South Africa defeated Bangladesh by a nail-biting margin of just 4 runs in the T20 World Cup 2024. The match was played on June 10 at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York. This win keeps Proteas undefeated and they also secures their place at the top of group ‘D’.
Elected to bat first, South Africa got off to a shaky start. They lost their top 3 batsmen – Reeza Hendricks, Quinton de Kock, and Aiden Markram cheaply within the first four overs. The Bangladeshi bowlers, especially off-spinner Tanzim Hasan Sakib showed exceptional bowling performance, picking up 3 wickets for just 18 runs.
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However, the Proteas got some much-needed stability from Heinrich Klaasen. He played a gritty knock of 46 runs off 44 balls, finding boundaries at crucial moments and stitching together partnerships with David Miller (29 runs) and Marco Jansen (5 runs not out) to help South Africa reach a modest total of 113 runs for the loss of 6 wickets in their 20 overs.
Chasing a relatively low target, Bangladesh started confidently with openers Tanzid Hasan and Najmul Hossain Shanto putting on a 29-run partnership. But just like South Africa, Bangladesh’s batting order also suffered a mini-collapse, losing 4 crucial wickets for just 21 runs between the 6th and 10th overs.
South African pacers Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje were particularly effective, picking up 2 wickets each. Towhid Hridoy (37 runs) and Mahmudullah (20 runs) tried their best to revive the innings, but their dismissals left Bangladesh needing 31 runs from the last 3 overs with just 4 wickets remaining.
The final over of the match was a tense affair. Bangladesh batsmen Towhid Hridoy (37 runs) and Mahmudullah (20 runs) fought valiantly, but South Africa’s spinners, Keshav Maharaj (3 wickets) and Marco Jansen (1 wicket) kept the pressure on by taking wickets at regular intervals.
With 6 runs required off the last two ball, the tension was fever-high. Bangladesh’s Mahmudullah went for a big shot but was caught at long-on by Aiden Markram, handing South Africa a dramatic victory by just 4 runs.
For his fighting knock of 46 runs, which helped South Africa post a defendable total, Heinrich Klaasen was deservedly named the Player of the Match. However, credit must also be given to the South African bowling attack, who restricted Bangladesh and came up with crucial wickets at key moments in the chase.
With this victory, South Africa remains the team to beat in Group D. They have won all three of their matches so far and are almost certain to qualify for the Super 8 stage. Bangladesh, on the other hand, has suffered their first defeat in the tournament. They will need to regroup quickly and win their remaining matches to secure a place in the knockout stages.
