NEW DELHI:
Tabraiz Shamsi
's impressive spell of 4/19 in four overs, complemented by wickets from
Anrich Nortje
and
Aiden Markram
, proved instrumental in South Africa's narrow win over Nepal in the
T20 World Cup 2024
match on Friday.
After securing a nail-biting one-run victory, South African spinner Tabraiz Shamsi expressed relief at his team's hard-fought triumph.
Shamsi's exceptional bowling performance, which saw him claim four while conceding just 19 runs in his four-over spell at an impressive strike rate of 4.80, earned him the coveted Player of the Match award.
ALSO SEE: T20 WORLD CUP 2024 Schedule | Points Table
In the post-match interview, Shamsi revealed that South Africa had set themselves the ambitious goal of winning all four matches in the group stage.
He acknowledged the intense pressure his team faced in every game but commended their ability to rise to the occasion, a quality that will serve them well as they progress to the business end of the tournament.
"Definitely relieved, we came here with the goal of finishing this stage 4 out of 4. Little bit closer than we'd like, but the team is standing up to the pressure, and that's nice to see. Anywhere we go in the Caribbean, I assume there's going to be turn. I think the wicket did get a little better later on. We've been under pressure in every single game, but we've stood up to it, so that's a great thing going into the business end of the tournament," Shamsi said, as quoted by ANI.
With four wins in four games and eight points, South Africa finished as the table toppers in Group D, while Nepal remained in fourth place with two losses and a no-result, earning them just one point.
Nepal won the toss and elected to bowl first. South African opener Reeza Hendricks played a crucial innings of 43 runs off 49 balls, including five fours and a six, as wickets fell around him. The Proteas found themselves in a precarious position at 82/4 in 15.3 overs.
However, a solid knock of 27* in 18 balls, with two fours and a six, helped them post a competitive total of 115/7 in their 20 overs.
For Nepal,
Kushal Bhurtel
(4/19) and Dipendra Singh Airee (3/21) were the standout bowlers, keeping the South African batters in check.
In the run-chase, Aasif Sheikh (42 in 49 balls, with four boundaries and a six) and Anil Sah (27 in 24 balls, with three fours and a six) formed a crucial 50-run partnership to keep Nepal in the hunt. However, with eight runs required in the final over,
Gulshan Jha
's run-out on the last ball left Nepal agonizingly short by a single run, denying them a famous victory.
English (US) ·