In T20 cricket, Bangladesh fell short of securing a spot in the World Cup, despite some favorable conditions during the match against South Africa. South Africa managed to clinch the victory by a narrow margin of just 4 runs, with a total score of 113 runs on a challenging New York pitch. The Bangladesh team, though on a winning streak, lacked the necessary skills to secure the win, especially in the crucial overs.
Recent matches had seen upsets like USA defeating Pakistan and Afghanistan defeating New Zealand, hinting that Africa might also join the list. South Africa had a history of dominating Bangladesh in T20 World Cup matches, with a perfect record of three wins. This trend continued as South Africa outplayed Bangladesh once again. Despite the difficult nature of the pitch for batting first, South Africa chose to bat.
The early overs saw Tanzim Saqib and Taskin Ahmed making significant breakthroughs, putting South Africa in a precarious position at 23/4. However, a strong partnership between David Miller and Heinrich Klaasen helped South Africa reach a competitive total. Tanzim and Taskin took crucial wickets for Bangladesh, limiting South Africa to 113 runs. In the chase, Bangladesh faced early setbacks with the dismissals of Tanzid Hasan, Litton Das, and Shakib Al Hasan.
Despite a promising partnership between Mahmudullah and Tauhid Hridoy, Rabada's bowling proved challenging. Bangladesh needed 11 runs off the final over but fell short, ultimately losing to South Africa. Maharaj, Rabada, and Norkia shone for South Africa, each taking 2 or more wickets in the match.