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.
“It was not a nice one to watch, it was good that the boys got it over the line,” said Klaasen.
“The wicket is not too great for strokeplay.”
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 by Aiden Markram going for big heaves over long on.
Needing six off the final ball, Taskin Ahmed could only produce a scrambled single.
“I think this is a match we should have won. In the last couple of overs they bowled well, but this can happen in cricket,” said Shanto.
Earlier, Bangladesh restricted South Africa to 113-6 with Tanzim backed up by Taskin’s 2-19 after Proteas skipper 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 Mahmudullah’s first ball.
With South Africa virtually certain of a place in the second round Super Eight phase, Bangladesh, with two points, are still well-placed to join them.
South Africa edge Bangladesh by four runs at T20 World Cup
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South Africa edge Bangladesh by four runs at T20 World Cup
- South Africa virtually certain of a place in the second round Super Eight phase
- Bangladesh, with two points, still well-placed to join them
Desert Vipers beat MI Emirates by 1 run in a last-ball finish
- David Payne’s 3-wicket over at the death turned the tide in favor of the Vipers
- Shrewd bowling by the MI Emirates, led by AM Ghazanfar’s 2-wicket haul, restricted the Vipers to 159/4
ABU DHABI: The Desert Vipers beat the MI Emirates by one run at the Zayed Cricket Stadium on Tuesday.
The win, which went down to the last ball, was the Vipers’ fourth-straight triumph of the DP World ILT20 season four. The Vipers have consolidated their position at the top of the table with eight points.
Defending 159, the Vipers initially struggled to take wickets. The game turned in the 19th over, when David Payne — who finished with four for 29 — claimed three crucial scalps.
The UAE’s Khuzaima Tanveer was also impressive with two for 34, as the Vipers showed their composure once again.
In the second innings, the MI Emirates lost an early wicket when Tanveer dismissed Jonny Bairstow (8 off 7) in the second over. It was Muhammad Waseem (24 off 21) and Tom Banton (34 off 29) who steered the MI Emirates through the powerplay with the score at 49/1.
They erected a 42-run stand in 31 balls before Tanveer struck again in his second spell of the night to remove Waseem. Banton looked in complete control when Nicholas Pooran (31 off 29) joined him in the middle.
The duo looked settled, completing another 42-run partnership, this time in 40 balls. However, Sam Curran sent Pooran back in the 14th over with 62 needed off 36 balls.
Banton followed in the next over as Payne bagged his first wicket of the night, bringing the score to 105/4. Tajinder Singh (17 off 7) hit Curran for a couple of sixes that brought the MI Emirates ahead of the equation with a 20-run over.
Lockie Ferguson then ended Singh’s stay at the crease with his first wicket of the match in the 18th over.
Another twist in the penultimate over saw Payne turn the match on its head. First, he got Romario Shepherd (1 off 4), followed by the wicket of skipper Kieron Pollard (23 off 13). Chris Woakes (0 off 2) followed in the final ball, meaning that the MI Emirates needed 16 runs in six balls to win.
Rashid Khan (13* off 8) could have been the match winner, hitting a six and a four in the final over, but the MI Emirates could not find the two runs needed on the last ball.
Batting first, the Vipers had started on a promising note, led by Fakhar Zaman (35 off 31). By the end of the powerplay, the Vipers were 51/0, threatening to make their way to a big score.
After Andries Gous (21 off 15) retired hurt, Zaman combined with Max Holden (42 off 37) for a 51-run stand in 37 balls. AM Ghazanfar then got the breakthrough when Zaman holed out to Banton. Following his wicket, the bowlers kept the pressure on the Vipers, ensuring that boundaries were scarce.
Shimron Hetmyer (15 off 9) entered the fray after Holden retired-out and hit the first six of the innings in the 18th over. Soon after, Curran (19 off 19) hit the ball straight into Banton’s hands to give Ghazanfar his second wicket of the night.
Dan Lawrence (15* off 8) also provided a key contribution toward the end while Hetmyer was scalped by Fazalhaq Farooqi in the final over of the innings as the Vipers finished at 159/4.
Player of the Match Payne said: “It felt as though we were hanging on towards the end, waiting for the moment to break through.
“When that happened, we managed to take a few crucial wickets, and Rashid Khan ensured it went right down to the wire — probably an entertaining contest for the neutral.
“We kept the plans simple, hitting the pitch with good line and length. Overall, simplicity worked well today.”
The MI Emirates’ captain Pollard said: “In our last game, we snuck over the line when we probably shouldn’t have won, and this time it turned around on us. The Vipers bowled brilliantly.
“We didn’t finish the innings well, especially in the last couple of overs. It shows again that if you stay in the fight long enough in cricket, momentum can shift and you can lose from a winning position and that’s what happened to us tonight.”
