in which Quinton de Kock (18) smashed the pace bowler for a four and a six, Tanzim immediately corrected his length and line, striking Reeza Hendricks for a golden duck in front of the stumps.
Tanzim’s straightforward but efficient bowling at the wickets strategy really paid off when he dismissed South Africa’s skipper Aiden Markram (4), who misplayed a straight blow and came down a little awkwardly with his bat.
In South Africa’s most recent match against the Netherlands, Tristan Stubbs (0) did a great job of rebuilding the innings, but the right-hander, too, had to accept a soft dismissal.
Stubbs hit one meekly to Shakib Al Hasan at cover, who made a diving catch to grab the ball as if it had stopped on him, as it had on a few Indian batsmen at this same site the day before.
When Miller, on 13, was given a reprieve by Litton Das behind the wickets on the opening ball of Mahmudullah’s spell, South Africa too had luck on their side.
To their credit, Klaasen and Miller both made the ideal assessments of the pitch and the circumstances to spearhead the Proteas’ recovery effort.
Miller was happy to rotate the attack as Klaasen smacked a couple of sixes up front against the spinners from Bangladesh to force them back. But after a 44-ball knock that featured three sixes and two fours, Taskin cleaned him up late in the innings.
On the Nassau County pitch, Klaasen and Miller struggled to score runs because they had to control their natural aggression.
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