South Africa ( Source : ICC )

Did umpire Sam Nogajski cost Bangladesh the game against South Africa at Nassau County International Cricket Stadium? One can’t say no to that. At a crucial junction, when the ball was racing away to the fence, Nogajski raised his finger for LBW, when the ball was miles off the stump. Being an elite umpire, there looked like a rookie mistake, which ultimately cost Bangladesh the game.

Batting first, South Africa lost four early wickets as they were reduced to 23/4. Quinton de Kock looked good in the first couple of overs but couldn’t capitalize on his start. Tanzim Hasan Sakib and Taskin Ahmed looked ruthless with the new ball and courtesy of the same, Bangladesh were dominating the Proteas. However, Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller’s 79-run partnership brought South Africa back into the contest but they didn’t t look favourite after posting 113 runs on the board in the first innings.

Bangladesh were in the hunt for the majority part of the time but Towhid Hridoy’s dismissal complicated things for them. The Aiden Markram-led side managed to hold onto the game and eventually managed to pick up a close victory.

However, there were some nervous moments for the Proteas. With six runs required to win in the final two deliveries, Keshav Maharaj bowled a low full-toss which Mahmudullah smacked with whatever he has got and it was on the verge of crossing the fence but Markram picked up a good catch. Maharaj bowled another full toss but Taskin couldn’t capitalize, resulting in a defeat.

1. Bat first to win the game in New York

A lot of former cricketers often claim that batting first is the ideal thing to do as chasing under pressure gets difficult. In modern-day, things changed as teams like to chase more often. However, after winning the toss, Markram decided to bat first, which proved extremely vital. They put 113 runs but it didn’t look enough at the halfway stage. However, Bangladesh succumbed to pressure, just like Pakistan did against India on June 9. Thus, on a slow surface like that of Nassau, batting first seems key.

2. Miller-Klaasen scripts victory

If it wasn’t for that partnership between Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller, South Africa wouldn’t have won. Being reduced to 23/4, the Proteas were under immense pressure but they managed to fight hard and bail the team out of trouble. Klaasen was close to completing his half-century but failed to do so as he departed for 46 runs off 44 balls.

3. Deadly Sakib shocked South Africa

Tanzim Sakib was at his best against South Africa in the T20 World Cup 2024 encounter. He picked wickets for fun and looked clinical with the new ball. In total, the pacer gave away 18 runs in four overs and picked up key wickets of Reeza Hendricks, Quinton de Kock and Tristan Stubbs. Had Bangladesh won the game, Sakib could have been the POTM.

Losing skipper Najmul Shanto said:

We were bit nervous but we were confident we could get over the line but unfortunately it did not happen. (Tanzim Hasan) He worked really hard last couple of days, we wanted wickets with the new ball and he showed character today. This is the match we should have won, last couple of overs they bowled really well. It can happen in cricket. (Rishad) He is very good, the way we bowled last couple of series, he practiced very hard. We’ve struggled with leg-spinners over the last 10-15 yrs so we’re lucky we got one. Hopefully he can continue. Thanks to all the supporters, hopefully they’ll come to the West Indies as well.

Winning skipper Aiden Markram said:

You’re always going to be nervous in a final over finish like that. It can make you mentally quite tired but it’s great to be a part of games like these. (The catch) It could’ve gone anywhere but a few things went our way today so was great to be on the right side of that and get the win. You want to drag the game out as long as you can, it’s all conditions dependent so we wanted to drag the game out. We put him under quite a bit of pressure but David (Miller) has done it back to back to get us to decent scores.

POTM Heinrich Klaasen said:

That was not nice on the heart but good that we got over the line. The wicket is not too great for strokeplay. We got some good information from the last game and applied it today, we got a decent score. Luckily we’ve got experience in the change room, we almost had a One-Day mindset. Three pressure games now but I think we’re through so that’s good.

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