Ken Borland

A superb bowling performance by the Proteas saw them bowl Bangladesh out for just 84 and, although their batsmen had some troubles of their own on a spiteful pitch, they managed to cross the line with six wickets and 39 balls to spare in Abu Dhabi.

Bangladesh, having been sent in to bat, were thoroughly undermined by fiery fast bowling at its best by Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje.

Rabada began the rout in the fourth over when he had Mohammad Naim (9) caught at a wide mid-on and then trapped Soumya Sarkar lbw first ball with a brilliant late inswinging yorker.

In Rabada’s next over, Mushfiqur Rahim (0) was superbly caught by a juggling Reeza Hendricks at slip, South Africa’s pace spearhead finishing with career-best figures of three for 20.

There was no respite for Bangladesh as Nortje continued his outstanding tournament, bouncing out Mahmudullah (3) and then returning to wrap up the innings with two wickets in two balls as he finished with three for eight in 3.2 overs.

In between, spinner Tabraiz Shamsi did his usual fine job in the middle overs with two for 21 in his four overs.

Opener Liton Das (24 off 36) and Mehedi Hasan (27 off 25) were the only Bangladesh batsmen to contribute much.

Paceman Taskin Ahmed (4-0-18-2) made it anything but easy for the South African top-order as he jagged a delivery back into Hendricks (4) to trap him lbw and then a fine ball that held its line had Aiden Markram (0) well-taken at slip by Naim.

Quinton de Kock looked promising for his 16 but then missed a straight one from spinner Mehedi, to leave the Proteas in trouble on 33 for three.

But captain Temba Bavuma was unflustered and batted through to the end with his 31 not out off 28 balls including some great strokeplay that brought him three fours and a six.

Rassie van der Dussen (22) also helped weather the early storm before Shoriful Islam took a fine outfield catch off spinner Nasum Ahmed.

Perhaps the most important thing to come out of the match was the boost to the Proteas nett run-rate as they won in the 14th over, taking their nett run-rate to +0.74, stretching their lead over Australia’s -0.63.

The second-innings fightback shown by the Northerns Titans will please coach Mandla Mashimbyi, but in the end his team could not complete the job as they lost by one wicket to the Eastern Province Warriors in a thrilling CSA Four-Day Domestic Series match at Centurion on Monday.

Eastern Province began the final day on 180 for seven, chasing 236 for victory, and it was young Tiaan van Vuuren who steered them to the win with a brave and aggressive 32 not out.

He and last man Mthiwekhaya Nabe (10*), who scored the winning runs via an excellent sweep for four off seasoned spinner Simon Harmer, added 24 for the last wicket to get the visitors over the line in exciting fashion.

Fast bowlers Corbin Bosch and Junior Dala both struck early on Monday, with Bosch getting the key wicket of Lesiba Ngoepe for 52 as he flapped at a lifter down the leg side and was caught behind.

But the Titans had further chances and Van Vuuren was dropped in the slips when he had just 4. Dala, who finished with three for 59, was the unfortunate bowler.

Western Province managed to draw their match against the KZN Dolphins at Newlands with the considerable help of unseasonal rain.

Western Province were 186 for seven in their follow-on innings, but only 28 deliveries were able to be bowled on Monday with the home side finishing on 190 for seven, still 30 runs short of making KZN bat again.

Daryn Dupavillon was the best of the bowlers with four for 35 in 13 overs.

Janneman Malan, in a new middle-order role, scored a top-class unbeaten 200 for Boland as they piled up 520 for nine declared against the Free State Knights in Bloemfontein.

Malan was completely dominant as he stroked 20 fours in his 319-ball innings.

Ferisco Adams also reached three figures, scoring a wonderful 127 and sharing in a partnership of 260 for the eighth wicket with Malan, a South African record, beating the 257 put on by Dane Vilas and Robin Peterson for the Cape Cobras against the Knights in Kimberley in 2011/12.

Trailing by exactly 200, Free State had to ensure they did not lose early wickets and Matthew Kleinveldt (31) and Jacques Snyman (49) ticked that box in an opening stand of 64.

Raynard van Tonder (33*) and Pite van Biljon (29*) then took the Knights to 143 for two when the teams agreed to call it a draw.

Dwaine Pretorius has announced himself as a new death-bowling star for the Proteas and he knows that his role will once again be vital against Bangladesh in their crucial T20 World Cup match in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.

In a low-scoring tournament, a huge premium is being placed on the last few overs when teams go for broke and the size of the boost they give themselves is often the difference between winning and losing.

So far in the three matches South Africa have played, Pretorius has taken six wickets for 60 runs in 8.4 overs, the majority of those bowled at the death. The all-rounder has executed a clever plan of bowling full and wide of off-stump to great effect.

“So far in this competition it looks like teams are taking care in the powerplay because if you lose two wickets up front you’re in trouble,” Pretorius said on Monday.

“I think Bangladesh will also try to take it deep like Sri Lanka did and then have a go at the death. It’s up to us to upset that and ensure it doesn’t go according to plan for them.

“There are dangers at the death in being too predictable, so I try and vary my pace and length, although the line stays the same. It’s not an ego-battle at the death, you just want to be as effective as possible.

“I want to bowl to a batsman’s Plan B or C rather than their Plan A. It doesn’t look too fancy but I’m happy to do the ugly job and I’ve worked on a lot of different variations of slower balls,” Pretorius said.

The 32-year-old said the great fighting spirit the Proteas have shown thus far is down to their becoming like a family, and they have promised to keep fighting to the end.

“It’s actually astonished me how this team has stuck together no matter what controversies at CSA or wherever. We are really forming a family, and that’s one of the positives of Covid bubbles – you are forced to spend a lot of time together.

“We will not stop fighting until the last ball and you have seen that in our three games so far. It’s a promise we make to each other every day. There’s an awesome spirit in the camp and a win like the one over Sri Lanka just does even more for that.

“But we are keeping our heads down, we understand that there are two very important games left. We must win tomorrow or the England game won’t matter.

“It’s knockout cricket now and you can see the intensity is there in the squad. We will leave everything on the field against Bangladesh, play at the highest intensity,” Pretorius promised.

A formidable four-strong Central Gauteng Lions pace attack produced another top-class performance on Sunday as they wrapped up victory by an innings and 72 runs over the North-West Dragons in their CSA Four-Day Domestic Series match at the Wanderers.

Despite a pugnacious 70 not out by captain Nicky van den Bergh, North-West were bowled out for 177 in their second innings. A commanding innings of 159 by Ryan Rickelton had set up a Lions total of 408 after they had dismissed the Dragons for just 159 on the first day.

Duanne Olivier completed a fine return to South African domestic cricket with three for 58 on Sunday, giving him seven wickets in the match, but the chief destroyer in the North-West second innings was Malusi Siboto, who returned outstanding figures of four for 21 in 10.4 overs.

At Centurion, left-arm paceman Marco Jansen showed that he is mature way beyond his years as he produced a brilliant counter-attacking innings with the bat that ensured the Eastern Province Warriors still have a chance of pulling off a thrilling win over the Northerns Titans.

Jansen came in with EP, chasing 236 for victory, on 91 for six, and struck a fabulous 55 off 59 balls.

Together with Lesiba Ngoepe (46*) they lifted EP to 180 for seven when Jansen was bowled by left-arm spinner Neil Brand in the final over of the day with a superb arm-ball.

Junior Dala had ripped through the EP middle-order earlier with two quickfire wickets to put them on the back foot.

But the fact that the Warriors were chasing as much as 236 was thanks to a Northerns innings that just got better and better as it progressed.

Sibonelo Makhanya (74) and Jordan Hermann (62) extended their fifth-wicket partnership to 141 and then Dayyaan Galiem ensured the momentum continued with his 47 off 56 balls.

Corbin Bosch took over from Galiem when he was ninth man out as stroked a confident 40 not out and put on a crucial 43 for the last wicket with Dala, who played sensibly for 42 deliveries.

Mthiwekhaya Nabe was the best of the EP bowlers with four for 89 in 22 overs.

At Newlands, Western Province are in trouble at 186 for seven in their second innings against the KZN Dolphins, still trailing by 34 runs with only a couple of decent batsmen left.

Fast bowler Daryn Dupavillon has taken four for 33 including the wicket of top-scorer Yaseen Vallie, trapped lbw for 76.

Left-arm spinner Bryce Parsons, who took five for 82 in the first innings to bowl Western Province out for 269, enabling KXN to enforce the follow-on, dismissed key batsman David Bedingham for 50.

Wayne Parnell who top-scored with 79 not out in the Western Province first innings, sharing a face-saving 105-run partnership for the eighth wicket with Mihlali Mpongwana (40), is still at the crease of for the hosts.

Janneman Malan, reinventing himself as a middle-order batsman, was the mainstay of the Boland Rocks innings as he scored a composed 139 not out to lead his team to 386 for seven against the Free State Knights in Bloemfontein.

That means the visitors are 66 runs ahead on first innings.

There was some solid top-order batting by Boland as Peter Malan scored 44, Isma-eel Gafieldien 37 and Stiaan van Zyl 48, but Ferisco Adams, who is perpetually and stupidly under-rated as a cricketer, scored 74 not out as he and Janneman Malan put on an unbroken 156 for the eighth wicket.