Sunday, 8th April 2007 at 10:15 am

SA-Bangladesh: one for the bookies

And so a World Cup of oddities continues, possibly to accompanying smiles from a handful of bookies across the sub-continent… Ireland over Pakistan, Bangladesh over India, and now Bangladesh over South Africa, making a mockery of the world rankings, and spreading horror across South Africa as Saturday night’s upset unfolded.

That Bangladesh are a much-improved side is beyond question, their victory over India not quite the same shock that their win over Pakistan in 1999 was. But to topple South Africa in the Super Eights, at a time when the world number one side should be looking to slip into top gear ahead of the semifinals, is a remarkable result that touches on Bangladeshi passion and enthusiasm, and perhaps a little South African complacency.

It also underlines the shortcomings of a South African side that is extremely powerful, but capable of operating within a very narrow dynamic. One-dimensional is a claim that has haunted Smith’s side on a number of occasions in the build-up to the tournament, and the loss to Bangladesh won’t help the claim go away. It has, however, opened up a semifinal race that had looked all but settled; gloom in South Africa on Easter Sunday, but the World Cup’s latest upset hasn’t done the tournament any harm at all.