Bangladesh dismissed for 84 against South Africa

Sports desk: : South Africa’s Dwaine Pretorius (R) celebrates the wicket of Bangladesh’s Afif Hossain with team-mate David Miller (C) during the ICC Twenty20 World Cup at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday. — AFP photo

A shambolic batting display from Bangladesh saw them get bundled out for just 84 in 18.2 against South Africa in the penultimate Group 2 match in the Super 12 of the ICC Twenty20 World Cup at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.

Bangladesh batsmen had no answers against the hostile Proteas pace attack as Anrich Nortje took 3-8 and Kagiso Rabada claimed 3-20 to bowl out Bangladesh for their third lowest total in T20 World Cups.

Mahedi Hasan made 27 off 25 while Liton Das and Shamim Hossain made 24 and 11 respectively while the remaining eight batters lost their wickets for single digit scores.

Bowling first, Rabada jolted Bangladesh’s top-order, which is missing Shakib Al Hasan as the all-rounder is out of the tournament with a hamstring injury, with three strikes in space of five deliveries and the Tigers never recovered from that.

He dismissed Mohammad Naim (nine) and Soumya Sarkar (0) in the final two deliveries of the fourth over and then made Mushfiqur Rahim (0) give a catch to Reeza Hendricks in the third delivery of the sixth over to leave Bangladesh stuttering at 24-3.

South African bowlers didn’t allow Bangladesh to put forth any partnership to repair the damage as Nortje dismissed Mahmudullah (three) with a sharp bouncer and Afif Hossain, inexplicably, heaved at his very first delivery only to get beaten all ends up by Dwaine Pretorius.

Liton, who was watching the procession of batter from the other end, was trapped leg before wicket in left-arm leg spinner Tabraiz Shamsi’s first over and Shamim, who is playing his first match in the tournament, also lost his wicket to the same bowler in an attempt to break the shackles.

Mahedi provided some late entertainment with a couple of fours and a six but that wasn’t enough to push their total to triple digits.

Nortje dismissed Mahedi and Nasum Ahmed (0), who has been picked in place of Mustafizur Rahman, in the first two balls of the 19th over to end Bangladesh’s misery.