Rossouw’s ton guides South Africa to convincing win over Bangladesh

NEW DELHI: At the SCG on Thursday, South Africa showed they mean business in the T20 World Cup with a commanding 104-run victory over Bangladesh.

After their opening game against Zimbabwe was abandoned when they were 51/0 in three overs and well on course to chasing down 80 in a rainmarred nine-over game, this was a fitting response from them.

The win was set up by Rille Rossouw (109, 56b, 7x4s, 8x6s) and Quinton de Kock (63, 38b, 3x6s), who stitched a second-wicket stand of 168 off just 81 balls. It is the highest partnership for any wicket in T20 World Cup history. In response to South Africa’s mammoth total of 205/5, Bangladesh folded for 101. Pacer Anrich Nortje returned career-best figures of 4/10.

Rossouw brought up his second successive century in T20Is after hitting an unbeaten 100 in the final game of a three-match series against India in Indore on October 4. The 33-year-old lefthander had made a comeback to the South African set-up in July 2022, having put his interna7x4s, tional career on the back burner for six years by signing a Kolpak deal with Hampshire.

With skipper Temba Bavuma falling for 2 in the first over of the innings by Taskin Ahmed, Rossouw and de Kock came together early. They gauged the conditions quickly, realising that they could play through the line on an easy-paced pitch without any repercussions.

205/5 in 20 overs (Rossouw 109, De Kock 63; Shakib 2/33) beat

101 in 16.3 overs (Litton 34; Nortje 4/10, Shamsi 3/20)