In Match 21 of the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024 season, the Rainbow Nation South Africa (SA) faced a battle against Bangladesh (BAN) at the Nassau County Stadium on Monday, June 10, in New York. Notably, the Proteas became the first side to qualify for the Super 8s phase of the massive ICC cricket event, narrowly defeating the Bangla Tigers by only four runs in a game that turned out to be an incredible barn burner.
Notably, throughout their run chase, the Asian team struggled at the crease, just like South Africa did in their opening inning. Tanzim Shakib of Bangladesh claimed a three-wicker haul to destroy the top order. But still. South Africa was able to score 113/6 thanks to the intelligent knocks played by Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller.
Bangladesh’s openers, Tanzid Hasan (9 off 9 balls) and captain Najmul Hossain Shanto (14 off 23 balls), were out of the game in response. The damage worsened as veteran batsmen Shakib Al Hasan (3 off 4 balls) and Litton Das (9 off 13 balls) both promptly returned to the hut. The Asian side was reeling at 50/4 by the conclusion of the tenth over. Despite Mahmudullah’s best efforts, he was unable to complete the task as Keshav Maharaj successfully guarded South Africa’s total. What are the odds of making it to Bangladesh after losing to the Rainbow Nation? This is now the most important question.
What has to happen for Bangladesh to be eligible for the Super 8 round of the T20 World Cup in 2024?
With this victory, South Africa has gained six points (+0.603 NRR) and is now the first team to qualify for the T20 World Cup 2024 Super 8 round, according to the standings of the participating teams in Group D. On the other hand, the Bengal Tigers have been left perplexed after missing out on what could have been an easy run chase, despite beginning the competition against Sri Lanka on a winning note.
Also read: T20 World Cup 2024: SA vs. BAN: Who said what?
Bangladesh (+0.075 NRR) must now defeat both Nepal and the Netherlands to guarantee they finish just behind South Africa in the standings and advance to the next round. They will therefore need their more seasoned players to perform well in order to maintain their hopes of qualifying for the Super 8.
India
