SYDNEY: South Africa skipper Temba Bavuma won the toss and opted to bat first against Bangladesh on Thursday as his team chased crucial competition points on another rainy day at the Twenty World Cup.
South Africa’s opening game against Zimbabwe was washed out in Hobart and so the wet and overcast conditions are causing concern for Bavuma’s team. Bangladesh’s opening nine-wicket twin over Netherlands was its first ever victory in the second stage of a T20 World Cup.
It’s one of three Group 2 matches scheduled for Thursday, with India aiming to back up its last-ball victory over archrival Pakistan with a win against Netherlands in the second game in Sydney and Pakistan determined to recover by posting a win over Zimbabwe in Perth.
The toss was delayed by a few minutes on account of a wet outfield, and intermittent showers were on the forecast.
Bangladesh made one change to its starting lineup, with spinner Mehidy Hasan added at the expense of batter Yasir Ali.
The pitch at the Sydney Cricket Ground is expected to be batter friendly, with a few cracks, and spin should come into play as the day progresses.
Rain played a big role in the latest of the tournament upsets, when Ireland beat England by five-wickets on Wednesday night in Group 1 game decided on the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method for calculating revised targets. The second game of the scheduled double-header in Melbourne was abandoned without a ball being bowled, meaning New Zealand and Afghanistan had to share the points.
Ireland was sent in to bat and posted 157 in 19.2 overs and then restricted England to 105-5 in 14.3 overs before the game was called.
“We know the way England plays and we wanted to create chances. If we took our chances, then we would have a shot,” Ireland captain Andy Balbirnie said. “To come and play the tournament favorites, and put on a show, is very satisfying.”
The defeat pushed England down to third in its group ahead of a must-win showdown with defending champion Australia on Friday.
