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ICC Men's T20 World Cup. Sheikh Zayed Stadium. Abu Dhabi Bangladesh 84 (18.2 runs): Nortje 3-8; Rabada 3-20 South Africa 86 (13.3 overs).: Bavuma 31, (28), Taskin 2--18 South Africa win by six wickets Scorecard : Table
South Africa defeated Bangladesh by six wickets in the semi-final of their Men's T20 World Cup.
After earlier falling to 24-3 and 45-6, Bangladesh was bowled out for 84 in a dismal performance.
Anrich Nortje won a stunning 3-8. Kagiso Rabada, a fellow fast bowler, took 3-20 in Abu Dhabi.
South Africa fell to 33-3, giving Bangladesh hope. Captain Temba Bavuma's unbeaten 31 saw the Proteas return home with 39 balls remaining.
South Africa is second in Group 1, behind England. The top two teams qualify for the knockout stages.
Australia is third in the standings and could also be in the semi-finals. However, the Proteas are a better net run-rate than Bangladesh after their win over Bangladesh.
This defeat means that Bangladesh will face Australia on Thursday and South Africa will play England on Saturday in their last group match.
South Africa's pace is hampered by Bangladesh
Bangladesh knew that their hopes of reaching the semi-finals were over after losing three of their previous matches.
They also were without Shakib Al Hazan, their all-rounder, who was out for the remainder of the tournament after sustaining a hamstring injury. This was the first T20 World Cup match since 2007.
They were unable to get going with the bat due to Nortje's pace and Rabada's pace.
Rabada took three wickets in five balls and dismantled the top order. He also trapped Soumya Sarkar for an unearned first-ball duck as Bangladesh struggled through powerplay overs.
Nortje's use the short ball paid off as captain Mahmudullah tossed a rising point to point. Bangladesh crawled to 40-5 by the halfway stage.
Mahedi hasan struck the first boundary in Bangladesh for 50 deliveries, when he dribbled left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj away. He also hit the only six runs of the innings in the 18th over.
Nortje took two wickets in the penultimate ball of Bangladesh's innings and ended it with a total that was never thought to be threatening South Africa.
Run-rate is crucial in such close groups. South Africa knows that a quick win could increase their chances of reaching the semi-finals.
They lost Reeza Hendricks in the first game of their reply. Quinton de Kock had been giving the innings momentum but was then bowled by Mahedi.
South Africa lost three wickets in six overs when Aiden Markram was caught for duck by Taskin Ahmed.
Bavuma, a captain and a well-balanced batter, responded by attacking. Rassie van den Dussen and he ran hard before Bavuma launched Nasum Ahmad for a massive six over mid-wicket.
Because of the low total, neither player needed to force the rate nor take risks, which allowed them to win in a calm manner.
They said, "Big Game against England"
Temba Bavuma, South Africa's captain: "It has been a great day." The pitch was very full at the beginning.
"It excites us when we see bounce, carry like that. It reminds us of the conditions back home.
"It's a big match against England. We want to play the best cricket possible, as England has probably beaten us in recent times."
Bangladesh captain Mahmudullah said that the wicket was very good, especially for first-up. We weren't able to apply ourselves in the middle, and it was a poor batting performance.
"We are disappointed, but we were very close to winning two games. If we had won those it would have made a big difference."
Alex Hartley, former England spinner: "South Africa is finding their rhythm at a right stage and that's what you need for tournament cricket."
"Momentum matters and Australia has been closely watching and will be under pressure. It will likely come down the net run-rate between these two sides, and Australia's heavy loss to England could be disastrous."
