Picture Credit: Twitter
Cricket is a funny game. One ball, one shot, one throw, one over, can turn the game on its head. We have seen many instances where a winning team fell short on the ball or the losing team pulled off an escape. Something similar happened in the match between England and South Africa, where a hattrick from Rabada changed the course of the game and South Africa pulled off an incredible win.
From 3 sixes in a row to 3 wickets in a row
Until the last over, Kagiso Rabada was not having a great day with the ball. The pacer went for 35 runs in his first three overs, which included 3 consecutive sixes in the 3rd over. The Protea was given the responsibility to defend 14 runs against the in-form duo of Eoin Morgan and Liam Livingstone. The match was clearly in England's favour, considering Rabada's form but the pacer turned beast in the final over.
The pacer got rid of Livingstone in the very first ball of the 20th over. The odds were still with England as their skipper was still in the middle. However, Rabada struck a second blow and dismissed the England skipper as well. He then got the better of Chris Jordan and completed his first hattrick in a World Cup.
Watch the video here:
Sadly, despite a win, South Africa couldn't make it to the semi-final due to their poor net run rate (NRR). England topped Group 1 followed by Australia. Australia will now face Pakistan in the semi-final, while England will face either New Zealand or India in the semi-final.