Mahmadullah's Good Century in Vain as South Africa Trump Bangladesh by 149 Runs After De Kock's Heroics

Despite Mahmadullah's century, his efforts were in vain as South Africa defeated Bangladesh by 149 runs in the ICC ODI World Cup 2023, securing their fourth win. The Proteas batted first and once again scored a total of over 300, setting Bangladesh a challenging target of 383 to chase.

Quinton de Kock's impressive 174-run knock, along with Heinrich Klaasen's solid 90-run contribution, and Aiden Markram's 60 runs as stand-in skipper, propelled the team to a strong position. David Miller played an outstanding innings, scoring an unbeaten 34 runs, which helped the Proteas reach a total of 382/5. On Tuesday at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, Hasan Mahmud took two wickets, while Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan, Shoriful Islam, and Mehidy Hasan Miraz each took one wicket.

Bangladesh attempted to chase the formidable total but faced a setback as they found themselves at a score of 81/6 after 22 overs.

The top order struggled to make an impact, but Mahmadullah showed great resilience and determination to score a gritty century. Regrettably, despite his best efforts, his score of one hundred failed to influence the outcome of the game, as South Africa made significant progress towards the semifinals.

South Africa, known as the Proteas, achieved an impressive total of 382/5 in this World Cup, which is the third-highest score. The top two highest scores also belong to South Africa. In their match against Bangladesh, South Africa dominated as they easily dismissed their opponents for 233 runs in 46.4 overs. Bangladesh's batting effort was largely disappointing.

Mahmudullah Riyad displayed a remarkable performance by scoring 111 runs off 111 balls, achieving his fourth century in 225 One Day Internationals (ODIs) and his first in six years. However, the rest of the Bangladesh batsmen struggled on a pitch that still favoured batting conditions.

Bangladesh suffered their fourth consecutive loss in the World Cup, while South Africa secured their fourth win out of five games. The defeat marked Bangladesh's third largest margin of runs in World Cup history.

Bangladesh started cautiously, but their momentum shifted when Marco Jansen took two wickets in the seventh over. He got Tanzid Hasan (12) and Najmul Hossain Shanto (0) caught behind. In the following over, Lizaad Williams dismissed Shakib Al Hasan (1), further weakening Bangladesh's position.

Litton Das, who scored 12 runs, was dismissed leg-before by Kagiso Rabada, who took 2 wickets. Mushfiqur Rahim, known for his reliability, was removed from the game by Gerald Coetzee, who claimed 3 wickets for 62 runs.

Mehidy Hasan Miraz, who was sent in at No. 7 in the Bangladesh batting line-up, was dismissed by Keshav Maharaj, who took 1 wicket for 32 runs.

Bangladesh had fallen into a deep hole from which it seemed impossible to recover. However, Mahmudullah's century greatly reduced the margin of defeat.

Mahmudullah contributed significantly to the team's score by partnering with Nasum Ahmed (19) to add 41 runs for the seventh wicket, Hasan Mahmud (15) to add 37 runs for the eighth wicket, and Mustafzur Rahman (11) to add 68 runs for the ninth wicket. His efforts were aimed at prolonging South Africa's time on the pitch as much as possible.

Furthermore, Mahmudullah's exceptional effort prevented what could have been the largest defeat in World Cup history. At one point, Bangladesh found themselves in a precarious position, with a score of 81 for six while chasing a target of 383.

In the previous match, de Kock's outstanding innings of 174, along with Heinrich Klaasen's impressive 90 off just 49 balls, showcased South Africa's strong batting ability. As a result, they finished with a massive total.

De Kock displayed an impressive performance by hitting 15 fours and seven sixes. This outstanding innings marked his third century in just five innings. Moreover, his knock of 140 balls showcased a remarkable late acceleration. As a result, De Kock achieved the ninth highest individual score in the history of the tournament.