Dale Steyn betrays South Africa, says Nepal deserved to win vs Proteas in 'Match of the Tournament'

Former South African fast bowler Dale Steyn has praised Nepal for their impressive performance in their thrilling match against South Africa during the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024. Dale Steyn stated that Nepal deserved to win the T20 World Cup Group D match against South Africa in the ICC T20 tournament.

Nepal suffered a heartbreaking one-run defeat in the 31st match of the T20 World Cup 2024 at the Arnos Vale Ground in Kingstown, St Vincent, on Friday, June 14 (local time). Nepal was eliminated from the tournament after failing to chase down a below-par 115-run target in their third match in the World Cup.

Would’ve Been The Talk Of The Tournament - Dale Steyn

In a video shared by ICC on its Instagram handle, Dale Steyn stated that he is a big underdog fan and added that he wanted Nepal to win the match. Steyn noted the emotional intensity of the game, emphasizing that such matches capture the essence of cricket more than high-scoring games do.

"It was incredible to watch. I think it was the match of the tournament, to be honest with you. I'm a big underdog fan, so even being a South African, I was kind of like, 'Come on, Nepal!' You were spurring them on. But these nail-biting thrillers. I saw people crying in the stands; it shows how much it means to them, and that’s what cricket is all about. That's what cricket is all about. You know, not the two hundreds; this is what the game is about," Steyn said.

The former South African cricketer turned commentator described the thrilling encounter between Nepal and South Africa as the 'Match of the Tournament'. Steyn expressed that if Nepal had managed to win, it would have been the highlight of the tournament and added that they deserved the victory.

"It would’ve been the talk of the tournament if Nepal would’ve gotten over the line. It would’ve been fantastic, and they deserved to win," the former South African added.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by ICC (@icc)

Nepal captain Rohit Paudel won the toss and chose to bowl first. South Africa posted 115/7 in their 20 overs. Reeza Hendricks top-scored with 43 runs off 49 balls, and Tristan Stubbs added an unbeaten 27 runs off 18 deliveries. Aiden Markram (15) and Quinton de Kock (10) got starts but couldn't capitalize on them.

Kushal Bhurtel took four wickets for 19 runs in his spell of four overs. Dipendra Singh also contributed significantly with the ball, securing three wickets for 21 runs, which included a maiden over. Sandeep Lamichhane conceded just 18 runs in four overs, restricting South Africa to a low score during their recent match.

Nepal came close to chasing down South Africa's target of 116 runs but fell short by just one run. Aasif Sheikh scored 42 runs, and Anil Sah contributed 27 runs. Nepal needed two runs off the last ball to win, but Gulshan Jha was run out while taking a run. Tabraiz Shamsi took a four-wicket haul in South Africa's victory.

Also read: Virat Kohli Ravindra Jadeja ignored as India's fielding coach T Dilip picks the best athlete