Nepal pushes South Africa to the Brink in Nail-biting Affair
On a slow, turning track in St Vincent, the spinners shone brightly as Nepal put up a valiant fight against a powerful South African batting unit. Wrist-spinner Kushal Bhurtel’s impressive 4-19 and off-spinner Dipendra Singh Airee’s 3-21 kept the Proteas in check throughout the match.
“You have to give Nepal a lot of credit, throughout the game they put us under a lot of pressure and it shows the quality they have,” acknowledged South Africa captain Aiden Markram.
While Reeza Hendricks top-scored with 43, it was the late cameo from Tristan Stubbs (27* off 18 balls) that ultimately proved vital in propelling South Africa to a narrow victory.
Nepal’s chase began solidly, navigating the powerplay unscathed. Even when Tabraiz Shamsi claimed two quick wickets in the eighth over, Aasif Sheikh and Anil Sah calmly pressed on, adding a 50-run stand. However, the momentum shifted when Markram dismissed Sah in the 14th over, leaving Nepal needing just 30 more runs.
The nerves set in as Shamsi then dismissed Airee and Aasif for 42, reducing Nepal to 100-5. Yet, the underdogs refused to go down without a fight, whittling the target down to eight runs from the final over and seven for the super over.
In the end, Bjorn Baartman held his nerve for South Africa, securing the narrowest of victories. “Definitely relieved,” said Shamsi. “The team is standing up to the pressure and that’s great to see.” Nepal captain Rohit Paudel added, “I’m very proud of the unit, the way we bowled and batted. We were very close but a little far.”
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