KINGSTOWN (St. Vincent): Spinner Tabraiz Shamsi’s four-wicket haul helped South Africa seal a one-run victory over Nepal in the T20 World Cup 2024 at the Arnos Vale Ground on Saturday.
Nepal displayed a stupendous performance during the run chase and at one point it seemed like they will clinch a win in the game but they were unlucky to concede a loss.
Kushal Bhurtel (13 runs from 21 balls, 1 four and 1 six) and Aasif Sheikh (42 runs from 49 balls, 4 fours and 1 six) opened in the second inning for Nepal and made a 35-run partnership, giving the underdogs a comfortable start.
The first wicket of the inning came in the 8th over after Shamsi removed Bhurtel. After the first dismissal, wickets started to fall, but opener Aasif Sheikh stood tall in front of the Proteas bowling attack and added crucial runs on the scoreboard.
However, Aasif’s knock had to come to an end in the 18th over after Shamsi removed him, giving South Africa a chance to breathe.
In the final over, Nepal needed eight runs with Sompal Kami and Gulsan Jha on the crease. Ottneil Baartman came into attack for South Africa.
Gulsan lofted the ball beautifully over the cover for a four-run boundary on the third ball. After the fourth ball, Nepal needed two runs from two balls. But Baartman kept his nerves calm and delivered two consecutive dot balls, helping South Africa clinch a win in the game.
Tabraiz Shamsi led the Proteas bowling attack after he bagged four wickets and gave up 19 runs in his four-over spell. Anrich Nortje and Aiden Markram also picked up one wicket each in their respective spells.
Tabraiz Shamsi was named the Player of the Match after his magnificent performance while defending the target.
Recapping the first inning of the match, after winning the toss, Nepal sent South Africa to bat first in the 31st match of the T20 World Cup 2024 on Saturday. However, Rohit Paudel’s decision did go in favour of Nepal, as they restricted South Africa to 115/7.
Reeza Hendricks (43 runs from 49 balls, 5 fours and 1 six) and Quinton de Kock (10 runs from 11 balls, 1 four) opened for the Proteas and played a 22-run partnership as Dipendra Singh removed De Kock in the fourth over.
After the first dismissal, Aiden Markram (15 runs from 22 balls, 2 fours) and Hendricks tried to build up a partnership and add runs to the scoreboard. But Kushal Bhurtel bagged skipper Markram’s wicket in the 12th over of the first inning.
Heinrich Klaasen (3 runs from 5 balls), who replaced the Proteas skipper, failed to make a mark in the game as he was dismissed by Kushal Bhurtel in the 14th over.
In the 16th over, Dipendra Singh picked up an important wicket for Nepal as he removed Proteas opener Hendricks. The right-handed batter missed his half-century for just seven runs.
Dipendra shined at the Arnos Vale Ground as he took David Miller’s (7 runs from 10 balls) wicket in the 18th over.
The Proteas crossed the 100-run mark in the 19th over after playing 109 balls.
Tristan Stubbs (27* runs from 18 balls, 2 fours, 1 six) and Marco Jansen (1 run from 4 balls) were on the crease for the Proteas in the death overs. Stubbs started the final over of the first inning with a six over the long-on and added some crucial runs on the scoreboard for South Africa. Bhurtel removed Jansen from the fifth ball of the final over and stopped South Africa from hitting boundaries. On the last ball, Kagiso Rabada was dismissed by Bhurtel.
The Nepali bowlers displayed a stupendous performance in the match. Kushal Bhurtel bagged four wickets in his four-over spell. Dipendra Singh picked up three wickets.
Sandeep Lamichhane also displayed a stunning performance after returning to the Nepal squad. Even though he failed to take wickets, the spinner gave up only 18 runs in his four-over spell.
Brief score: South Africa 115/7 (Reeza Hendricks 43, Tristan Stubbs 27*, Aiden Markram 15; Kushal Bhurtel 4/19) beat Nepal 114/7 (Aasif Sheikh 42, Anil Sah 27, Kushal Bhurtel 13; Tabraiz Shamsi 4/19). (ANI)