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Proteas suffer second loss in Cricket World Cup match

JP Duminy
Reading Time: 3 minutes

South Africa suffered their second loss in as many matches played at the 2019 Cricket World Cup on Sunday.

The Proteas lost by 21 runs after been set a record score to chase down by Bangladesh.

Bangladesh posted 330 for 6 in their fifty overs and restricted the South Africans to 309 for 8 with the ball.

Bangladesh were sent into bat, they cracked on with the job at hand, the first wicket saw 60 runs amassed from 52 balls.

Tamim Iqbal and Soumya Sarkar were laying a solid foundation to the innings, and the Proteas bowlers had no response. Lungi Ngidi retired hurt after bowling four overs, it wasn’t looking good for South Africa.

Andile Phehlukwayo took the wicket of Iqbal and Chris Morris took care of Sarkar, and perhaps there was a respite for the Proteas.

It was not to be as Mushfiqur Rahim and Shakib Al Hasan cranked up the pressure with a 142 run third wicket stand off 141 balls. Shakib would go onto score 75 off 84 and Mushfiqur top scored with 78 off 80.

Imran Tahir was called upon to provide the breakthrough, he bowled both Al Hasan and Mohammad Mithun, but it was still not the end of Bangladesh’s batsmen.

For the third time in the innings, Bangladesh had another partnership to rely on, this time Mahmudullah and Mosaddek Hossain combined for 66 runs for the sixth wicket.

Bangladesh scored 330 for 6, their highest score ever in One Day cricket, in turn handing the Proteas the task of trying to chase down the highest run total in world cup history.

In reply, a 49 run partnership was undone when Quinton de Kock was run out, after Rahim, the keeper, initially put down a catch. De Kock wanted to get off strike, he lost his wicket instead.

Aiden Markram was clean bowled by Al Hasan and with it went the makings of another handy partnership, he was gone for 45 off 56 balls.

Faf du Plessis had to accelerate the scoring, he did just that reaching 62 runs off 53 balls, but then disaster struck, Mehidy Hasan Miraz claimed the captain’s scalp, and the task at hand for the Proteas got that much tougher.

Another promising partnership was broken by Mustafizur Rahman, as he took the wicket of David Miller gone for 38 off 43 balls.

A bowling change saw Rassie van der Dussen lose his wicket for 41, key Proteas batsmen were walking with the match still in the balance, and Bangladesh was starting to believe.

JP Duminy fought valiantly, but he fell for 45, there wouldn’t be a flourish for the Proteas as they lost by 21 runs.

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