SPORTS  DESK:

After a heartbreaking four-run defeat to South Africa, Bangladesh batter TowhidHridoy lamented his dismissal as the turning point in the match.

Bangladesh needed 114 runs to secure victory, but fell short in the final ball of the match. With six runs required off the last two deliveries, MahmudullahRiyad connected powerfully with a delivery from KeshavMaharaj, only for South Africa’s captain, Aiden Markram, to snatch a brilliant catch at long-on, dashing Bangladesh’s hopes.

Following the loss, TowhidHridoy, who top-scored for Bangladesh with 37 runs, took responsibility for the defeat.

“I should have finished the match,” he expressed in the post-match press conference. “I believe my dismissal was the moment Bangladesh lost the match.”

Bangladesh had suffered early setbacks while chasing the below-par total. TanzidHasanTamim began promisingly with two boundaries but couldn’t maintain his momentum. Najmul Hossain Shanto also struggled to find his footing.

At one stage, the responsibility of steering Bangladesh to victory rested on Towhid and Mahmudullah’s shoulders. They came tantalisingly close, but ultimately could not secure Bangladesh’s first T20I win over South Africa.

Bangladesh now holds one win and one loss from their two matches in this year’s T20 World Cup. Their next two encounters, against the Netherlands and Nepal, will take place in the West Indies.