Proteas hang on to beat Nepal in nail-biting clash

South Africa narrowly avoided a stunning upset, holding on for a one-run victory over lowly-ranked Nepal in their last match of the T20 World Cup group stages in Saint Vincent on Saturday morning.

While the Proteas had already booked their place in the second round of the tournament, the win ensured they went unbeaten in Group D, while Nepal missed out on their first World Cup victory as their hopes of reaching the Super 8 stage were crushed by their fancied opponents.

After being sent in to bat, the Proteas reached 115/7 in their 20 overs, anchored by opener Reeza Hendricks who made 43 runs off 49 balls.

Spin bowler Kushal Bhurtel led Nepal’s attack, taking 4/19, while Dipendra Singh Airee returned 3/21.

Nepal innings

Set a target of 116 runs to win, Nepal were superb, with opener Aasif Sheikh contributing 42 off 49 at the top of the order.

In a thrilling finish, Nepal needed eight runs off the last over, but seamer Ottneil Baartman gave away just six runs and Gulsan Jha was run out off the last ball as the Proteas hung on for a nail-biting win, restricting their opposition to 114/7.

Experienced spinner Tabraiz Shamsi was the best of the SA bowlers, taking 4/19.

‘Nowhere near our best’

With Nepal lying 13 places below South Africa in the T20 world rankings, Proteas captain Aiden Markram admitted they had not performed at their best.

“Pretty much as a whole tonight I thought we were nowhere near our best. We just lacked a bit of intensity and conviction in how we wanted to play in our game plans,” Markram said.

“We have to give a lot of credit to the Nepal team. They put us under a lot of pressure and showed the quality they have in their changeroom, and they made life really difficult for us.

“We’ll take lots of learnings from a night like this, as I’m sure they will, and they’ll also take a lot of confidence from having us on the ropes.”