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GEORGETOWN, Guyana - A crestfallen Graeme Smith felt South Africa forgot all the basics as they slumped to a shock 67-run defeat by Bangladesh in a World Cup Super Eights match this morning .
The world's top-ranked side were heavily favoured to beat one of the weakest teams in the tournament but the result instead dented their chances of securing one of the semi-final spots.
Bangladesh, ranked ninth in the 11-team world standings, racked up their World Cup record total of 251-8 and then bowled a dispirited South Africa team out for just 184 to claim their first points in the second-stage Super Eights.
"I guess it's one of those days where you're trying to come up with the right thing to say and there's no right thing to say," Smith told a news conference.
"We let ourselves down very badly. All the things we discussed went out of the window, we just didn't play well enough today.
"We've been beaten and it's a huge loss for us. We didn't play any kind of cricket that we're capable of.
"It's hard to take a positive out of any facet of the game."
Smith felt that poor execution of core skills by his players during Bangladesh's innings cost South Africa the match.
"Our basics were very poor today with the ball and in the field, and if you can't get your basics right it's going to cost you," he said. "It cost us today with them getting 251 for eight."
Bangladesh then dismissed South Africa for 184 in 48.4 overs.
South Africa lurched to 87 for six and then gave up the chase in an apparent effort to try and boost their net run rate by not being bowled out.
Despite the way the match unfolded, Smith insisted that his team had not underestimated Bangladesh's challenge.
"We didn't look past this game, Bangladesh played superbly," he said. "We gave them an opportunity and they took it with both hands.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh Captain Habibul Bashar said his team had made a statement to the cricket world after their second shock victory in this World Cup.
The Bangladeshis have registered occasional upsets in previous matches but skipper Bashar suggested this win was the best because it came in the latter stage of a World Cup.
"This is pretty big," Bashar told reporters afterwards. "Every win is important for Bangladesh but this win is more important.
"We wanted to show when we came into the Super Eights that we were not there just to make the numbers up. We wanted to win points. We now have a chance for the semi-finals but we need to work really hard."
Having heavily lost to defending champions Australia and fancied New Zealand already, and with games approaching against England, Ireland and West Indies, Bangladesh's chances of making the last four would appear slim, but at least they can now hope.
South Africa had beaten Sri Lanka and World Cup debutants Ireland before this game and their passage to the semi-finals, which had seemed inevitable, is now quite uncertain. They have four points and Bangladesh have two.
The seven-week World Cup culminates on April 28 with the final in Barbados.
- REUTERS
