Bumrah or bust... Proteas didn’t choke

Thirty runs to win off 30 balls. Six wickets in hand. Written down on a piece of paper, that equation is simple and strongly favours the batting team, particularly given the manner that T20 cricket has unfolded in the past decade.

That was the equation SA had in Saturday’s T20 World Cup final. Heinrich Klaasen was crushing the ball. David Miller had got himself set. The Proteas had one hand on the trophy, except they didn’t.

An hour later, “chokers” was trending. That wasn’t a surprise. After all, it’s SA, they’d lost a World Cup game, therefore “chokers” is what they are.

Except Saturday’s wasn’t a choke.

Lift your eyes off that piece of paper, dig into the equation and that India had Jasprit Bumrah who had to bowl 12 of those 30 balls, meant they still stood a very good chance.

As the tournament unfolded Bumrah became one of its central players. He created what one scribe noted was a “cheat code” for India. Another said he turned the opposition’s innings into a 16-over affair.

“I understand you guys are trying to put it into words, but I don't know how he does it, it’s just a masterclass,” said India’s captain Rohit Sharma.

Before the equation had reached 30 off 30, Klaasen and Miller had launched a stunning assault against India’s spinners, smashing 38 runs off the 14th and 15th overs.

Rohit had kept Bumrah back for the last four overs, but was forced to use the first of two overs earlier than he’d wanted to and brought him on to bowl the 16th. Both Miller and Klaasen were lucky to survive against a couple of deliveries, but they were also good enough to take four off that over, probably feeling they could score the bulk of their runs against the other Indian bowlers. Bumrah only had one more over to bowl.

A major problem arose when Klaasen was dismissed by Hardik Pandya after a long break to do some running repairs to Rishabh Pant. The timing of that injury, was certainly fortuitous for India, and it clearly upset Klaasen’s rhythm and changed the course of proceedings at a vital time in the SA innings.

Bumrah’s final over, the 18th of the innings, was a masterpiece. He restricted Miller to one run off three deliveries, bowled Marco Jansen with an unplayable inswinger off the fourth, and then almost broke through Keshav Maharaj’s defence.

The single Miller and Maharaj ran off the last ball of that over was pivotal. It meant Maharaj was on strike for the start of the next over in which he played out two dots, and that Miller couldn’t control the bulk of a non-Bumrah over.

But SA had several errors like that over the course of what was a topsy-turvy, and enthralling final. Of all the moments to look back on, in the latter stages of the SA innings, the one period of the match which they will have big regrets is the final three overs of India’s innings.

In two of the Super Eight matches, the Proteas bowlers in defence of totals had conceded 64 runs in four overs against the US and 52 in three overs against England. Both times, they were able to hit the reset button thanks to brilliant overs from Kagiso Rabada.

It was ironic then that it was Rabada’s last over, the 18th of the Indian innings, that gave the eventual champions a boost. Virat Kohli, well established at the crease at that stage, slogged a full length ball for six over long on to start the over. In total India smashed 17 runs off that over. The off-colour Jansen, conceded 16 runs in the 19th and despite a solid finish by Anrich Nortjé in the 20th, the last three overs of India’s innings went for 42 runs.

Bumrah’s last over, also the 18th of the innings went for just two runs. Therein is where the match was ultimately won and lost.

India’s best bowler — the tournament’s best player — outbowled SA’s best bowler.

So while mathematically, SA had a favourable equation, it wasn’t a foregone conclusion.

A choke? Only on paper.