Everyone earned man of the match in Proteas thriller

We can relate to Proteas opening bowler Lungi Ngidi’s comment that he “lost so much weight”, having “never been this stressed in my life in a cricket game” after the Proteas’ men’s cricket team’s dramatic triumph over Afghanistan in the T20 World Cup in Ahmedabad yesterday.

In a roller-coaster group D fixture, both teams had opportunities to seal the deal before the crazy shootout, with the encounter eventually decided by the last ball of a second super over after the match ended in a tie, and then the first super over also ended all square.

In the “main game”, Afghanistan, chasing 188 runs for victory, came within a millimetre of securing a win but their final batsman was run out attempting to complete a second run with two balls remaining.

That they had got so close was thanks to a horrid last over from Kagiso Rabada, who thought he had picked up the final Afghanistan wicket off the first ball in attempting to defend the 13 needed for victory, only for it to be called a no-ball for overstepping.

After the run-out drama, it went to a super over.

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Afghanistan made 17.

In reply, Tristan Stubbs had to hit the last ball for a six to take it into another super over. He did.

The Proteas then made 24 in the second super over after David Miller stepped up, scoring 16 off four balls.

The Proteas then took a gamble and turned to spinner Keshav Maharaj to bowl the final over.

After not conceding a run and picking up a wicket in his first two balls, the match looked all but over.

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But in another twist, Afghanistan opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who had earlier made 84 off 42 balls, hit his first three balls for sixes to leave them with six to win off one.

Maharaj bowled a wide, before dismissing Gurbaz to seal the win.

Perhaps former Proteas fast bowler Dale Steyn got it right when saying: “Everybody deserves the man of the match.”

We tend to agree.