Rilee Rossouw hits 52-ball hundred and shares record T20 World Cup partnership of 168 with Quinton de Kock as South Africa trounce Bangladesh by 104 runs; Proteas seamer Anrich Nortje takes 4-10 as Tigers rolled for 101 in reply to South Africa's massive 205-5 in Group 2 clash at SCG
Thursday 27 October 2022 11:56, UK
Rilee Rossouw smashed the first hundred of this year's T20 World Cup as his 52-ball ton and Anrich Nortje's four-wicket haul saw South Africa demolish Bangladesh by 104 runs in Sydney.
Rossouw's second century in as many T20I innings - he scored an unbeaten 100 against India earlier this month - lifted the Proteas to 205-5 from their 20 overs at the SCG, with his innings of 109 from 56 balls featuring eight sixes and seven fours
The left-hander's 168-run partnership with Quinton de Kock (63 off 38) for South Africa's second wicket is the highest in men's T20 World Cups, trumping the 166 Sri Lanka legends Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara amassed against West Indies in Barbados in 2010.
In reply, Bangladesh were shredded for 101 in 16.3 overs with the heart ripped out of the innings when Nortje (4-10 from 3.3 overs) vaporised three of their top four - Najmul Hossain Shanto (9), Soumya Sarkar (15) and skipper Shakib Al Hasan (1) - as The Tigers slumped to 47-4 in the powerplay.
Nortje then wrapped up victory when he bowled Taskin Ahmed (10) as South Africa - denied a win against Zimbabwe on Monday by the rain - underlined their credentials as potential title contenders.
Rossouw said afterwards: "To score a hundred in a winning cause is fantastic. I'm very chuffed with my performance but more important is that we got the two points."
Rossouw and Nortje were key figures in the victory, with the former cracking the 10th ton in all Men's T20 World Cups - and first by a South African - before the latter produced a sizzling burst with the ball.
Rossouw, in early at No 3 after captain Temba Bavuma (2) fell to the final ball of Taskin's first over, helped his side to 58-1 in five overs before a short rain delay.
South Africa were limited to 33 across the next five overs but then exploded to plunder 80 across overs 11 to 15.
Overs 16-20 yielded just 34 runs and three wickets, including Rossouw being caught at cover off the bowling of Shakib.
Then it was over to fast bowler Nortje, who nicked off Sarkar and castled Shanto in his first over, the third of the innings, before trapping Shakib lbw in his next.
Bangladesh had begun their reply well, taking 17 off Kagiso Rabada's first over and 10 from Wayne Parnell's second, but were now reeling, even more so when Afif Hossain (1) chipped Rabada to Parnell at mid-off in the sixth over.
South Africa spinners Tabraiz Shamsi (3-20) and Keshav Maharaj (1-24) then took over the wicket-taking mantle - Shamsi accounting for top-scorer Liton Das (34) - before Nortje took out Taskin's leg stump to end a one-sided game.
South Africa meet India in a colossal clash in Perth on Sunday (11am UK time), with Bangladesh in action earlier on the same day against Zimbabwe in Brisbane (3am UK time).
