South Africa wins against Bangladesh by 4 runs to remain undefeated in T20 World Cup
South Africa vs Bangladesh
South Africa wins against Bangladesh by 4 runs to remain undefeated in T20 World Cup: Spinner Keshav Maharaj bowled the last over, taking two wickets and conceding six runs. South Africa managed to defeat Bangladesh by four runs, remaining undefeated in the Twenty20 World Cup on Monday.
Bangladesh needed 11 runs from the final six balls to win the match, and then they needed a six off the last ball. Taskin Ahmed came to bat after Bangladesh lost their seventh wicket and faced the last ball, which was a full toss delivered by Maharaj. Ahmed swung the bat but could only manage to score one run.
The match was played on a challenging batting pitch at Nassau County Stadium. South Africa successfully defended their low score of 113-6, restricting Bangladesh to 109-7.
This victory marked the lowest target ever defended in a T20 World Cup, surpassing India’s defense of 120 runs just the day before.
Heinrich Klaasen, who was the top-scorer of the match and awarded the player of the match, commented, “It was a nerve-wracking match, but it feels good that we won in the end. This pitch isn’t easy for scoring runs. We learned from our previous match and applied those lessons today. I believe we posted a decent total on the board.”
With this win, South Africa has now won three consecutive matches under pressure, and Klaasen expressed confidence that they have secured a place in the next round of the tournament.
Maharaj took 3 wickets for 27 runs in his four overs, while Kagiso Rabada (2 wickets for 19 runs) and Anrich Nortje (2 wickets for 17 runs) also bowled well.
With three wins out of three matches, South Africa secured the top spot in Group D and was in a strong position to advance to the Super Eight stage. Bangladesh, after suffering their first loss in two matches, remained in second place.
South Africa, which had successfully chased down Sri Lanka and the Netherlands in their previous two matches, faced a batting challenge this time as they were asked to bat first.
However, their start was shaky once again. Tanzim Sakib dismissed opener Reeza Hendricks for a golden duck and got Tristan Stubbs caught for a five-ball duck. Aiden Markram was bowled for just 4 runs, and Sakib also bowled Quinton de Kock for 18 runs, leaving South Africa struggling at 23-4 in 4.2 overs.
David Miller played another crucial innings after his half-century against the Netherlands, scoring 29 runs off 38 balls. He formed a crucial partnership of 79 runs for the fifth wicket with Klaasen.
Klaasen top-scored with 46 runs off 44 balls, including two fours and three sixes. However, both Miller and Klaasen fell in quick succession, leaving South Africa with a total just around the par score.
Bangladesh’s chase also faced early setbacks, as they were reduced to 37-3 and then 50-4 at the halfway mark.
Nortje dismissed skipper Nazmul Shanto for 14 runs, and also sent back Shakib Al Hasan for just 3 runs, taking his eighth wicket in three games. Litton Das was caught off Maharaj’s bowling, while Rabada dismissed Tanzid Hasan caught behind for 9 runs.
Towhid Hridoy and Mahmudullah tried to stabilize the innings with a partnership of 44 runs off 45 balls. At 94-4 in the 18th over, Bangladesh seemed to be in control, but they lost wickets rapidly and collapsed from 94-4 to 108-7 in just 17 deliveries.
Rabada returned to dismiss Hridoy, but it was Maharaj’s left-arm spin that turned the game in the final over.
South Africa will play their final group stage match against Nepal on Friday, while Bangladesh will face the Netherlands on Thursday.
