Heinrich Klassen’s decisive run-out on 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 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.
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However, fans were quick to spot a huge umpiring blunder. On the last ball, Ottneil Baartman bowled a short-pitched delivery to Gulshan, who tried to flick it towards the point region. However, the extra bounce on the delivery saw Gulshan mistime his shot.
#HeinrichKlaasen‘s act on the last ball meant Nepal’s heroic performance went in vain!
Watch South Africa in action next in #USAvSA in #Super8 | WED, JUN 19, 6 PM | #T20WorldCupOnStar pic.twitter.com/zZco3Dn1sZ
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) June 15, 2024
Fans on social media, however, argued that the ball should have been called a wide. They even shared screenshots on social media to back their argument.
Here’s how internet reacted:
…not given wide pic.twitter.com/AsPEgaouOY
— Namaste Nepal (@NamasteNepal_) June 15, 2024
Another umpiring decision cost a match bartman bowled 2 bouncers in last 2 balls he was given warning this last was over his head but SA intentionaly diverted umpires from calling wide & even comentators were sleeping thats why batters ran slowly as it was wide #Nepal pic.twitter.com/UHm0yFLaWT
— Adil Ali Shah (@AdilAliShah13) June 15, 2024
How many bouncer allowed in one over ???@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 umpiring cost Nepal this match. In last over Bartman bowled 2 bouncers one of them was wide.
— remon (@remoon125) June 15, 2024
Last Ball Wicket But that last ball was Wide Because 5th ball is one bounce, Why didn’t Umpire notice that? #WC2024 #JusticeForNepal #Nepal #SAvsNEP pic.twitter.com/uuC3v6U3Yz
— Kaviieee (@unknownprsn17) June 15, 2024
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.
(With Added Inputs)
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