Heinrich Klassen’s decisive run off the final delivery secured a resounding victory for South Africa against Nepal, ending the Asian side’s hopes of progressing to the Super Eight stage in the Ground D match of the ICC T20 World Cup at St Vincent’s Stadium. Needing two runs from the last ball to stay alive in the tournament, Nepal’s Gulsan Jha was run out by Klaasen at the non-striker end, avoiding what looked like an inevitable Super Over. It was a painful end for Nepal, who outplayed South Africa for much of the match.
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However, fans were quick to spot a major refereeing error. On the last ball, Ottneil Baartman bowled a short delivery to Gulshan, who tried to hit it towards the point region. However, the extra bounce in the delivery caused Gulshan to miss the shot.
#HeinrichKlaasenNoel’s act on the last ball meant that Nepal’s heroic performance was in vain!
See South Africa in action below #USAvSA in #Super8 | WED, JUNE 19, 6pm | #T20WorldCupOnStar pic.twitter.com/zZco3Dn1sZ
– Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) June 15, 2024
Fans on social media, however, argued that the ball should have been called wide. They even shared screenshots on social media to support their argument.
See how the internet reacted:
…not widely given pic.twitter.com/AsPEgaouOY
– Namaste Nepal (@NamasteNepal_) June 15, 2024
Another umpire’s decision cost a match, Bartman bowled 2 bouncers on the last 2 balls, he was warned that the latter was above his head, but SA intentionally diverted the umpires from calling aside and even the commentators were asleep, that’s why that the hitters ran slowly, as it was next to #Nepal pic.twitter.com/UHm0yFLaWT
-Adil Ali Shah (@AdilAliShah13) June 15, 2024
How many bouncers are allowed in one???@mufaddal_vohra @CricCrazyJohns
Ye to wide v lag rha h mereko….#Nepal #SAvsNep #t20inUSA pic.twitter.com/dsl8xlB2c8-Raushan Prasad (@RaushanPrasad07) June 15, 2024
Bad refereeing cost Nepal this match. In the last play, Bartman threw 2 bouncers, one of them was wide.
—remon (@remoon125) June 15, 2024
Last ball on the wicket But the last ball was wide Because the 5th ball is a bounce, why didn’t the umpire notice this? #WC2024 #JusticeForNepal #Nepal #SAvsNEP pic.twitter.com/uuC3v6U3Yz
-Kaviieee (@unknownprsn17) June 15, 2024
Nepal’s spinners 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 batsman to surpass a strike rate of 100, finishing unbeaten with 27 off 18 balls. Nepal’s bowlers Kushal Bhurtel and Dipendra Singh Airee were exceptional, sharing seven wickets between them and keeping the Proteas’ batsmen in check.
In response, Nepal appeared to be on its way to victory. Their top order batsmen had the chase under control, reaching 85/2 in the 14th over with the required rate comfortably manageable.
However, South African spinner Tabraiz Shamsi turned the tide with a brilliant spell, making 4/19, which put immense pressure on the Nepali chase. Fast bowlers Anrich Nortje and Ottneil Baartman held their nerve, bowling the final two overs perfectly and leaving Nepal needing eight runs in the final over.
The tension reached a peak when Gulsan Jha hit a boundary off the third ball of the final over, reducing the equation to two runs off the last ball. Klassen’s quick reflexes and accurate delivery ensured Jha was caught close to the line, sealing a memorable victory for South Africa and breaking the hearts of the Nepalese.
(With added entries)
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This story originally appeared on ndtv.com read the full story
