In pursuit of a daunting target of 383, Bangladesh appeared to be in dire straits, with their hopes dwindling as they found themselves at 42/4 following a disastrous powerplay. However, Mahmudullah, the seasoned campaigner, entered the crease and extended his impressive form from the tournament with a heroic innings, single-handedly holding the fort for his team in the face of South Africa’s dominant performance.
Despite the outcome appearing inevitable, Mahmudullah’s resilience managed to inject a sense of tension into the opposing team, especially as net run rate (NRR) played a pivotal role, and this tension escalated during the 36th over.
Just after reaching his half-century, Mahmudullah faced Marco Jansen in the latter’s sixth over. Jansen began with three consecutive dot balls, but Mahmudullah broke free on the fourth delivery with an elegant pull shot that raced to the boundary.
The towering 6’9″ left-arm fast bowler responded by delivering a rising delivery, extracting significant bounce from an otherwise placid pitch. Mahmudullah, who had ventured down the track prematurely, appeared to be in trouble. However, the 37-year-old refused to yield, swinging his bat wildly and managing to get a thick top edge that sailed over the wicket-keeper’s head for four runs.
— Young Gopal (@younggopal467) October 24, 2023
Mahmudullah was visibly agitated by Jansen’s aggressive tactics, especially given that Gerald Coetzee had earlier struck him on the helmet, causing considerable discomfort. Unfazed, Mahmudullah expressed his displeasure to Jansen as the bowler turned back to his mark, with both exchanging heated words. This exchange spilled over to the next delivery as Mahmudullah, after taking a single to reach the non-striker’s end, continued the verbal battle with the young fast bowler.