South Africa 382 for 5 (De Kock 174, Klaasen 90, Markram 60) beat Bangladesh 233 (Mahmudullah 111, Jansen 2-39, Rabada 2-42) by 149 runs
South Africa opted to bat first and to begin things weren’t as straightforward as the final scorecard might suggest. Bangladesh kept a lid on de Kock and Reeza Hendricks initially, and drew early blood when Shoriful Islam and Mehidy Hasan Miraz got rid of Hendricks and Rassie van der Dussen cheaply. By the end of the eighth over, South Africa were wobbling mildly at 36 for 2, and there was little sign this pitch would be conducive to the runfest that followed.
But Aiden Markram and de Kock are arguably the two most in-form batters this tournament and, together, they began to gradually shut Bangladesh out of the contest. The spinners were milked down the ground as Bangladesh’s ability – and appetite – for wicket-taking receded. The holding pattern benefitted South Africa, given their power lower down the order, and soon enough, the boundaries began to flow. The hundred came up in the 21th over, the 100-partnership in the 26th. By now de Kock was closing in on his own hundred, while Markram had brought up a half-century.