Bowlers take South Africa closer to semis by scripting six-wicket win over Bangladesh
Abu Dhabi, Nov 2: Pacers Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje ran through the Bangladesh batting-line up to fashion South Africa's comfortable six-wicket win, which took the Proteas closer to the T20 World Cup semifinals, here on Tuesday.
South Africa skittled out a struggling Bangladesh for 84 in 18.2 overs and then knocked off their target in 13.3 overs to consolidate their second position in Group 1.
With three wins from four matches, South Africa now have a match left against in-form table toppers and unbeaten England on November 6.
Already down and out, Bangladeshi batters were at sea against a disciplined South African attack, which was not only consistent with its teasing line and length but also got the ball to jump off good length.
Rabada's (3/20) first spell in which he scalped three batters, including two in two balls, was instrumental in the slide of Bangladesh, who were playing without star-all rounder Shakib Al Hasan.
Nortje (3/8) also got rid of three batters while Shamsi Tabraiz (2/21) dismissed two.
Had it not been for Mahedi Hasan's 27-run cameo, Bangladesh would not have even crossed the 80-run mark.
Chasing a small total, South Africa lost openers Quinton de Kock (16) and Reeza Hendricks (4) cheaply and Aiden Markram also exited without scoring, as the Bangladeshis bowled with lot of firepower and purpose.
However, skipper Temba Bavuma (31 not out) and Rassie van der Dussen (22) steadied the innings, having taken some time to get the measure of the pitch which was assisting the fast bowlers.
Eventually Bavuma got the job done in the company of David Miller (5 not out), who finished the match in style, with a four off Mahedi Hasan.
Earlier, spinner Keshav Maharaj and Rabada were terrific with their line and length when they opened the attack. They did not let either Liton Das (24) or Mohammad Naim free their arms.
When Naim (9) tried to break the shackles, the left-hander ended up giving a simple catch to Reeza Hendricks at mid-wicket, off Rabada.
The young pacer trapped Soumya Sarkar (0) in the next ball which brought Mushfiqur Rahim to the crease.
Rahim survived the hat-trick ball but went back without scoring after facing three balls, when he could not handle the bounce that Rabada got off the surface, and edged one to Hendricks at gully.
Nortje also kept the Bangladesh batters on a tight leash, which meant that the South Africans completely dominated the power play overs, conceding only two boundaries in 28 runs.
Nortje, too, got the ball to jump off the track and skipper Mahmudullah (3), who could not handle the bounce, edged it straight to Aiden Markram at point.
Dwaine Pretorious joined the party when he castled Afif Hossain (0) to leave Bangladesh tottering at 34 for five. From there the slide just continued for Bangladesh.
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India should create strategic buffers to navigate 'most difficult' energy shock: CEA Nageswaran
New Delhi (PTI): Chief Economic Advisor V Anantha Nageswaran on Saturday said India needs to create strategic buffers in the face of the "most difficult" energy shock that the country is facing amid the West Asia crisis.
Nageswaran also said the rising prices of fertiliser and petroleum products globally due to the crisis will make it challenging to achieve the 4.3 per cent fiscal deficit target for the current fiscal, while below normal monsoon and pass-through of higher energy prices could lead to "potential inflation spike".
He also said India has employment challenge emanating from AI, and there is a need to ensure that IT sector becomes more competitive and not lose jobs to AI, and instead create jobs that use AI within the IT sector or in other services.
Speaking at the ICPP Growth Conference organised by the Ashoka University, Nageswaran said the current account deficit (CAD) in the current fiscal could rise to over 2 per cent of GDP, from less than 1 per cent in FY'26.
"The ... priority for us is to create strategic buffers. This energy shock is the most difficult one compared to any other previous energy shock in terms of energy lost as a percentage of total global energy supply, not just oil, including gas.
"And we also need to use this occasion to think about other areas where we are vulnerable in terms of import dependence, nickel, tin, and copper. We need to build strategic buffers if we have to make a shot at manufacturing and becoming indispensable," Nageswaran said.
Since the beginning of the war in West Asia on February 28, crude oil prices soared to a four-year high of USD 126 per barrel on Thursday, from about USD 73 level before the war.
Stating that geopolitics will compel policymakers to be nimble and flexible and shed old model of thinking, Nageswaran said India is better prepared than many other countries to deal with the crisis because of the fiscal leeway that the country has due to lowering of fiscal deficit ratio to 4.4 per cent of GDP in FY'26.
Nageswaran said the West Asia conflict is more of a price shock than supply shock for India as the government is managing the supply side deftly.
"This particular conflict, which is going to be on a low simmer or a high flame situation, whatever it is, it is going to be there with us in some form or the other because the military conflict may be over, but the strategic conflict is well and truly alive. It will be so for some time," Nageswaran said.
He said the conflict has four channels of shock: price and supply shock, trade impact, sticky logistics costs and remittance shock.
India imports 60 per cent of its LPG usage and of that, 90 per cent flows through the now closed Strait of Hormuz.
Nageswaran said the pass-through of high global energy prices would have to be a "balancing act". He said some pass-through is already happening in commercial LPG, and the levy of export duty on diesel and ATF.
The government has cut excise duty on petrol and diesel to shield customers from the impact of the rise in petroleum prices. "We are coming around to arriving at a certain modus vivendi with respect to burden-sharing between the fiscal policy side, inflation, households and the oil marketing companies. So it has to be a balancing act," Nageswaran said.
