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Tsotsobe strikes stun Bangladesh

Lonwabo Tsotsobe is pumped after knocking over Imrul Kayes Getty Images

When Lonwabo Tsotsobe's opening over went for nine runs, including four leg-byes and a wide down the leg side, it seemed that South Africa's decision to rest Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel could prove costly. Tsotsobe was making his World Cup debut, and had last played an ODI almost two months against India in Centurion. But the left-arm seamer rose to the occasion in a manner that would have done Steyn and Morkel proud, breaking the back of the Bangladesh batting with a wicket each in his next three overs.

He got enough bounce off the slow Mirpur wicket to trouble the batsmen, and also got it to cut in from a very tight line outside off stump. It was also poor shot selection by the Bangladesh batsmen under the pressure of a big chase in a must-win game in front of a large home crowd.

Tamim Iqbal was too early into the pull off a short Tsotsobe delivery that was way outside off stump, and was caught behind off a healthy under-edge, as South Africa referred successfully after umpire Daryl Harper missed the deflection. Imrul Kayes shouldered arms to a full Tsotsobe delivery that cut back in to shatter the stumps. Shahriar Nafees played on, driving in princely fashion from the crease to one that nipped back in slowly.

At 21 for 4 after eight overs, the fight had been taken out of the chase, and Bangladesh never recovered from Tsotsobe's triple strike. They lasted only 28 overs, getting dismissed for 78, their second sub-100 total in World Cups and also slumping to their second-largest defeat in ODIs.