Kathmandu, Jun 16: Nepal faced a heart-wrenching defeat against South Africa, losing by just one run in their T20 World Cup match. Chasing a target of 116 runs set by South Africa, Nepal fell short by a single run, finishing with 114 runs for the loss of 7 wickets in their 20 overs.

Nepal’s opener Asif Shah was the top scorer with 42 runs. Anil Shah contributed 27 runs off 24 balls, while Kushal Bhurtel scored 13 runs. However, captain Rohit Paudel was dismissed for a duck, and Dipendra Singh Airee managed only 6 runs.

South African bowler Tabraiz Shamsi was the standout performer, taking 4 wickets. Captain Aiden Markram and Anrich Nortje chipped in with one wicket each.

Batting first after losing the toss, South Africa posted 115 runs for the loss of 7 wickets in their 20 overs. Reeza Hendricks top-scored for South Africa with 43 runs. Captain Aiden Markram added 15 runs, Tristan Stubbs remained unbeaten with 27 runs, and Quinton de Kock scored 10 runs.

Nepal’s bowlers put up an impressive fight. Dipendra Singh Airee took 3 wickets, conceding only 21 runs in his 4 overs. Kushal Bhurtel also shone with the ball, taking 3 wickets for 19 runs in his 4 overs.

With this narrow defeat, Nepal’s hopes of advancing to the Super Eight have ended. They will play their next match against Bangladesh on Monday morning. South Africa has concluded their group stage matches with this game.