Miller blows Tigers away in tour-ender
It may cause Bangladesh fans distress, but the 83-run defeat in the second T20I after South Africa batsman David Miller's fastest T20I hundred was an apt way to end a tour during which Bangladesh were never really in the contest. Miller hit a 35-ball hundred as South Africa plundered 90 runs off the last five overs to score 224 for four. In reply, Bangladesh could score just 141 and left nine balls unused. It was Bangladesh's second-biggest loss margin in terms of runs, and South Africa's 224 was the highest total conceded by the Tigers in the format.
Bangladesh were brought down to 130 for eight in the 18th over when Mehedi Hasan Miraz top-edged a slower bouncer from Andile Phehlukwayo to the keeper, but it was the ninth wicket on 136 that encapsulated the Tigers' muddled state of mind. Phehlukwayo bowled a full toss that hit Taskin Ahmed on the arm and trickled away to the off side, but Taskin, in pain refused to run as Mohammad Saifuddin crossed over. Phehlukwayo took off the bails to get the second run-out of the innings. In the next over, Saifuddin hit Beuran Hendricks straight to point to end the innings on a sorry 141 in 18.3 overs.
The chase started in blistering fashion, with Imrul Kayes once again starting the innings off with a boundary off Beuran Hendricks as he had done in the first T20I. Soumya Sarkar added a six and a four in that over, helping Bangladesh get 17 in the first over. Robbie Frylinck then dropped a sitter at mid-on in the second over from skipper JP Duminy, giving Soumya a second life on 11. But the over seemed fated for a wicket as off the last ball Soumya hit to covers and Miller threw it to keeper Mangaliso Mosehle, who took off the bails before Imrul could get home.
In Duminy's next over, opposite number Shakib Al Hasan stepped away to hammer it to the leg side but the swing connected only with air as the ball clattered onto the stumps and Shakib walked back for two. The third-wicket partnership lasted exactly one over as Mushfiqur Rahim's scoop off Frylinck looped into the gloves of Mosehle and Bangladesh were 32 for three in 4.2 overs. In the next over and five runs later Sabbir Rahman hit Duminy straight to mid off to end a wretched tour.
Soumya meanwhile had carried his good form in the first T20I into yesterday's match, and was timing the ball well as he hit six boundaries and a six and added 35 runs for the fifth wicket with Mahmudullah Riyad. But he failed to get to a fifty here too, holing out to deep midwicket off Aaron Phangiso in the ninth over for a 27-ball 44. At 72 for five after nine overs, a repeat of their 90 all out in the first Test at this ground at the start of the tour loomed, but Mahmudullah avoided that embarrassment by putting on 21 with Liton Das for the sixth wicket. Liton was next to go when he was caught off a top edge off Dwaine Pretorius in the 12th over. Mahmudullah was stumped off Phangiso in the following over for 20. From 98 for seven, the tailenders concentrated on avoiding a 100-run defeat, and in that they proved successful.
Earlier, Miller hit an unbelievable 35-ball century, the fastest in T20I cricket, to take South Africa to 224 for four. He was well on his way to establishing another record as five sixes off the first five balls from Mohammad Saifuddin in the 19th over had gone for six, but the powerful left-hander missed out on emulating Yuvraj Singh's feat of six sixes in an over as the last ball was a single, making it just 31 runs from the over. 15 more runs came off the last 10 overs as Miller helped South Africa plunder a scarcely believable 146 runs in the last 10 overs.
But it started very differently after Shakib won the toss and chose to field. For the first 10 overs of South Africa's innings, Bangladesh were not just in the hunt but seemed to be lining up for something special as AB de Villiers walked back after 9.5 overs with the score reading 78 for three. However, since that four-run over from Saifuddin, Miller and Hashim Amla just went after the bowling.
Shakib had taken the first two wickets, bowling Mosehle for five in the third over and then doing the same to opposite number JP Duminy in the fifth over. He bowled his four overs at a stretch after opening the bowling and had great figures of two for 22. The rest however had sorry analyses as Saifuddin had two for 53 off four, Mehedi Hasan Miraz had none for 46 from four, Taskin Ahmed's three wicketless overs went for 41 and Rubel Hossain conceded 51 off his four.
The De Villiers dismissal, caught well at long off by Imrul Kayes for a 15-ball 20, started the carnage. Hashim Amla and Miller put on 79 runs in just 6.4 overs before Amla became Saifuddin's second victim in the 17th over, caught at deep square leg off a slower ball for 85 off 51 balls.
After the 31-run over, Miller hit two boundaries and took two couples to reach the fastest T20I hundred, eclipsing the previous mark of 45 balls set by countryman Richard Levi against New Zealand in Hamilton in 2012. Miller finished unbeaten on 101 off 36 balls with seven fours and nine sixes.