The Nepalese were agonisingly short at 114 for seven as Gulshan Jha was run out off the final ball while trying to single off Ottneil Baartman to force a super over.They needed eight runs off the final over in pursuit of a modest score of 116 for a surprising upset win.
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“Very grateful to have got the win, we were not near our best tonight,” relieved South Africa captain Aiden Markram said afterwards, according to AFP.
“Reflecting back on the game over the next few days, there will be a lot of learnings for us.
“First and foremost, the way Nepal bowled it made it really tough for us. They put us under a lot of pressure.”
Following the Proteas’ restriction to 115 for seven when batting first by leg-break bowler Kushal Bhurtel (4 for 19) and off-spinner Dipendra Singh Airee (3 for 21), Aasif Sheikh (42) and Anil Sah (27), combined for a 50-run third-wicket partnership that brought the Nepalese dangerously close to a result that would have kept their hopes of making it to the tournament’s Super Eight phase.
Opening batsman Sheikh dismissed Tabraiz Shamsi’s first threat in just the second over of the innings after he was dropped on one to a caught-and-bowled opportunity by pacer Kagiso Rabada. However, the left-arm wrist-spinner returned for a final over in the 18th over of the innings, taking both Sah and Sheikh in finishing with the excellent figures of four for 19.
After that, Anrich Nortje bowled Kushal Malla in the 19th over to tip the scales in favor of South Africa, who just held on to win in the face of excruciating anxiety.
After South Africa’s captain, Rohit Paudel, won a crucial toss and put the Proteas in, Sandeep Lamichhane, who was denied a visa to enter the United States, remained wicketless through four overs of the country’s innings. However, his sheer presence seemed to uplift his colleagues.
While opener Reeza Hendricks managed to give the innings some stability with a top score of 43 off 49 balls (five fours, one six), none of the South African top-order was able to stay on top of the bowling. The team was already guaranteed a spot in the Super Eight phase of the tournament and fully expected to close out the group campaign with a fourth win in as many matches.
Throughout the innings, Nepal’s bowlers were at their best, and only Tristan Stubbs‘s (27 not out off 18 balls) late effort gave them cause for concern. Bhurtel then ended the innings by taking the wickets of Marco Jansen and Kagiso Rabada in consecutive balls.
“I think I am very proud of the unit, especially the way we bowled and batted,” Nepal captain Paudel said.
“I thought we fought very good. If we get more exposure to games like this, we will be on the other side.”