'Even being South African': Dale Steyn admits he was rooting for Nepal in Classic WC thriller vs SA

The drama-laden South Africa vs Nepal match went down to the wire at the Arnos Vale Stadium, where both teams dug deep, and in the end, the experienced South Africa churned out a 1-run win. While South Africa were heavy favourites to win the match, witnessing Nepal doing well, fans favored the underdog to come up with the goods. Despite being a legend of South Africa, Dale Steyn was also among those who wanted Nepal to get through the line.

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Dale Steyn was rooting for Nepal to get through against South Africa in T20 World Cup 2024

As an associate nation, minnows Nepal did not carry the burden of expectations but on Friday, they had the fans believe against South Africa. They came close and were in a handsome position to win the match but nerves got to them in the clutch situation. Tabreiz Shamsi took four wickets and powered South Africa to a win by the most slanderous margin. Witnessing the match from the commentary box, Dale Steyn was also seemingly in two minds. He proved that while he is a South African but above all he is a fan of cricket.

Steyn called it the "match of the tournament". "It was incredible to watch. I think the match of the tournament. I'm a big underdog fan, so even being a South African, I was kind of like, come on, Nepal. You know you were supporting them," Steyn told ICC after the match.

"These nail-biting thrillers... I saw people crying in the stands. It shows how much it means to people and I think that's what cricket is all about not the 200s but this. This is what the game is about. I think it would have been the talk of the town. It would have been the talk of the tournament if Nepal had gotten over the line. It would have been fantastic. They almost deserved to win," he added.