Proteas coach Shukri Conrad made the call to bowl Keshav Maharaj in the Super Over, says Rickelton

Proteas batter Ryan Rickelton has revealed that it was coach Shukri Conrad’s call to hand Keshav Maharaj the second Super Over in the thrilling ICC T20 World Cup match against Afghanistan.

Pace spearhead Kagiso Rabada had delivered a shocking final over, which included two no balls and a wide, during the regular game before Lungi Ngidi conceded 17 runs in the first Super Over. 

But then almost against the run of play, the ball was thrown to left-arm spinner Maharaj with the Proteas needing to defend 23 in the second Super Over.

“Why Keshav was selected? I actually was unsure. I thought KG or Marco (Jansen) was going to go, but it came from Shukri, saying he thinks Kesh should go. And yeah, credit to him where credit is due,” Ricketlon said.

Maharaj started the over in brilliant fashion with the left-arm spinner delivering a dot ball first up before dismissing Mohammad Nabi off the second delivery to leave Afghanistan requiring 24 runs off the final four balls - effectively needing to hit a six off every ball.

And that’s when the plan almost backfired with Rahmannulah Gurbaz striking Maharaj for three consecutive to reduce the equation to six required off the final ball.

Maharaj succumbed to the pressure by bowling a wide outside the off stump leaving Afghanistan now with five required, with the possibility of a boundary pushing the match into the third Super Over.

But fortunately for the Proteas, Gurbaz held out to David Miller at cover off Maharaj’s final ball.

“I guess it worked. It came down to the last wire. We tried to change it up, I think, balls slow and wide and try to get them to hit over extra cover for six to the big boundary,” Rickelton said.

“That would be the thinking, which is probably the most difficult shot to do, I think. So I guess that would have been the plan. Yeah, just like I said, glad it came off.”