Team Neemopani
South Africa beat Bangladesh by 149 runs on Tuesday and are still on track to make it to the semi-finals of the 50-overs World Cup. Quinton de Kock scored an explosive 174, which led South Africa’s batting destruction.
De Kock scored the best individual score in the tournament so far, and South Africa’s middle order dominated Bangladesh’s weak attack to make 382 runs after they chose to bat at the Wankhede Stadium.
Bangladesh was down to 58-5 when they were hit by their fast bowlers, but they were finally bowled out for 233 in 46.4 overs, giving them their fourth win in five games.
With 111 runs off of 111 balls, Mahmudullah gave Bangladesh some fight, but it wasn’t enough to stop a heavy loss.
De Kock said he would stop playing one-day internationals after the World Cup in India, and the opener seemed keen to make his last game one to remember.
After Aiden Markram won the toss and chose to bat instead of Temba Bavuma, who was sick, South Africa lost Reeza Hendricks and Rassie van der Dussen in the next two overs.
De Kock and Markram (60) put together a 131-run stand to keep the game going. Then, he and Heinrich Klaasen tore through the Bangladesh attack, scoring 142 runs off of just 87 balls.
As promised, De Kock scored his third hundred in five games, passing India’s Virat Kohli to become the tournament’s top scorer.
It looked like de Kock would get a double hundred before he was out after hitting seven sixes and fifteen fours in 140 balls.
Bangladesh wasn’t helped by his departure, though, because Klaasen and David Miller, who hit a combined 12 sixes and made 34 not out off 15 balls, kept the chaos going.
Klaasen hit 90 runs off of 49 balls, and South Africa scored 144 runs in the last 10 overs, giving Bangladesh a lot of work to do when they came back.
After six quiet overs, Marco Jansen took out Tanzid Hasan and Najmul Hossain Shanto in a row, hurting Bangladesh’s top order.
Bangladesh was out of the game when they fell to 42-2 in 12 overs, with captain Shakib Al Hasan and experienced Mushfiqur Rahim also leaving the pitch.
South Africa did not play as well against Bangladesh’s tail, though.
Mahmudullah’s tough innings included four sixes and eleven fours, but it only kept Bangladesh from losing their fourth game in a row.
