Anrich Nortje took career-best figures as South Africa began their campaign with a win, rolling Sri Lanka for their lowest T20 score
Sri Lanka have been blown away for a record low 77 en route to a six-wicket defeat to South Africa in both teams’ T20 World Cup opener in New York.
South Africa overcame their own hiccups on the two-paced pitch to cross the finish line with 3.4 overs to spare, reaching 4-80 at the purpose-built Nassau County Stadium on Long Island.
South Africa’s best bowling performance in tournament history included speedster Anrich Nortje’s career-best 4-7 (the most economical four overs in men’s T20 World Cups), Kagiso Rabada’s 2-21, spinner Keshav Maharaj’s 2-22, and fast bowler Ottneil Baartman’s 1-9 in his second T20 international.
“It was a tough wicket to bat on, (so) just happy we could restrict them to a chasable score and to get it a soon as we did,” Nortje said.
Opener Kusal Mendis top scored for Sri Lanka with 19, one of only three to reach double figures.
The Sri Lankans were dismissed in 19.1 overs for their lowest ever total in T20s and the 13th lowest score in T20 World Cup history.
Skipper Wanindu Hasaranga took 2-22 but South Africa’s Heinrich Klaasen kept a calm head to finish off proceedings for the Proteas with an unbeaten 19.
“We did well to restrict them to a low score,” player-of-the-match Nortje said. “It was an up-and-down wicket, so it was important to get early wickets. These drop-in pitches are tough to bowl on.”
Sri Lanka opted to bat first and misread the variable bounce on a pitch that had been grown in Florida and trucked to New York State before being laid in recent weeks.
Baartman had Pathum Nissanka caught behind for 3. Nortje removed Kamindu Mendis, caught at square leg on 11. Hasaranga was promoted to number four but was stumped for a two-ball duck. Next ball, Maharaj bowled Sadeera Samarawickrama for a golden duck.
When Kusal Mendis mistimed Nortje to fine leg, Sri Lanka were 5-40 after 10 overs. Nortje also dismissed Charith Asalanka (9) and Angelo Mathews (16), the only batter with a strike rate of 100.
Sri Lanka lost its last four wickets for nine runs across 27 deliveries. In hindsight, on a pitch that didn’t allow for the usual big T20 hits, Sri Lanka would have been competitive with a total of 100.
“To be honest this was a 120-run wicket, especially with our bowlers,” Hasaranga said. “We went with our strength, bowling, and that’s why we batted first.
“We have three more games and we want to do much better, especially with our batting.”
South Africa made a poor start in front of the crowd of 12,562, losing opener Reeza Hendricks on 4 in the second over.
Quinton de Kock scored 20 runs off 27 balls to hold up one end, before returning a catch to Hasaranga in the 11th over.
In between, Aiden Markram was caught at slip for 12 and, in the same fifth over, Dasun Shanaka should have had Tristan Stubbs before he scored but Kusal Mendis dropped the edge behind.
Stubbs eventually went for 13 off 28, and Klaasen and David Miller coasted South Africa home with a shared 22 off 21 balls.
While the match featured the lowest run-rate in a men’s T20 World Cup at only 4.2 runs per over, India managed 5-182 from their 20 overs in a warm-up match against Bangladesh at the same venue two days earlier.
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