The Proteas became the first team to qualify for the Super Eight stage of the T20 World Cup after heavy rain and a waterlogged outfield led to the abandonment of the match between Sri Lanka and Nepal on Tuesday in Florida.
Rain had poured down for most of the day, with flood warnings in place around the region, but a break in the weather allowed ground staff to begin the task of drying the field.
However, to the disappointment of the large and lively contingent of Nepalese fans in Central Broward Stadium, after an hour of working on removing the standing water, officials called the game off, leaving the teams to share the points.
The Proteas have made a strong start to the T20 World Cup, winning their first three group stage games. The top performer in their last match, Heinrich Klaasen, revealed they needed to change their approach for the Bangladesh match.
Klaasen top-scored with 46 from 44 balls against the Tigers to help the Proteas recover from 23-4 to eventually reach a total of 113-6 in their 20 overs.
“We changed our mindset completely from T20 cricket to more like the middle overs of an ODI, just trying to gather some singles.
“You want to hit the ball hard and out of the inner ring because the ball doesn’t really ping off the bat or out of the outfield.
“You have to hit the ball nice and hard, so that element stays, but your technique becomes a little tighter. You can’t only be using your hands and swinging across the line.”
The Proteas had us on the edge of our seats during that win against Bangladesh 😂
Look what it means for them team to get that win👇#T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/AKdJSjyqVC
— SuperSport 🏆 (@SuperSportTV) June 11, 2024
Proteas’ next match in the T20 World Cup:
Friday, 14 June – 19:30 (01:30 SAST)
South Africa vs. Nepal – Arnos Vale Ground, St. Vincent
