A bowling masterclass from South Africa lit up New York as wickets tumbled in the first ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 game to be held in the city.
The brilliance of Ottneil Baartman and Anrich Nortje ripped Sri Lanka apart in New York, with Baartman taking a wicket with his very first ball and conceding just nine runs from his four overs, and Nortje posting extraordinary figures of 4/7 from 4 overs.
And while the chase of 78 was far from straightforward for South Africa, it was the Proteas who eased to victory and got their campaign off to a winning start.
Faced with a target of just 78 to win their tournament opener, South Africa inched their way to victory in Nassau County as the Sri Lanka bowlers ensured the first-ever T20 World Cup match in New York was a low-scoring thriller.

Quinton de Kock anchored the chase with 20 from 27 balls – a knock that illustrated just how tough it was for even experienced international stars to score on a surface that offered plenty for quicks and spinners alike.

Nuwan Thushara and Dasun Shanaka made the powerplay breakthroughs that Sri Lanka desperately required after reaching just 77 all out in their first innings.

And a double strike from Wanindu Hasaranga to remove De Kock and Tristan Stubbs (13 from 28) gave the Lankans hope.

But 78 was never likely to be enough to deny South Africa’s powerful batting lineup, and the double-act of Heinrich Klaasen (19* from 22) and David Miller (6* from 6) completed the job with 3.4 overs and six wickets to spare.