The 2024 T20 World Cup has become synonymous with low-scoring thrillers. One such thriller unfolded when South Africa took on Bangladesh in a league game.
The Proteas, one of the hardest-hitting teams in the sport’s history, couldn’t muster 120 runs in this game. This got everyone questioning the real reason behind their fall from grace.
However, this has nothing to do with the players. They are alright on their own. The nature of the pitch and outfield of the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium has triggered these low-scoring encounters.
Klaasen on South Africa’s approach
Talking about this performance, Klaasen said, “David Miller showed us in the previous game (against the Netherlands) how to bat on this wicket, and it’s almost the same way that we bat in the middle overs in a one-day game.” He added, “our mindset wasn’t even close to T20 Cricket. You just want to get in and find a way to bat at a run-a-ball. And we know you’re one or two hits away just for going over the run-a-ball strike-rate.”
In this statement, Klaasen referred to David Miller’s inning of 59* off 51 against the Netherlands, during which South Africa suffered dismal while chasing 103. Later, South Africa took that inning as a blueprint they would have to adhere to if they were willing to perform at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium.
Klaasen further lauded the efforts of the Bangladesh’s bowlers. He said that these bowlers become incredible on slow wickets. They employ cutters to the fullest, as they have some of the best bowlers of cutter delivery. Hence, South Africa wanted to bat first as they knew the Bangladesh team would make even 120 runs chasing a massive one.
Eventually, South Africa won the game. With this victory, they became the first team in the tournament to qualify for the Super Eight stage.
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