World Cup: Another Quinton show buries Bangladesh in heap of runs | Cricket

Though a mismatch between the red-hot South Africa and a struggling Bangladesh was highly probable, a festival crowd of over 16,000 turned up on Dussehra day at the Wankhede Stadium. The fans had come in anticipation of a batting show having been treated to stunning power-hitting two days ago by the Proteas.

South Africa didn’t disappoint on Tuesday, repeating their dazzling display at the same venue on Saturday against England. Opener Quinton de Kock marked his 150th ODI with a glorious 174 (140 b, 15×4, 7×6), notching up his third hundred of the tournament in just five games. Heinrich Klaasen hit a blistering 90 off 49 balls, stand-in skipper Aiden Markram made a classy 60 and David Miller was 34* (15b), powering the team total to 382/5 after electing to bat.

It left Bangladesh with only a theoretical chance of victory. And South Africa bowlers were ruthless as they sealed a 149-run win after dismissing Bangladesh for 233 in 46.4 overs. It was South Africa’s fourth win in five games (8 points). They are well placed behind India (10 points) and New Zealand (8 points) to advance to the semi-finals.

The game was over as a contest inside eight overs of the chase after Bangladesh were reduced to 32/3. Marco Jansen took the first two wickets, Tanzid Hasan and Najmo Shanto, and Lizaad Williams marked his World Cup debut with the scalp of skipper Shakib Al Hasan. The innings lay in tatters by the 12th over with Mushfiqur Rahim the fourth to fall at 42. Mahmudullah’s composed 111 at No. 6 was the lone bright spot for Bangladesh though it was too little.

When SA elected to bat, the signs were ominous. On the three previous occasions they batted first in this World Cup, they made 428/5, 311/7 and 399/7.

They didn’t blaze away from the start. After losing two early wickets, they eschewed risks in the powerplay to be 44-2 in 10 overs. The cautious start had more to do with results in some recent matches between the sides going against the Proteas. The last time they met at the World Cup, in 2019, Bangladesh had won by 21 runs at the Oval through a fine all-round effort from Shakib Al Hasan. In Mumbai, Shakib went for 69 runs in nine overs and was dismissed for one run.

STRONG FINISH

South Africa batters lived up to their billing as entertainers. The crowd was treated to fireworks in the slog overs when de Kock, Klaasen and David Miller went into overdrive.

Against England on Saturday, SA plundered 143 in the last 10 overs. On Tuesday they amassed 144 in the last 10. It was mayhem from the 43rd over onwards. Having curbed his attacking instincts to hold the innings together, De Kock went after Shakib, hitting two sixes and two fours to plunder 22 runs in his ninth over.

In the next over, they took 17 to bring up 300 in 44 overs with Klaasen reaching his fifty off 34 balls, before taking 20 runs off Mustafizur Rahman in the 47th over. David Miller took over in the 19th over, smashing Shoriful Islam for two sixes and a four.

“It was a really good wicket. The slower ball was sticking into the surface, otherwise this is a typical Mumbai wicket. We’ve played with each other for some time now, we know the roles of batters at 5, 6 and 7. It’s all about going out there and applying yourself to the task,” said Miller after SA hit 19 sixes in the innings.

DE KOCK SPECIAL

Extending his rollicking tournament, de Kock was determined to cash in on a batting paradise he knows too well from his long stint at Mumbai Indians. He fell early against England, but he was all focus this time. The feature of his big hundred was how he paced his innings. Early on, he absorbed the pressure while pouncing on loose deliveries with focus on playing along the ground. He got to 100 off 101 balls. But his next 74 runs came in just 38 balls; 54 of those runs came in boundaries (174 – 140b, 15×4, 7×6).

It rained sixes in the last five overs when David Miller joined Klaasen in the middle for a partnership of 65 off just 35 balls. Klaasen, who smashed 109 against England, took off from where he left in the previous game against England, effortlessly clearing the ropes for as many as eight sixes against just two fours, giving a lesson in how to convert perfectly good balls into hittable ones with the use of core strength.