Pakistan finally post victory at T20 WC, Bangladesh win thriller

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South Africa beat India

PERTH, Australia, Oct 30, (AP): David Miller overcame bowling friendly conditions to help South Africa beat India by five wickets in the 2022 T20 World Cup on Sunday as Pakistan and Bangladesh also secured victories. Miller scored 59 not out off 46 balls to shepherd South Africa to 137-5 (19.4 overs) in reply to India’s 133-9 (20 overs). Lungi Ngidi took 4-29 to help restrict the Indian score, while Suryakumar Yadav scored a counter-attacking 68 off 40 balls. Earlier, Shadab Khan took three wickets and then hit the winning runs as Pakistan beat Netherlands by six wickets with six overs to spare, finally posting a victory at the Twenty20 World Cup.

Pakistan lost in a last-ball thriller in their tournament opener against archrivals India and were upset by Zimbabwe before a thumping win over the Dutch to start a Group 2 doubleheader in Perth. South Africa are now atop group 2 with five points while India are now down to second with their first defeat in three games. Pakistan are fifth in the Group 2 standings, and Netherlands have been knocked out of contention after three consecutive losses in the Super 12 stage. However, India’s loss also means Pakistan now have to beat South Africa on Thursday in Sydney to stay alive in the tournament.

In the day’s other game in Brisbane, Bangladesh held on to beat Zimbabwe by three runs in the Group 2 clash after a dramatic last over that produced two wickets and an unusual no-ball that meant the last delivery had to be re-bowled. In the Western Australian capital, Ngidi was named player of the match for helping South Africa beat India in an ICC event for the first time since 2011. Opting to bat, India ran into Ngidi who ripped up its batting order with a four-wicket burst. Rohit Sharma (15) top-edged after facing a short ball barrage while Lokesh Rahul (9) was caught at slip four balls later.

Kagiso Rabada held two tricky catches at fine leg to help dismiss both Virat Kohli (12) and Hardik Pandya (2). India was rocked by pace and bounce, reduced to 49-5 in 8.3 overs. Anrich Nortje (1-23) dismissed Deepak Hooda (0) for a three-ball duck in between.

Yadav provided resistance with a counter-attacking half-century off 30 balls. He smacked six fours and three sixes to resurrect the Indian innings and put on 52 runs off 40 balls with Dinesh Karthik, who only contributed six runs to the sixth-wicket partnership. Then Wayne Parnell initiated a double breakthrough, sending back Karthik and Ashwin (7) as India floundered again. South Africa went from 3-2 to 24-3 as Mohammed Shami had Temba Bavuma (10) caught behind. But Markram and Miller resisted the fl ow of wickets, adding 76 runs off 60 balls for the fourth wicket.

Markram hit six fours and a six to bring up his half-century off 38 balls. He survived two major chances. Virat Kohli dropped him in the deep off Ravichandran Ashwin in the 12th over, and Sharma missed an easy runout thereafter. Miller reached his half-century off 40 deliveries, upping the ante with four fours and three sixes. Yadav finally held a catch to dismiss Markram, but it was too late.

Ashwin also trapped Tristan Stubbs (6) lbw to make it 122-5. Despite the breakthrough, India had no response for the calm Miller who finished off the game with two balls to spare. In Brisbane, Bangladesh, with four competition points from three games, moved past Zimbabwe with a dramatically narrow win in warm, sunny conditions.

Opener Najmul Hossain Shanto scored 71 from 55 balls in Bangladesh’s total of 150-7. Sean Williams (64) and Ryan Burl (27 not out) took it close, but couldn’t get Zimbabwe over the line. Spinner Musaddek Hossain held his nerve twice, in particular after the players were recalled to the field to re-bowl the last delivery, and helped restrict Zimbabwe to 147-8. Bangladesh’s players celebrated early when Musaddek appeared to wrap up the last over with consecutive stumping dismissals.

But replays showed wicketkeeper Nurul Hasan took the ball in front of the stumps before whipping off the bails to complete the dismissal of Blessing Muzarabani. In the Perth opener, Pakistan’s pace attack restricted Netherlands to 91-9, with Shadab taking 3-22 and Mohammad Wasim Jr. returning 2-15. Netherlands had won the toss and opted to bat but couldn’t cope with Pakistan’s quick bowlers and slumped quickly to 26-3.

Colin Ackermann (27) tried rebuilding the innings but Shadab ran through the middle order and Wasim Jr. narrowly missed his hat trick toward the end. He had dismissed Tim Pringle (5) and Fred Klaassen (0) off successive balls. Only two Dutch players scored in double digits. Pakistan replied with a sedate innings and knocked up the runs in 13.5 overs, finishing with 95-4. Mohammad Rizwan scored 49 off 39 balls, combining with Fakhar Zaman (20) in a 37-run second-wicket stand after Pakistan skipper Babar Azam (4) was run out.

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