South Africa gave themselves a chance to boost an already healthy run rate
by bowling out Bangladesh for 108 in their World Cup Pool B match at Goodyear Park in Bloemfontein on Saturday.
The Bangladeshis were asked to bat by South African captain Shaun Pollock in a ploy that will increasingly be adopted by the stronger teams in the tournament against weaker opposition. The idea is to bowl the minnows out cheaply before knocking off the target as quickly as possible to ensure an improvement to the winners’ run rate.
This is likely to be achieved by the South Africans after Bangladesh were able to produce only one partnership of any significance in an innings that lasted just 35.1 overs. Captain Khaled Mashud and Khaled Mahmud put on 35 for the seventh wicket to revive the innings after the top order had stumbled to 56 for six.
Mashud top-scored with 29 while Mahmud was eventually the last man out, slicing Makhaya Ntini high to third man for 23.
Mahmud’s wicket gave Ntini four for 24 for the innings as he wrapped up the Bangladeshi tail. Shaun Pollock took two for 8 in his opening burst while Andre Hall, playing his first match of the tournament, claimed two for 15.
The South Africans brought in Monde Zondeki and Robin Peterson along with Hall with Allan Donald, Nicky Boje and Graeme Smith all sitting this match out. The omission of Donald was something of a surprise as there is a strong school of thought which believes that South Africa’s most successful fast bowler needs as many overs in the middle as possible in order to bowl himself back into form.
In the even, his replacement, Zondeki, took one for 17 after a nervous opening over in which he bowled three wides.
More cricket in our Cricket World Cup special report