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Bangladesh fall short as South Africa conjure a win from nowhere
South Africa survived an almighty scare to to maintain a 100% win-record at the T20 World Cup 2024 and in New York, where they chose to bat first in their final fixture at Eisenhower Park. On a used wicket, Aiden Markram decided to put a total on the board, and it almost looked like a mistake. South Africa were 23 for 4, but a record 79-run fifth-wicket stand between Heinrich Klassen and David Miller took them to 113, which they scrapped hard to defend.
Bangladesh’s start was not ideal. They were 50 for 4 after ten overs, but Towhid Hridoy and Mahmudullah put on 44 for the fifth wicket and got them back on track. They almost also got them over the line and will look back on one incident which could have forced a Super Over. In the 17th over, Mahmudullah missed a flick off Ottneil Baartman, which hit his front pad and deflected to the boundary for what looked like four leg byes. But he was given out off that ball, which made it dead at the point of impact, and reviewed the decision. Ball-tracking showed Mahmudullah was not out, but because he had been given out, the four runs did not count, as outlined by the ICC’s protocols on DRS (3.7.1) in the playing conditions for T20Is.
In the end. Bangladesh fell short by four runs. That, and their inability to capitalise on Keshav Maharaj bowling the final over for the first time in T20Is and sending down three full tosses, cost them the game.
Maharaj was tasked with the final over after Markram bowled the seamers out earlier. It seemed a miscalculation, but he got two wickets as Bangladesh sought to clear the boundary though neither Jaker Ali nor Mahmudullah could. Mahmudullah was out on the penultimate ball – off a full toss – to a well-timed running catch by Markram from long-on, which all but ended Bangladesh’s hopes.
South Africa leave the USA with three wins from three matches, and will move to St. Vincent to play Nepal in their last group match. They are in pole position to qualify for the Super 8s. Bangladesh also head to the West Indies, and will play Netherlands and Nepal, with the Super 8s still in sight.
For all the talk about the power of their batting line-up, South Africa’s top three have under-performed thus far, albeit on tough batting surfaces. Collectively, Quinton de Kock, Reeza Hendricks and Markram have scored 61 runs in nine trips to the crease at an average of 6.77. Of teams that have played at least two matches at the tournament, only Uganda and PNG average lower.
The biggest concern will be Hendricks, whose scores of 4, 3 and 0 are the lowest of the trio, and whose methods of dismissal appear to show a technical deficiency. Twice in two games, Hendricks has been stuck in his crease and then played down the wrong line. He’ll be looking over his shoulder knowing fellow opener Ryan Rickelton is waiting on the bench, and could get an opportunity in the next match.
Things got even worse when Tristan Stubbs was dismissed for a duck in the fifth over. South Africa have only lost their first four wickets by end of the fifth over on five occasions in men’s T20Is, and two of them came in this competition. Happily for them, they had Klaasen and Miller on hand to shore up the mid-section of the innings.
After Tanzim Hasan (3 for 18) set the tone with wickets upfront, Taskin Ahmed took charge of the latter stages, helped by Rishad Hossain and Mustafizur Rahman. Between them, the trio gave away just 13 runs in the last three overs of South Africa’s innings, and removed both danger batters Klaasen and Miller in a clutch display of death bowling. Klaasen was dismissed halfway through the 18th over, when he slogged across the line but was early on his shot, and the low bounce took the ball onto leg stump. Taskin only conceded three singles off the rest of that over to finish with 2 for 19 from his four overs.
It may have been a gamble to use legspinner Rishad for the penultimate over, especially when his previous three cost 28 runs, but he knocked Miller out with a topspinner second ball, and Maharaj could not get him away. Rishad’s final over cost just four. Then came the Fizz, who took the ball away from Maharaj for four consecutive dots before a fifth went wide and was called as such. The batters scored three runs off the last two balls and were frustrated by their inability to score any boundaries in the last three overs.
On his 35th birthday, Miller was given a gift when he edged the first ball Mahmudullah bowled. But Litton Das, who was standing up to the stumps, was unable to react quickly enough to take the catch. Miller was on 13 at the time and went on to more than double his score and finish on 29. But that wasn’t the end of the presents for him. He was stationed at extra cover when Maharaj was brought on to bowl the first over after the powerplay, and Litton, not content with what he had already given Miller, slapped the ball straight to him. Miller made no mistake, and Bangladesh were 29 for 2 in the seventh over.
Bangladesh had to get 20 runs off the last 18 balls, and after putting on the squeeze in that period would have expected it to be difficult but perhaps not this difficult. Kagiso Rabada bowled the 18th over, despite not being his best at the tournament so far. He only half-appealed when Hridoy missed an attempted clip to the leg side but was rewarded with a wicket first up. Rabada went on to concede only one more run in an over of hard lengths.
Then Baartman stepped up for the 19th, and stuck to a slightly fuller length which neither Mahmudullah nor Jaker could get away. He conceded seven runs. The test was when Maharaj, who has never done this job before, was left with the final six balls. He started with a wide. His second legal ball was a low full toss that Mahmudullah hit hard down the ground, but the slow outfield stopped it from getting to the rope. Jaker tried to send the next one over the rope but couldn’t clear long-on, and then Rishad managed a leg bye.
But the last two balls were both full tosses that should have been dispatched over the rope. However, Mahmdullah’s effort found Markram, while Taskin could only hit the final ball to cover to give South Africa a nervy anti-choke win.
Brief scores:
South Africa 113 for 6 in 20 overs (Heinrich Klaasen 46, David Miller 29; Tanzim Hasan Sakib 3-18, Taskin Ahmed 2-19, Rishad Hossain 1-32) beat Bangladesh 109 for 7 in 20 overs (Towhid Hridoy 37, Mahmudullah 20; Keshav Maharaj 3-27, Anrich Nortje 2-17, Kagiso Rabada 2-19) by four runs
[Cricinfo]
Bangladesh quick Nahid Rana’s maiden five-wicket haul sent Pakistan tumbling to an eight-wicket defeat in the first ODI in Mirpur. Bangladesh completed the 115-run chase in 15.1 overs after they bowled out the visitors for 114. This was’s Bangladesh’s biggest win by wickets and balls remaining against Pakistan.
Tanzid Hasan struck seven fours and five sixes in his unbeaten 42-ball 67, while Najmul Hossain Shanto made 27 with five fours. The pair added 82 runs for the second wicket, as this became the shortest ODI between Bangladesh and Pakistan in terms of total overs bowled.
It was all due to Rana, who had a huge influence in the game in his spell of seven overs. He picked up a wicket in each of his first five overs, as Pakistan sunk rapidly against Rana’s pace and bounce, reminiscent of the last time they came across the fast bowler. Rana had taken four wickets in the Rawalpindi Test in 2024.
In Mirpur, Pakistan had played four debutants, their most since 2008 in ODIs. Sahibzada Farhan and Maaz Sadaqat, among those newbies, added 41 runs for the opening stand before Rana removed Farhan in the tenth over. Farhan made 27 off 38 balls, before hitting a length ball to Afif Hossain at point.
Shamyl Hussain was the next to go, top-edging a Rana bouncer which Litton Das pouched safely. Shamyl was dropped on two at long-off in the previous over, but couldn’t make the chance count. When Sadaqat fell to yet another short ball, Pakistan slipped from 41 for 0 to 55 for three in the 14th over.
There was some hope when the experienced pair Mohammad Rizwan and Salman Agha got together. Rizwan even struck Rana for a superb boundary, before Rana sucked him into a drive and had him caught behind. Salman’s fall next was emblematic of Pakistan’s dismissals on the day – fending a short ball to short leg, where Tanzid completed a juggling catch.
Rana kept pounding in with thunderbolts for two more overs, creating couple of chances, and also bowling a 148.6kph delivery at Faheem Ashraf.
Captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz then took three wickets, while Taskin Ahmed and Mustafizur Rahman took one each, as Pakistan were shot out in the 31st over. Faheem top scored with 37, adding 32 runs for the tenth wicket with Abrar Ahmed.
Shaheen Shah Afridi and Faheem began Pakistan’s defence in a wayward manner, conceding five wides in the first two overs before the former dismissed Saif Hassan. Despite the early wicket, Tanzid and Shanto went after the Pakistan bowling, with both the left-handers finding boundaries regularly. Tanzid hit Faheem for two fours in the second over, before Shanto opened his account off his second ball with a crashing drive off Afridi.
Tanzid then struck Mohammad Wasim for a six and four in the sixth over, followed by Shanto hammering Afridi for three fours in the seventh over. Tanzid continued the big-hitting in the next over, going after Abrar Ahmed for two sixes, before Shanto got an edged boundary off Afridi.
Bangladesh were 81 for one after ten overs, their second highest score after the first powerplay in ODIs against Pakistan.
Tanzid struck two more sixes off Abrar and Agha, while reaching his fifty off 32 balls. Shanto then edged Wasim to the wicketkeeper, but that wicket was a mere consolation for Pakistan, who had been thorougly outplayed.
Brief scores:
Bangladesh 115 for 2 in 15.1 overs (Tanzid Hasan 67*, Najmul Hosain Shanto 27) beat Pakistan 114 in 30.4 Overs (Faheem Ashraf 37, Shahibzada Farhan 27; Nahid Rana 5-24, Mehidy Hasan Miraz 3-29) by 8 wickets
(Cricinfo)
Australia has confirmed that two more members of the Iranian women’s football team have received humanitarian visas, after five players were earlier granted asylum over concerns for their safety should they return to Iran, following the team failing to simg their national anthem before a recent match.
A player and a member of the team’s support staff decided to stay in Australia after seeking asylum, Minister for Home Affairs Tony Burke told reporters on Wednesday.
The pair has now joined five other team members granted humanitarian visas on Tuesday, Burke told reporters.
He said the pair sought asylum before the team departed the country late on Tuesday night, adding that all the women were taken aside individually by Australian officials and interpreters, without Iranian minders present, and offered asylum as they passed through security at Sydney airport.
“They were given a choice,” said Burke, who later posted images of the players on social media.
“In that situation, what we made sure of was that there was no rushing, there was no pressure,” he said.
Burke also said that some people linked to the team were not offered asylum, without providing details. One member of the delegation delayed boarding the departing flight from Sydney while they contacted family members and deliberated about staying in Australia, Burke said.The team’s departure from their hotel in Australia’s Gold Coast and arrival at the domestic airport in Sydney before their international departure took place amid protests, as Iranian Australians sought to prevent the women from leaving the country, citing fears for their safety in Iran.
“We weren’t sure which way that person would go,” he said. “That individual ultimately made their own decision.”
The seven team members who had requested asylum have received temporary humanitarian visas, which is a pathway to permanent residency in Australia, Burke said.
According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), the visas offered to the team members are valid for 12 months and are similar to those granted to applicants from Ukraine, Palestine and Afghanistan.
The team’s departure from their hotel in Australia’s Gold Coast and arrival at the domestic airport in Sydney before their international departure took place amid protests, as Iranian Australians sought to prevent the women from leaving the country, citing fears for their safety in Iran.
Concerns about the players’ safety emerged after Iranian state television labelled the team “traitors” for refusing to sing the national anthem before their first Asia Cup match in Australia. The team later sang the anthem at other matches.
However, the office of Iran’s general prosecutor said on Tuesday that the remaining members of the team were invited home “with peace and confidence”, Iranian media reported.
“These loved ones are invited to return to their homeland with peace and confidence, and in addition to addressing the concerns of their families,” the general prosecutor’s office was quoted as saying by Iran’s Tasnim news agency.
Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, Esmaeil Baghaei, also urged the players to “come home”.
“To Iran’s women’s football team: don’t worry – Iran awaits you with open arms,” Baghaei wrote on X on Tuesday.
The Iranian team joined the Women’s Asian Cup tournament in Australia, just as the US and Israel launched their war on Iran, killing the country’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and many senior officials.
At least 1,255 people have been killed in the US-Israeli war on Iran, which has entered its 12th day and has seen devastating air strikes on the capital, Tehran, and other cities, as well as key infrastructure and civilian sites.
The high-profile offer of asylum to the football players also comes as the Australian government has moved to introduce legislation to ban people from certain countries traveling to Australia who authorities fear might overstay their visa due to the war in the Middle East.
According to the ABC, the proposed law would allow the government to stop people from nominated countries entering Australia for up to six months, even if they already have a valid temporary visa.
The Australian Greens party said on Tuesday that the law was “clearly aimed at preventing people from Iran from seeking safety in Australia”.
“We know who this is aimed at by Labor – it’s aimed at the people of Iran, the people of Lebanon, the people of Qatar and the entire Middle East. It is clearly designed to be a Trump-like mass visa freeze,” said Greens Senator David Shoebridge, referring to the governing Australian Labor Party and US President Donald Trump, who has also banned people from certain countries from entering the US.
The Iranian team joined the Women’s Asian Cup tournament in Australia, just as the US and Israel launched their war on Iran, killing the country’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and many senior officials.
At least 1,255 people have been killed in the US-Israeli war on Iran, which has entered its 12th day and has seen devastating air strikes on the capital, Tehran, and other cities, as well as key infrastructure and civilian sites.
The high-profile offer of asylum to the football players also comes as the Australian government has moved to introduce legislation to ban people from certain countries traveling to Australia who authorities fear might overstay their visa due to the war in the Middle East.
According to the ABC, the proposed law would allow the government to stop people from nominated countries entering Australia for up to six months, even if they already have a valid temporary visa.
The Australian Greens party said on Tuesday that the law was “clearly aimed at preventing people from Iran from seeking safety in Australia”.
“We know who this is aimed at by Labor – it’s aimed at the people of Iran, the people of Lebanon, the people of Qatar and the entire Middle East. It is clearly designed to be a Trump-like mass visa freeze,” said Greens Senator David Shoebridge, referring to the governing Australian Labor Party and US President Donald Trump, who has also banned people from certain countries from entering the US.
(Aljazeera)
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Heat Index at Caution Level in the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Southern and North-western provinces and Monaragala district
Warm Weather Advisory
Issued by the Natural Hazards Early Warning Centre of the Department of Meteorology at 3.30 p.m. on 10 March 2026, valid for 11 March 2026.
The public are warned that the Heat index, the temperature felt on the human body is likely to increase up to ‘Caution level’ at
some places in the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Southern and North-western provinces and in Monaragala district.
The Heat Index Forecast is calculated by using relative humidity and maximum temperature and this is the condition that is felt on your body. This is not the forecast of maximum temperature. It is generated by the Department of Meteorology for the next day period and prepared by using global numerical weather prediction model data.
Effect of the heat index on human body is mentioned in the above table and it is prepared on the advice of the Ministry of Health and Indigenous Medical Services.
ACTION REQUIRED
Job sites: Stay hydrated and takes breaks in the shade as often as possible.
Indoors: Check up on the elderly and the sick.
Vehicles: Never leave children unattended.
Outdoors: Limit strenuous outdoor activities, find shade and stay hydrated.
Dress: Wear lightweight and white or light-colored clothing.
Note:
In addition, please refer to advisories issued by the Disaster Preparedness & Response Division, Ministry of Health in this regard.
For further clarifications please contact 011-744649
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