It was yet another edge-of-the-seat thriller in the T20 World Cup taking place in New York as Bangladesh narrowly missed out on a famous victory against South Africa. In a low-scoring affair that kept fans on pins and needles throughout, Bangladesh found themselves on the brink of chased down South Africa's modest total of 113. However, a batting collapse in the late overs meant they fell just 4 runs short.
After excellent bowling performances helped restrict South Africa to 113 all out, Bangladesh made a solid start to their chase and remained in control for much of their innings. However, the pressure of needing just a few runs to secure their first-ever T20I win over the Proteas proved too much for the batsmen as South Africa's bowlers turned the screw.
With 20 needed off the last 3 overs and 7 wickets in hand, Bangladesh were well on top. However, the dismissal of key batsman Towhid Hridoy sparked a staggering collapse. Smart bowling from the South African pacers in the 18th and 19th overs increased the pressure.
This brought left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj into the attack for the final over, with 11 runs required. Despite a couple of full tosses, his tight bowling was just enough to keep Bangladesh at bay as they unbelievably fell short by 4 runs. Skipper Mahmudullah – who had guided Bangladesh well with the bat – could only look on in disbelief after mistiming a full toss in the final over.
While it was heartbreak for Bangladesh, South Africa will breathe a huge sigh of relief at having escaped with their first win of the tournament in such dramatic fashion. Bangladesh can take heart from a strong overall performance, but will rue what might have been if their nerves had held at the business end of the chase.
