Wanindu Hasaranga's hat-trick went in vain as South Africa pulled off a thriller against Sri Lanka in Match 25 of the Men's T20 World Cup 2021 in Sharjah.
Chasing 143, South Africa needed 31 in 16 balls after Hasaranga's hat-trick, with four wickets in hand. David Miller and Kagiso Rabada brought the equation down to 15 off the final over. After Rabada took a single off the first ball, Miller lofted Lahiru Kumara for two huge sixes over mid wicket, and ran a single off the next ball to level the scores. Rabada's edge than ran past short third for four. Miller and Rabada added an unbroken 34 in 15 balls to get the job done.
Earlier, asked to bat, Pathum Nissanka held up the Sri Lankan innings despite wickets tumbling around him in regular intervals. He scored 72 in 58 balls, with six fours and three sixes, to set South Africa a challenging total. Charith Asalanka’s 14-ball 21 was the next highest score for Sri Lanka.
For South Africa, Tabraiz Shamsi, the top-ranked T20I bowler, returned 3-17. Dwaine Pretorius took three wickets after coming to bowl 15th, 17th and 19th overs, including Nissanka’s. Anrich Nortje finished with 2-27. Rabada and Keshav Maharaj did not get any success, while going for over eight an over.
South Africa welcomed back Quinton de Kock at the top to begin the chase, with Reeza Hendricks. Dushmantha Chameera (2-27), who could have dismissed de Kock in the first over had he not overstepped, struck twice in the fourth over. Rassie van der Dussen (16) and Temba Bavuma steadied the ship, adding 23 in 26 balls before the former was run out by Dasun Shanaka's direct hit from cover in the eighth over.
Bavuma (46) and Aiden Markram (19) were not at their fluent best. While they added 47, they took 42 balls for that. Then Hasaranga (3-20) had Markram off the last ball of the 15th over, and got Bavuma (46) and Pretorius off the first two balls in the 17th, but it was still not enough.
It is worth a mention that Hasaranga also did the hat-trick on his ODI debut, against Zimbabwe in 2017.
Brief scores: Sri Lanka 142 in 20 overs (Pathum Nissanka 72; Tabraiz Shamsi 3-17) lost to South Africa 146/6 in 19.5 overs (Temba Bavuma 46; Wanindu Hasaranga 3-20) by 4 wickets with 1 ball to spare. Player of the Match: Tabraiz Shamsi.