South Africa win in New York

The first so-called "big match" of the ongoing T20 World Cup turned out to be a completely one-sided affair. South Africa secured a massive victory by 6 wickets, dismissing Sri Lanka for just 77 runs.

On Monday, at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York, Sri Lankan captain Wanindu Hasaranga won the toss and chose to bat first. It didn't take long for the Sri Lankan batters to realize that batting first on an unfamiliar wicket was a suicidal decision. Sri Lanka lost their first wicket, Pathum Nissanka, early in the innings. Nissanka was out for just 3 runs off 8 balls with the team total at 13 runs. Subsequently, Kusal Mendis and Kamindu Mendis couldn't hold the fort for long either. Kamindu was dismissed for 11 runs off 15 balls with the team total at 31. Following his departure, Sri Lanka quickly lost four more wickets, plunging them into a batting collapse.

Captain Hasaranga and Sadeera Samarawickrama were both dismissed before they could open their accounts. Angelo Mathews and Dasun Shanaka attempted to stabilize the innings with some big hits but failed. Consequently, Sri Lanka was bowled out for 76 runs in 19.1 overs, failing to complete their 20-over quota.

The credit for Sri Lanka's dismal innings goes entirely to the South African bowlers. Primarily, it was Anrich Nortje's fiery pace that dismantled the Sri Lankan batting lineup like a house of cards. He took 4 wickets for just 7 runs in his 4 overs. Additionally, Keshav Maharaj and Kagiso Rabada took 2 wickets each.

Chasing a modest target of 77 runs, South Africa reached the target with 22 balls to spare.

For the Proteas, Rassie van der Dussen fell to Kamindu Mendis after hitting an early boundary. Then, Quinton de Kock and Aiden Markram batted cautiously, but de Kock was dismissed for 20 runs, and Markram was out for 12 runs. After losing three wickets, the Proteas batters became more cautious. Tristan Stubbs took 28 balls to score 13 runs! After Stubbs was dismissed by Hasaranga, Heinrich Klaasen guided the chase to victory, remaining unbeaten with 19 runs off 22 balls.

Wanindu Hasaranga took 2 wickets for Sri Lanka, while Nuwan Thushara and Dasun Shanaka claimed one wicket each.