SA defeat Nepal by one run in thriller

KINGSTOWN, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, June 15 (AFP): South Africa survived a major scare from Nepal in scrambling a nerve-jangling one-run victory in their final Group D match of the T20 World Cup at the Arnos Vale Stadium in St Vincent on Friday.

Needing eight runs off the final over in pursuit of a modest target of 116 for a stunning upset win, the Nepalese fell agonisingly short at 114 for seven with Gulshan Jha run out off the final ball as he attempted a single off Ottneil Baartman to force a super over.

"Very grateful to have got the win, we were not near our best tonight," relieved South Africa captain Aiden Markram said afterwards.

"Reflecting back on the game over the next few days, there will be a lot of learnings for us.

"First and foremost, the way Nepal bowled it made it really tough for us. They put us under a lot of pressure."

After leg-break bowler Kushal Bhurtel (4 for 19) and off-spinner Dipendra Singh Airee (3 for 21) limited the Proteas to 115 for seven batting first, Aasif Sheikh (42) and Anil Sah (27) featured in a 50-run third-wicket partnership which pulled the Nepalese within touching distance of a result which would have kept their hopes alive of getting to the Super Eight phase of the tournament.

Dropped on one to a caught-and-bowled chance by pacer Kagiso Rabada in just the second over of the innings, opening batsman Sheikh saw off the first threat of Tabraiz Shamsi only for the left-arm wrist-spinner to return for a final over in the 18th over of the innings to claim both Sah and Sheikh in finishing with the excellent figures of four for 19.

Anrich Nortje then bowled Kushal Malla in the 19th over to tilt the balance South Africa's way and they just managed to hang on for the win amid unbearable tension.

Sandeep Lamichhane, denied a visa to enter the United States which kept him out of the first two matches, went wicketless through four overs of South Africa's innings but his mere presence seemed to lift his teammates after their captain, Rohit Paudel, won an important toss and put the Proteas in.