Former Indian cricketer turned commentator Ambati Rayudu once again made a strange statement, mocking Sri Lanka after their embarrassing loss to South Africa in their first match in the current tournament. ICC T20 World Cup 2024 on June 3 in New York.
The playing fields for the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024 are already under fire, with the final match of the tournament turning out to be a low-scoring affair, where both Sri Lanka and South Africa did not even score 170 runs in total, with the subcontinent team being bowled out for 77 in 19.1 overs.
Ambati Rayudu criticizes Sri Lanka after losing T20 World Cup 2024 match to South Africa
South African pacer Anrich Nortje turned out to be a turning point for his team as he wreaked havoc on the Sri Lankan batting line-up and took four wickets at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York. Kusal Mendis (19) was Sri Lanka’s top scorer against South Africa.
On the other hand, Kagiso Rabada and Keshav Maharaj took two scalps each. Meanwhile, South Africa chased down the target with 22 balls to spare and won the game by six wickets to start their T20 World Cup 2024 campaign on a winning note on Monday.
After the match, Ambati Rayudu openly blamed Sri Lanka captain Wanindu Hasaranga for his team’s loss to the Proteas. The commentator claimed that Hasaranga gifted the game to South Africa by opting to bat first in New York after winning the toss as the pitch was fresh without any clue as to its nature.
Delving into Sri Lanka, Rayudu opined that Hasaranga took that decision because of India, but he forgot that the islanders are not Indians. He mentioned that the toss was the turning point of the match and that the Sri Lankan team had already lost the game even before the process began.
It was a gift from Sri Lanka to South Africa: Ambati Rayudu
Ambati Rayudu said on Star Sports: “I think the turning point of the game happened before it even started. I think it was the draw. After winning the toss, when you bat first on a wicket like that, you don’t know what score to set. I feel like that’s the biggest advantage South Africa had. I mean, it was a gift from Sri Lanka to South Africa.
As for the South African bowling, I felt Nortje did most of the damage, especially on a pitch like this that was slightly up and down. I felt that Nortje was that X-Factor. Sri Lanka batted first after winning the toss thanks to India. They thought of scoring runs like India did against Bangladesh at the same venue.
Sri Lanka is not India and South Africa’s bowlers are not like Bangladesh’s. Bangladesh spinners had great successes but the Proteas don’t have that kind of weakness in their bowling unit.”
Notably, Quinton de Kock was South Africa’s top scorer with 20 runs off 27 balls, while Hasaranga was Sri Lanka’s standout player, finishing with figures of 2/22 in 3.2 overs in New York.