In what can be defined as cricket’s classics, Nepal lost to South Africa by just one run that ended their hopes of reaching the Super 8s of the ICC Twenty20 World Cup in St Vincent on Saturday.
Nepal kept the mighty Proteas under pressure almost throughout the game after stopping them at 115-7 at a slow Arnos Vale Stadium pitch in Kingstown.
Nepal had the game in hand at 99-3 with just 17 runs needed from the last 16 deliveries. But spinner Tabraiz Shamshi turned the match into its head in the 18th over before fast bowlers kept it tight in the closing stages.
Shamshi, who had already accounted for the wickets of opener Kushal Bhurtel and skipper Rohit Kumar Paudel in the eight over, removed Dipendra Singh Airee (six) and set opener Aashif Sheikh to lease a new life for the Proteas.
Anrich Nortje bowled Kushal Malla as more pressure piled on Nepal who needed 16 off eight following four consecutive dots.
Sompal Kami hammered Nortje for one of the longest sixes of the tournament and picked up a couple in the final ball to keep Nepal alive.
The equation looked under control of Nepal with eight needed from last six. Ottneil Baartman began with two dots before Gulshan Jha hit the medium pacer for a boundary and took couple leaving two to get from last two.
Baartman bowled the fifth ball dot and another short ball left Gulshan with no clue in the final delivery where Nepali batsmen tried to steal a single for Super Over.

Proteas keeper tried to run out Gulshan at the other end and the ball hit the Nepali batsman’s back. The ball ricocheted to Aiden Markram who caught Gulshan short off the crease as Proteas won by the slimmest of the margin.
Following a loss against Netherlands and a wash out against Sri Lanka, Nepal needed to win both of their remaining two matches to have any chance of reaching the Super 8s.
Their last match against Bangladesh, however, will still carry huge significance. For Nepal, it will be another big day against a Test side. If Nepal win and Netherlands defeat Sri Lanka in their last game, the Dutch can fancy a chance for the Super 8.
Bangladesh can go through with the victory as Group ‘D’ runners-up.
In the match, Nepal had a decent start after Kushal Bhurtel (13) and Aasif, dropped on naught in the second over by Kagiso Rabada off his own bowling, added 32 runs in the powerplays.
Shamsi then brought Proteas back in the game with dismissals of Kushal and Rohit. Anil Sah played grittily in a 50-run stand with Aasif making a 24-ball 27 with three fours and a six.

Aasif top scored for Nepal with a 49-ball 42 that included four hits to the fence and one maximum. Man-of-the-match Shamsi returned the figures of 4-19 from four overs for South Africa.
Earlier, Nepali spinners never let the Proteas dominate the game with the bat with their accuracy. In his return to Nepali side, Sandeep Lamichhane conceded just eight runs in his first 3 overs.
As South Africa batsmen tried to go for other bowlers, they kept on losing wickets. Kushal returned the figures of 4-19 from four overs, while Dipendra Singh Airee took 3-21. Opener Reeza Hendricks scored 49-ball 43 for South Africa, while Tristan Stubbs smashed 18-ball 27.
