New York [US]: In the battle of unbeaten sides, South Africa prevailed over Bangladesh in a final ball thriller at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium on Monday (local time) and took a step closer to qualifying for the Super 8 stage.
It was a game that was decided by a gamble played by South Africa skipper Aiden Markram in the final over. On a surface that has favoured pacers throughout the tournament, Markram handed the ball to spinner Kehsav Maharaj to defend 11 runs.
Markram’s gamble paid off as the experienced spinner removed Jaker Ali and Mahmudullah to successfully defend the lowest total in the history of the competition and seal a 4-run win. Both batters tried to clear the boundary and on both occasions, Markram was present to complete the catch before the ball crossed the rope.
In a low-scoring chase of 114, Bangladesh got off to a slow start as they attempted with a different opening duo Tanzid Hasan and captain Najmul Hossain Shanto.
Bangladesh lost both openers to Anrich Nortje and Kagiso Rabada in 6.1 overs with only 29 runs on the board.
Litton Das and Shakib Al Hasan fell cheaply but Towhid Hridoy and Mahmudullah forged a 44-run stand to take Bangladesh towards victory. Rabada raised hopes of a comeback by removing in-form Hridoy. The momentum shifted in favour of South Africa and Maharaj stood up in the clutch moment to seal a four-run win for the Proteas.
Earlier in the innings, a fiery three-wicket haul from Tanzim Hasan Sakib and two scalps by Taskin Ahmed helped the Tigers restrict Proteas to 113 while keeping things tight in the death overs.
South Africa won the toss and opted to bat first against Bangladesh at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York. Nevertheless, even after Quinton de Kock scored 10 runs off of the first three balls of the game, the Tigers had the best of the first few overs. Tanzim Sakib and Taskin Ahmed rocked the Proteas top-order on a better surface in New York
Most of the damage was done in the powerplay by Tanzim Hazan Sakib, who took out Reeza Hendricks (0 off 1), De Kock (18 off 11), and Tristan Stubbs (0 off 5). Taskin Ahmed also contributed, cleaning up captain Aiden Markram for 4. After the burst of early wickets, South Africa was down 25/4 after the first six overs, but Heinrich Klassen and David Miller handled the charge, eyeing another rescue job.
Miller and Klaasen stitched up the 79-run stand, clawing their way back into the match in New York. David Miller rescued the innings once again, this time forging a partnership with Klaasen. The duo batted slowly on what was a two-paced wicket with some spongy bounce.
Klaasen took the odd chance against spin but this time pacer Ahmed came back to strike, removing 46. Bangladesh kept things tight in the death to keep the target to just 114.
Brief score: South Africa 113/6 (Heinrich Klassen 46, David Miller 29; Tanzim Hasan Sakib 3-18) vs Bangladesh 109/7 (Towhid Hridoy 37; Keshav Maharaj 3-27, Anrich Nortje 2-17). (ANI)
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