South Africa clinched a narrow victory against Bangladesh by just four runs in another low-scoring match at the T20 World Cup on Monday, sparking renewed debate over the suitability of the pitch at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York.

Batting first, South Africa struggled to 113-6 in their allotted 20 overs, with Heinrich Klaasen top-scoring with 46 runs, while fast bowler Tanzim Hasan Sakib claimed a career-best 3-18.

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In response, Bangladesh could only manage 109-7, falling short of the target set by South Africa. The Proteas secured their third win in three Group D games.

Chasing the modest target of 114, Bangladesh faced initial difficulties against South Africa’s pace attack, finding themselves at 50-4 by the 10-over mark. Towhid Hridoy and Mahmudullah steadied the innings with a 44-run partnership for the fifth wicket, but ultimately, Bangladesh fell short.

The pressure mounted in the final over, and despite some big hits attempted by Jaker Ali and Mahmudullah, they were both caught going for maximums over long-on. Bangladesh needed six runs off the final ball, but Taskin Ahmed could only manage a scrambled single.

Earlier, Bangladesh’s bowlers restricted South Africa to 113-6, with Tanzim Hasan and Taskin Ahmed leading the attack. Proteas’ skipper Aiden Markram’s decision to bat first didn’t pay off initially, with South Africa struggling at 23-4. However, Klaasen and David Miller stabilized the innings with a crucial partnership of 79 runs for the fifth wicket.