Heinrich Klassen's decisive run-out of the final delivery secured a nail-biting one-run victory for South Africa against Nepal, ending the Asian side's hopes of advancing to the Super Eight stage in the Ground D match of the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 at the St. Vincent Stadium.
Needing two runs from the last ball to stay alive in the tournament, Nepal's Gulsan Jha was run out at the non-striker's end by Klaasen, preventing what seemed like an inevitable Super Over.
It was a heartbreaking end for Nepal, who had outperformed South Africa for much of the match. Nepal's spinners had dominated, restricting South Africa to a modest 115/7. The South African innings was anchored by opener Reeza Hendricks, who scored 43 runs, while Tristan Stubbs was the only other batter to cross a strike rate of 100, finishing unbeaten on 27 off 18 balls.
Nepal's bowlers, Kushal Bhurtel and Dipendra Singh Airee, were exceptional, sharing seven wickets between them and keeping the Proteas' batters in check.
In response, Nepal looked well on their way to victory. Their top-order batsmen had the chase under control, reaching 85/2 by the 14th over with the required rate comfortably manageable.
However, South African spinner Tabraiz Shamsi turned the tide with a brilliant spell, taking 4/19, which put immense pressure on the Nepali chase. Fast bowlers Anrich Nortje and Ottneil Baartman then held their nerve, bowling the final two overs to perfection and leaving Nepal needing eight runs from the last over.
The tension peaked as Gulsan Jha struck a boundary off the third ball of the final over, bringing the equation down to two runs from the last ball. Klassen's quick reflexes and sharp throw ensured that Jha was caught short of the crease, sealing a memorable win for South Africa and breaking Nepalese hearts.
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