South Africa continued their impressive run in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 with a crushing 181-run victory over Bangladesh at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The hosts, who won the toss and opted to bat first, piled up a mammoth 382/5 in 50 overs, thanks to a brilliant 174 from opener Quinton de Kock and a quickfire 90 from Heinrich Klaasen. Bangladesh never looked in the hunt as they crumbled to 201/8 in 42.5 overs, with Mahmudullah being the lone fighter with 89. Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen picked up two wickets each for South Africa, who climbed to the top of the points table with four wins from five games.
De Kock's masterclass
The star of the show was undoubtedly de Kock, who smashed his 18th ODI century and his second in this World Cup. The left-hander was in sublime touch from the start, hitting boundaries at will and putting the Bangladesh bowlers under immense pressure. He shared a 72-run stand with Reeza Hendricks for the first wicket before adding another 59 runs with Aiden Markram for the second. He then went on to dominate a 140-run partnership with Klaasen for the fifth wicket, reaching his 150 off just 132 balls. He was eventually dismissed in the 47th over by Hasan Mahmud, but not before he had scored 174 off 140 balls, with 15 fours and seven sixes.
Klaasen's cameo
While de Kock was the main aggressor, Klaasen played a crucial role in boosting South Africa's total in the final overs. The wicketkeeper-batsman came to the crease at 193/4 in the 34th over and wasted no time in launching an attack on the Bangladesh bowlers. He smashed eight sixes and two fours in his 49-ball knock, scoring at a strike rate of 183.67. He was particularly severe on Mahmudullah, whom he hit for three sixes in an over. He fell in the last over of the innings, caught by Liton Das off Shoriful Islam, but not before he had scored 90 and helped South Africa post their highest total in World Cups.
Bangladesh's collapse
Chasing a daunting target of 383, Bangladesh needed a solid start from their openers, but they lost Tamim Iqbal and Liton Das inside the first seven overs. Najmul Hossain Shanto and Shakib Al Hasan followed soon after, leaving Bangladesh reeling at 43/4 in the 12th over. Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah tried to rebuild the innings with a 46-run stand for the fifth wicket, but Jansen broke through by trapping Rahim lbw for eight. Mahmudullah then found some support from Mehidy Hasan Miraz, who scored 11, and Nasum Ahmed, who made 19, but it was too little too late for Bangladesh. Mahmudullah was the last man out, caught by Markram off Rabada for a fighting 89 off 97 balls, with 10 fours and two sixes. Bangladesh were bowled out for 233 in 46.4 overs, handing South Africa their biggest win in terms of runs in World Cups.
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