After registering a hattrick victory in the group stage, South Africa becomes the first team to be qualified for the Super 8 round of the 2024 T20 World Cup. Though the Proteas men qualified for the next stage they were still left out a game to play in the group stage.
South Africa was scheduled to face Nepal in the final group-stage game on June 14 in Arnos Vale Ground, Kingstown, St Vincent. With a slot remaining in Group D, Nepal is expected to deliver an outstanding inning in order to stay alive in the Super 8 race.
With Bangladesh being the top contender for the Super 8 round, a decent win for Nepal might increase their chances of qualifying for the Super 8.
As expected, Nepal made an impressive inning in the game against South Africa. Lamichhane who recently joined the Nepal squad after cleaning Visa issues was also included in the squad.
Speaking of the match, Nepal won the toss and opted to bowl first. Reeza Hendricks and Quinton de Kock opened the inning on behalf of South Africa. The South African openers were expected to make an outstanding inning but fell cheaply.
Dipendra Singh made the first breakthrough by dismissing de Kock for 10 runs in the fourth over.
Following his dismissal, Reeza Hendricks and Markram made a 46-run partnership for the second wicket. Before converting it into a massive partnership, Kushal Bhurtel dismissed captain Markram for 22 runs and broke the partnership.
Right after the captain’s dismissal, South African batters struggled to build a partnership and started to lose wickets at regular intervals. Reeza Hendricks who opened the inning and batted economically lost his wicket to Dipendra Singh before reaching the fifty-run mark.
With Tristan Stubbs’ 27 off 18 deliveries, South Africa managed to score 115 runs for 7 wickets at the end of 20 overs. Reeza Hendricks’s 43 remains the team’s highest individual score.
On behalf of Nepal, Kushal Bhurtel bagged four wickets while Dipendra Singh dismissed three players.
