In the T20 World Cup 2024, there was another low-scoring match between South Africa and Bangladesh, which the South African team did not win easily, requiring some effort.
Batting first, South Africa only managed to score 113, thanks largely to Heinrich Klaasen, who made 47 runs off 44 balls, with some support from David Miller. Despite being in a difficult situation, their composed batting helped South Africa put 113 runs on the board.
Even with a low total of 113 runs, South Africa relied on their strong bowling attack to defend the score. As Klaasen mentioned, the team’s mindset was akin to a one-day cricket approach, as they knew the pitch wasn’t favorable for stroke play and planned accordingly.
Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje gave South Africa a strong start, reducing Bangladesh to 29 runs for six wickets. Keshav Maharaj also struck, but a good partnership between Mahmudullah and Hridoy brought Bangladesh back into the game until the 18th over.
It was a tight contest until the last over, with Bangladesh needing only 20 runs from the last 17 balls with five wickets in hand. However, they ended up losing the match due to mistakes similar to those Pakistan made earlier, trying to stretch the match, which backfired.
Bangladesh’s top order completely failed, and they neither maintained their wickets nor took control of the game. Despite multiple chances, they paid the price for their errors. In the last over, Bangladesh needed 11 runs to win, and Keshav Maharaj successfully defended these runs for South Africa, thanks to brilliant fielding and smart leadership from Aiden Markram.
With this victory, South Africa secured their place in the Super 8 of the T20 World Cup 2024, marking their first entry since 2007. This match also continued South Africa’s winning streak against Bangladesh in World Cup matches and set a record for the lowest score successfully defended by South Africa in a World Cup match.
