Eleven days and 21 matches into the competition, Rilee Rossouw finally delivered the 2022 T20 World Cup its first century as he powered South Africa to an eventual 104-run win.
The clouds that burst earlier in the day, halting play twice, gracefully cleared the way for the 33-year-old to do his thing at the Sydney Cricket Ground. After South Africa won the toss and opted to bat first, captain Temba Bavuma fell in the first over, leaving the onus on Rossouw and Quinton de Kock. The duo pumped together a 168-run partnership for the second wicket off 81 deliveries to take the innings forward.
Even though de Kock had garnered 20 runs off his first eight deliveries, Rossouw took the charge as the aggressor between the two, getting past the fifty mark off 30 deliveries. The next fifty would come off just 22 deliveries as the southpaw – who had signed Kolpak to represent Hampshire back in 2017 – became only the second batter to score T20I hundreds in consecutive innings. His 109 off 56 was laden with seven fours and eight maximums, and boosted South Africa to 205 for 5.
South Africa’s Rilee Rossouw celebrates after scoring a century during the T20 World Cup cricket match between South Africa and Bangladesh in Sydney, Australia, Thursday, Oct. 27, 2022. (AP/PTI)(PTI10_27_2022_000025B)
This was Rossouw’s first T20I outing for South Africa since the bilateral concluder against India earlier this month when he smashed an unbeaten 100 from 48 balls to take down the hosts by 49 runs in Indore. Since his return to South Africa’s T20 XI this summer in England after six years, Rossouw has scored 340 runs from seven innings at a strike rate of 184.78.
South Africa’s best T20 World Cup bowling figures
After the tournament’s highest total till date, inspired by the highest individual score by a South Africa batter at the T20 World Cup, Anrich Nortje and Co. followed suit to ensure a Net Run-Rate boosting win.
After Kagiso Rabada had conceded 17 off his first over owing to two Soumya Sarkar sixes, captain Temba Bavuma decided to bring on Anrich Nortje from the same end – a move that delivered two wickets in the third over and then another one in Nortje’s second over in the Powerplay, putting the pressure back on Bangladesh.
Bavuma’s call to bring in Rabada from the other end before the Powerplay ended bore another wicket as Bangladesh went four down.
Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan, centre, is congratulated by teammates after dismissing South Africa’s Rilee Rossouw during the T20 World Cup cricket match between South Africa and Bangladesh in Sydney, Australia, Thursday, Oct. 27, 2022. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
Later in the innings, spinners took over as Tabraiz Shamsi (3/20) and Keshav Maharaj (1/24) kept the momentum with the Proteas before Nortje wrapped up the match, knocking down Taskin Ahmed’s middle stump. Nortje’s 4 for 10 from 3.3 overs is the best return by a South Africa bowler at a T20 World Cup.
The win took South Africa to three points from two matches and a NRR of +5.2.
