[Watch] Heinrich Klaasen slams Axar Patel for 24 runs in 1 over in T20 World Cup 2024 final
South African middle-order batter Heinrich Klaasen smashed 24 runs off Axar Patel's fourth over of the innings, including two sixes and a boundary, putting the Proteas on track for the chase in the T20 World Cup 2024 final against India. By the time the over finished, South Africa needed only a run-a-ball to win.
With 54 off 36 deliveries required, Axar came on to bowl his final over, as Klaasen welcomed him with a boundary. The next three deliveries produced only one dot, with two of them going for wides. The right-handed batter hammered the next three deliveries for two sixes and a boundary. He took a couple on the final ball. South Africa needed 30 off 30 after this over, but lost the match by seven runs.
Axar's figures in the end read 4-0-49-1. However, Klaasen lost his wicket on the first ball of the 17th over, as he edged a wide delivery off Hardik Pandya to Rishabh Pant behind the stumps.
Hardik Pandya picks two more wickets after Heinrich Klaasen's dismissal, India win a nail-biter
Meanwhile, it all came down to South Africa requiring 16 runs off the last over of the 2024 T20 World Cup final, with the Proteas finding themselves under the pump. Hardik Pandya got the massive wicket of David Miller on the first delivery, as Suryakumar Yadav took a stunning catch at long-off.
He also dismissed Kagiso Rabada, who briefly looked like he would take the game away from the Men in Blue. With an improbable nine required off the final delivery, all South Africa could manage was a single and lost by seven runs.
Virat Kohli was crowned Player of the Match for his 76 off 59 deliveries, finding form after a torrid seven matches. With the bat, Axar Patel also played a significant role in the final, clobbering a 31-ball 47 after India lost Rohit Sharma and Rishabh Pant cheaply. Jasprit Bumrah earned the Player of the series award.