South Africa beat Bangladesh to make themselves favourites to qualify alongside England in Group 1 of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021. In the second game of the day at Abu Dhabi, Pakistan sealed a spot in the semi-finals with a win over Namibia. Here are the big talking points from the two games.
SOUTH AFRICA V SRI LANKA
ADVANTAGE SOUTH AFRICA IN QUALIFICATION RACE
The possibility of a three-way tie for the second qualification spot in Group 1 is well and truly alive in an exciting finish to the Super 12 stage.
But with this comfortable win the Proteas have given themselves a far stronger chance of making the semi-finals by further boosting their net run rate to +0.742.
There are numerous permutations at play, but having a significant NRR advantage over Australia’s -0.627 and West Indies’ -1.598 is a massive advantage for South Africa.
Temba Bavuma’s side could even be through by the time they play their final Super 12 match against England on Saturday, if other results go in their favour. But their current NRR means that it’s advantage South Africa in the race for that second semi-final spot.
Remaining Group 1 fixtures
- Thursday 4 November – Australia v Bangladesh
- Thursday 4 November – West Indies v Sri Lanka
- Saturday 6 November – Australia v West Indies
- Saturday 6 November – England v South Africa
RABADA HITS HIS STRIDE
Kagiso Rabada showed why he’s rated as one of the top T20 pace bowlers in world cricket with a thrilling display in the Powerplay to rip through Bangladesh’s top order.
South Africa’s bowling attack has been extremely impressive throughout the tournament so far, but it was Rabada who stood out in Abu Dhabi, taking two in two in the fourth over to curtail the Tigers’ solid start.
But probably the pick of the deliveries was his rising short ball that caught the shoulder of Mushfiqur Rahim’s bat and was pouched (just about) by Reeza Hendricks.
Rabada in this form will be a worry to every other side in the tournament – when the South African is playing like this he’s up there with Shaheen Shah Afridi as a pacer who can flip a match decisively in his team’s favour in the Powerplay.
BANGLADESH FLATTER TO DECEIVE
Bangladesh went into this tournament as a dangerous underdog, a side then ranked sixth in the world following T20I series wins over Australia, New Zealand and Zimbabwe in the summer.
And the spin-friendly conditions appeared to play into the Tigers’ hands, as well as their opportunity to get up to speed before the Super 12 stage with a run of matches in Round 1.
But the campaign has been a disappointing one for Bangladesh right from the gun and their shock loss to Scotland in Oman.
The inability to come close to defending 172 against Sri Lanka in the opening game of the Super 12 stage was the second crushing disappointment of the tournament. And while a heavy loss to on-fire England was excusable, the failure to convert a favourable winning position against the West Indies essentially ended the Tigers’ tournament with two games remaining.
Wins over South Africa and Australia would at least have seen the squad return home with something positive to show from their visit to the UAE and Oman. But 84 all-out in 18.2 overs today rather sums up Bangladesh’s tournament. Just one more chance for a pride-restoring win remains on Thursday against an Australian side they beat 4-1 in Dhaka back in August.
PAKISTAN VS NAMIBIA
THE UNSTOPPABLE BABAR-RIZWAN PAIRING
Ever since Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan started opening together there has been no stopping them. And Namibia found out the hard way how lethal the two batters can be.
The openers came out with a plan in place, perhaps after two failures after a fantastic game against India. They began with caution, ensuring they don’t give their wickets away easily, especially to the dangerous Ruben Trumpelmann against whom they even played out a maiden in the Powerplay
At the end of the Powerplay, they had only added 29 runs. Though they found the occasional boundaries, it was their running between the wickets that helped them keep the scoreboard ticking.
It was after the drinks break that they shifted through the gears, starting with the over of Ben Shikongo before taking Trumpelmann to the cleaners with two fours and a six.
They brought up their 100-run partnership in the next over, becoming the first pair in Men’s T20Is to string five century stands.
The 113-run partnership between the two was a lesson in how to pace a partnership, who at the halfway point were 59 before adding the rest of 54 runs in the next 26 balls.
HAFEEZ FINALLY COMES TO THE PARTY
Before the match against Namibia, all the Pakistan batters bar Mohammad Hafeez had made handy contributions with the bat at some stage. After the game against the Eagles, Pakistan will be pleased that Hafeez has found his rhythm just as they make their way to the semi-finals.
The openers had laid the foundation for the rest of the batting lineup and Hafeez made his intent clear with the very first ball he faced, piercing the gap between backward point and third for a four.
The Professor, as he is called, found the gaps in the field with surgical precision, teasing the fielders as the ball made its way to the boundary.
He played the field very smartly en route his 32* off 16 balls, which included five boundaries as he played the perfect supporting role to Mohammad Rizwan, who teed off in the final over to take Pakistan to 189.
INTO THE SEMI-FINALS!
Starting the tournament as the dark horses, it didn’t take long for Pakistan to become one of the strong favourites to lift the trophy.
Now, with wins over India, New Zealand, Afghanistan and now Namibia, Pakistan are guaranteed a spot in the semi-finals of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021. Now left to play only Scotland in the Super 12 stage, they are also the overwhelming favourites to top Group 2.
Choosing to bat first, Pakistan went ballistic in the second half of the innings, scoring 130 runs in the last 10 overs. Opener Rizwan batted through for them through with a Player of the Match-winning 79* off just 50 balls.
Namibia’s chase never really got going as at no point did they ever look like they would chase the total.
With the performance of Hafeez, Pakistan now have all the boxes ticked heading into their last Super 12 game and then the semi-finals.
(Source and courtesy: https://www.t20worldcup.com/)