icc cricket news

Tsotsobe blows stun Bangladesh

Bangladesh v South Africa, Group B, World Cup 2011, Mirpur

SA ride on strong start to surge to 284

Lonwabo Tsotsobe

South Africa came out hard at Bangladesh, and the solid base that the openers gave allowed Jacques Kallis and Faf du Plessis to consolidate and accelerate seamlessly, giving their spin-heavy attack a reasonable chance of stifling Bangladesh, and bowling South Africa to the top of the group.

The contrasting approaches of Hashim Amla and Graeme Smith worked perfectly for South Africa at the top as the duo batted their way to a 98-run opening stand that seemed to deflate Bangladeshi hopes in what is a must-win game for them if they are to make the knockouts. Kallis and du Plessis carried on from where the openers left, adding 82 risk-free runs inside 15 overs as the Bangladesh attack struggled for penetration. Robin Peterson did not let South Africa miss the seventh batsman they had left out, clattering 22 in nine deliveries as 83 came off the last eight overs.

South Africa welcomed the Bangladeshi seamers with a flurry of boundaries, and then batted without taking too many gambles against spin which was predictably introduced early, in the fifth over. It was fascinating to see how the openers went about tackling the spinners in their different styles. While Amla allowed the ball to come to him, and played it as late as possible off the back foot, Smith was very eager to push forward and use his feet frequently in an attempt to meet the ball early.

Amla carried on in the nonchalant fashion that has made him the world's most prolific one-day batsman of late. Anything marginally short was quickly dispatched, as he showed against Mahmudullah in the 13th over. Twice Mahmudullah got the ball to turn in sharply from just short of a length, and Amla rocked back to punch against the spin into the tiny gap at cover. Smith was uncertain to start with, as has been the nature of most of his innings recently. But Bangladesh helped him settle the nerves with a couple of freebies on leg stump that he happily put away past short fine leg.

Though the introduction of spin dried up the boundaries, the singles kept coming all too easily. It was only after the drinks break that the openers lost their cool, became increasingly impatient and lost their wickets. Mahmudullah capitalised on Smith's blind charge by having him stumped in the 21st over. A couple of overs later, Amla went against the run of play, inside-edging an Abdur Razzak delivery onto the stumps, a dismissal that highlighted the fact that the surface was playing slower as the ball got older. That gave Bangladesh a window of opportunity to prevent South Africa from running away with the game, particularly with the visitors opting to play only six specialist batsmen.

But any such notions were calmly quelled by Jacques Kallis who began positively, cutting his fifth delivery to the point boundary. JP Duminy looked in control before he gloved a wayward short delivery from Rubel Hossain down the leg side to the wicketkeeper. At 141 for 3 with 20 overs to go, Bangladesh were in it but du Plessis came in and started milking the singles. Only four boundaries were hit in the next 12 overs, one of them off a misfield, but South Africa still scored at five an over as Kallis and du Plessis repeatedly worked the ball to the leg side.

Kallis launched a big six over deep midwicket to signal the start of the assault in the 43rd over. Twenty came off the next two overs but Shakib caught Kallis in the first over of the batting Powerplay. du Plessis took over then and spoiled Razzak's figures, taking 16 off his final over with two pulls over midwicket. Even though wickets tumbled, there was enough spunk in Peterson and Johan Botha to lift South Africa to 284. If Bangladesh manage to overhaul that, it will only be the third successful 200-plus chase in Mirpur in a day match. South Africa would be doubly pleased with the big total, given that Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel have been rested today.