South Africa made history on Monday as they successfully defended the lowest total in the history of the ICC T20 World Cup.
This remarkable feat occurred during their Group Stage game against Bangladesh, where the Proteas managed to defend a target of 114 runs. The Bangladesh Tigers fell just four runs short of the target, securing South Africa’s place in the record books.
They outdid the record set by India just a few hours earlier. The Men in Blue had defended a target of 120 runs against arch-rivals Pakistan in their Group A T20 World Cup clash at the same venue. This also marked the lowest total defended by South Africa in T20Is, surpassing their defence of 116 runs against Sri Lanka in Colombo back in 2013.
South Africa won the toss and elected to bat first. Despite a shaky start where they were restricted to 24/4 at one point, Heinrich Klaasen (46 in 44 balls, with two fours and three sixes) and David Miller (29 in 38 balls, with a four and a six) helped the Proteas reach 113/6 in 20 overs. This also happened to be the lowest score by South Africa in T20 World Cup history.
Tanzim Hasan Sakib (3/18) was the pick of the bowlers for Bangladesh, while Taskin Ahmed also impressed with figures of 2/19 in his four overs.
In the run-chase, Bangladesh was struggling at 50/4 in 9.5 overs. However, Towhid Hridoy (37 in 34 balls, with two fours and two sixes) brought his team back into the game. Mahmudullah (20 in 27 balls, with two fours) almost pulled off a win for Bangladesh until he was caught by Markram. Ultimately, Bangladesh’s chase ended in heartbreak, as they finished at 109/7 in their 20 overs, falling short by four runs.
Keshav Maharaj (3/27) was the standout bowler for South Africa, with Kagiso Rabada (2/19) and Anrich Nortje (2/17) also delivering fine spells.
With this victory, South Africa stands at the top of Group D with three wins in three games, accumulating six points. Bangladesh is at number two with one win and one loss, giving them two points.
