Sri Lanka All Out at 78, South Africa Triumphs
New York's Pitch Nightmare: Sri Lanka All Out at 78, South Africa Clinches Victory
Pitch Controversy Ahead of Pakistan-India T20 World Cup Clash
Ahead of the highly anticipated T20 World Cup showdown between Pakistan and India, the drop-in pitch in New York has raised several concerns. The pitch proved to be a nightmare for batsmen, allowing bowlers to exploit its poor quality fully. This ground is set to host the major match on Sunday.
South Africa Dominates Sri Lanka
On Monday, South Africa secured a six-wicket victory over former champions Sri Lanka. This marks the first time since 2012 that South Africa has won their opening match of the tournament. Chasing a target of 78 runs, South Africa achieved victory in the 17th over with four wickets down. Quinton de Kock scored 20, and Heinrich Klaasen added 19 runs. Wanindu Hasaranga took two wickets, while Dasun Shanaka and Dushmantha Chameera claimed one wicket each.
Sri Lankan captain Hasaranga won the toss and opted to bat first. However, South African bowlers dominated from the start, preventing any Sri Lankan batsman from playing a significant inning. Eight Sri Lankan batsmen failed to reach double figures, and the team was all out for 77 runs in the 20th over, their lowest score in T20 history. Kusal Mendis was the top scorer for Sri Lanka with 19 runs, followed by Kamindu Mendis with 11 and Angelo Mathews with 16 runs. South African fast bowler Anrich Nortje took four wickets for just seven runs and was named Player of the Match for his career-best bowling performance. Kagiso Rabada and Keshav Maharaj each took two wickets.
Namibia’s Thrilling Victory Over Oman
In the third match of the mega event, Namibia secured a thrilling victory against Oman in a super over. Player of the Match David Wiese took three wickets for 28 runs. In Bridgetown on Monday, Oman batted first and were bowled out for just 109 runs in 19.4 overs. In the super over, Namibia set a target of 22 runs for Oman, who managed only 10 runs, giving Namibia their first win.
In Group B’s opening match, Namibia won the toss and chose to bowl. Oman’s innings struggled from the beginning, with fast bowler Ruben Trumpelmann taking wickets on the first and second balls. Oman’s Zeeshan Maqsood and Khalid Kail scored 22 and 34 runs, respectively, but the rest of the team faltered, and they were all out for 109 runs. Trumpelmann finished with four wickets for 21 runs, while David Wiese took three wickets.
Namibia also faced early setbacks, losing a wicket in the first over. However, a partnership of 42 runs for the second wicket between JJ Smit and Nicol Loftie-Eaton improved their position. Despite losing a few more wickets, Namibia reached 105 runs for four wickets by the 19th over, needing just five runs to win in the last over. Oman’s captain handed the ball to Mehran Khan, who took two wickets in the final over, preventing Namibia from scoring the required five runs. This led to the match being decided in a super over, where Namibia emerged victorious.