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At almost the same moment that Usama Mir, Pakistan’s
replacement for Rassie van der Dussen, trapped him leg before wicket for 21,
Keshav Maharaj was finishing his dinner. At that point, South Africa was 121
for 3, and they needed 150 more runs in nearly 30 overs. After putting in a
shift with the ball in the intense heat of Chennai, Maharaj may have believed
that he could just put his feet up during the chase, especially considering
South Africa’s formidable middle-order, which includes Heinrich Klaasen at No.
5, Aiden Markram at No. 4, and David Miller at No. 6.
But in the end, it came down to him and No. 11 Tabraiz
Shamsi hitting the winning runs for South Africa, which put an end to the
intense tension that had built up at Chepauk. Mohammad Nawaz, a left-arm
fingerspinner, dashed one into the thigh from behind the wicket. Maharaj,
playing with composure, swung the ball between midwicket and short fine leg
with a half-pull, half-paddle move. Additionally, he defeated the man with ease
on the square-leg border.
“I think it was a surreal moment,” Maharaj
said after South Africa’s one-wicket triumph. “You always dream of winning
games for your country, but winning games in a World Cup…it’s very special.
Those are the moments that you cherish, building up towards the tournament.
“To be honest, there were a lot of thoughts
running through my head. I was just watching the ball and fortunate enough I
was in a position where I could just score and place it in the gap.”
Maharaj was never expected to be prepared for the
World Cup. To get to India, though, he had to make an incredible comeback—a
damaged Achilles tendon normally takes nine months to repair, but he was back
on the park in less than six. His ties to the nation have only deepened over
time. With nearly 30,000 onlookers in Chennai on Friday, he pulled off an
incredible coup de grâce. He roared and gave cathartic chest thumps in
celebration.
“It was one of those moments for me,”
Maharaj said. “I knew how big the win is for the team. I think that’s why
the emotions were on a high.”