NEW YORK: South Africa defeated Bangladesh by just four runs in another low-scoring game at the T20 World Cup on Monday, a result likely to spark fresh debate over the suitability of the pitch being used in New York.

South Africa were restricted to 113-6 in their 20 overs with Heinrich Klaasen top-scoring on 46 while fast bowler Tanzim Hasan Sakib returned a career-best 3-18.

However, Bangladesh could only manage 109-7 in reply as South Africa wrapped up a third win in three Group ‘D’ games.

Chasing just 114 to win on the controversial drop-in strip at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, Bangladesh initially struggled in the face of the Proteas’ pace battery.

They were 50-4 at the 10-over mark having lost Tanzid Hasan (nine) to Kagiso Rabada while Anrich Nortje accounted for skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto (14) and Shakib Al Hasan (three).

Spinner Keshav Maharaj sent back Liton Das for just nine.

However, Towhid Hridoy, who top-scored with 40 when Bangladesh defeated Sri Lanka in their opener, and 38-year-old Mahmudullah steadied the ship for the Tigers.

The pair put on 44 for the fifth wicket before Hridoy was lbw to Rabada for 37, an innings which took up 34 balls and featured two fours and two sixes.

Bangladesh took seven off the penultimate over but still needed 11 off the last to be bowled by Maharaj.

That became seven off four balls. With the pressure building both Jaker Ali and Mahmudullah were caught going for big heaves over long on.

Needing six off the final ball, Taskin Ahmed could only produce a scrambled single.

Earlier, Bangladesh restricted South Africa to 113-6 with Tanzim backed up by Taskin’s 2-19 after Proteas skipper Aiden Markram won the toss and opted to bat.

South Africa were struggling at 23-4 at one stage before Klaasen and David Miller, celebrating his 35th birthday, came to their team’s rescue with a partnership of 79 for the fifth wicket.

Klaasen’s 46 came off 44 balls with two fours and three sixes before he was clean-bowled by Taskin, slogging across the line in the 18th over with the score on 102.

Miller, who made a match-winning undefeated 59 in the nervy win over the Netherlands, went four runs later, bowled by Rishad Hossain.

His innings of 29 came from 38 deliveries with a boundary and one six.

The Proteas had been 12-4 against the Dutch on the same pitch on Saturday.

On Monday, they were quickly four down for just 23 runs in the fifth over thanks to Tanzim and Taskin.

Tanzim, playing in only his eighth T20 international, started the collapse, having out-of-form opener Reeza Hendricks lbw for nought off his first ball.

Star batsman Quinton de Kock was the next to go, clean-bowled by the 21-year-old for 18 with the total on 19.

Taskin uprooted the stumps of Markram (four) before Tanzim grabbed the third of his opening spell when he forced Tristan Stubbs to spoon a catch to Shakib Al Hasan in the covers without scoring.

Miller could have been dismissed on 13 but wicket-keeper Liton Das dropped an edge off slow bowler Mahmudullah’s first ball.

Scoreboards

SOUTH AFRICA VS BANDLADESH

SOUTH AFRICA:

R. Hendricks lbw b Tanzim 0Q. de Kock b Tanzim 18A. Markram b Taskin 4T. Stubbs c Shakib b Tanzim 0H. Klaasen b Taskin 46D. Miller b Rishad 29M. Jansen not out 5K. Maharaj not out 4EXTRAS (LB-3, W-4) 7TOTAL (for six wickets, 20 overs) 113DID NOT BAT: Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Ottneil BaartmanFALL OF WICKETS: 1-11 (Hendricks), 2-19 (de Kock), 3-23 (Markram), 4-23 (Stubbs), 5-102 (Klaasen), 6-106 (Miller)

BOWLING: Tanzim 4-0-18-3 (2w), Taskin 4-0-19-2, Mustafizur 4-0-18-0 (1w), Rishad 4-0-32-1, Shakib 1-0-6-0, Mahmudullah 3-0-17-0 (1w)

BANGLADESH:Tanzid Hasan c de Kock b Rabada 9Najmul Hossain c Markram b Nortje 14Liton Das c Miller b Maharaj 9Shakib Al Hasan c Markram b Nortje 3Towhid Hridoy lbw b Rabada 37Mahmudullah c Markram b Maharaj 0Jaker Ali c Markram b Maharaj 8Rishad Hossain not out 0Taskin Ahmed not out 1EXTRAS (LB-2, NB-1, W-5) 8TOTAL (for seven wickets, 20 overs) 109DID NOT BAT: Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Mustafizur Rahman FALL OF WICKETS: 1-9 (Tanzid), 2-29 (Liton), 3-37 (Shakib), 4-50 (Najmul), 5-94 (Towhid), 6-107 (Jaker), 7-108 (Mahmudullah)

BOWLING: Jansen 4-0-17-0 (2w), Rabada 4-0-19-2, Baartman 4-0-27-0, Maharaj 4-0-27-3 (2w), Nortje 4-0-17-2 (1w, 1nb)RESULT: South Africa won by four runs.

OMAN VS SCOTLAND

OMAN:P. Athavale c McMullen b Greaves 54N. Khushi c Watt b Sole 10A. Ilyas lbw b Sharif 16Z. Maqsood c Cross b Watt 3K. Kail run out (Watt) 5A. Khan not out 41M. Khan c Cross b Sharif 13Rafiullah c Sharif b Wheal 0S. Ahmed not out 3EXTRAS (LB 2, W 3) 5
TOTAL (for seven wickets, 20 overs) 150
DID NOT BAT: Kaleemullah, B. Khan FALL OF WICKETS: 1-13 (Khushi), 2-44 (Ilyas), 3-61 (Maqsood), 4-71 (Kail), 5-114 (Athavale), 6-132 (M. Khan), 7-133 (Rafiullah)

BOWLING: Watt 4-0-25-1 (2w), Wheal 4-0-19-1, Sole 4-0-41-1, Sharif 4-0-40-2, Leask 3-0-21-0 (1w), Greaves 1-0-2-1

SCOTLAND: G. Munsey c Ahmed b M. Khan 41M. Jones c M. Khan b B. Khan 16B. McMullen not out 61R. Berrington b Ilyas 13M. Cross not out 15EXTRAS (B-2, W-5) 7
TOTAL (for three wickets, 13.1 overs) 153
DID NOT BAT: Leask, Greaves, Watt, Sole, Wheal, Sharif FALL OF WICKETS: 1-21 (Jones), 2-86 (Munsey), 3-110 (Berrington)

BOWLING: B. Khan 2.1-0-12-1, Ahmed 2-0-23-0, Kaleemullah 2-0-17-0, Ilyas 3-0-41-1, M. Khan 1-0-16-1, Maqsood 2-0-22-0, A. Khan 1-0-20-0RESULT: Scotland won by seven wickets..

Published in Dawn, June 11th, 2024