Anrich Nortje and Rashid Khan had a heated exchange during the SA vs AFG T20 World Cup semi-final. The incident occurred just after the Afghanistan skipper arrived at the crease. Nortje had just dismissed Azmatullah Omarzai, leaving Afghanistan in trouble at 28 for 6.
The very first ball Nortje bowled to Rashid narrowly missed the stumps. Nortje followed up with a bouncer, which Rashid ducked under, and the umpire called it a wide. On his follow-through, Nortje exchanged words with Rashid, who responded by charging towards him. On the next delivery, Rashid defended, but Nortje sledged him again, signaling for him to stay at the crease.
Rashid was totally unimpressed and angrily approached Nortje. He then complained to South African captain Aiden Markram about Nortje’s behavior. Umpire Nitin Menon had to intervene and told Rashid to calm down. However, the battle between the two players didn’t end there. On the last ball of the over, after Rashid missed an inswinger, they engaged in a tense stare-down.
https://twitter.com/Johnson427427/status/1806136228846166144
In this battle, Nortje had the last laugh as he clean-bowled Rashid Khan in his next over. Afghanistan was bundled out for just 56 runs, and South Africa comfortably chased down the target in only 9 overs. After the match, Nortje and Rashid shared a heartwarming moment, hugging each other and showing that any on-field rivalry was left behind.
Anrich Nortje and Rashid Khan pic.twitter.com/4OWcKWiv9a
— Liaqat (@Liaqat81hs) June 27, 2024
Rashid Khan may not have won the trophy, but he certainly won the hearts of cricket fans. Making it to the semi-final in the first-ever 20-team T20 World Cup is a huge achievement for Afghanistan. Meanwhile, South Africa’s victory marks their first-ever appearance in a World Cup final. The upcoming final will be only their second ICC final, the first being the 1998 Champions Trophy final where they lifted their sole ICC trophy.