T20 World Cup: Lucky enough to have enough runs to defend, says Maharaj

Dot, wicket, six, six, six, wide, wicket. That’s the hero-to-near-zero-to-hero roller coaster that Keshav Maharaj went through on Wednesday (February 11, 2026) as he successfully defended 23 runs in the second Super Over to help South Africa beat Afghanistan.

Of the four bowlers used in the Super Overs at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, he was the only spinner.

But such was the 36-year-old’s confidence in executing under pressure that he did not second-guess himself even once.

“I wanted the ball from the start,” Maharaj told reporters after the win. “But Lungs [Lungi Ngidi] was on fire so we went with him first.

“Then, Shuks [Shukri Conrad, coach] looked at me and I said, ‘Shuks, give me the ball. I can change the rhythm of play.’ And I was lucky enough to have enough runs to defend.”

No panic

The left-armer stated that at no time did the team panic despite having a rather inglorious history of losing tight games.

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“We made a mess of it towards the end but unfortunately these things happen,” he said. “Maybe a bit of rustiness coming back. But the positive is the character coming through, taking two Super Overs and finding a way to get through.

“In the 2024 World Cup, we had four close games in the initial stages and two in the Super 8s. If that is the way we are going to play our cricket, that’s fine as long as we get over the line.”