Cricket World Cup: Keshav Maharaj spins a web to accelerate New Zealand collapse and ends South Africa’s 5-match losing streak to them
Keshav Maharaj’s pursed lipped celebrations – where his nostrils flare up and exhale fire, the unblinking eyes are blazing flames, and he thumps his chest with a closed right wrist – could become the iconic image of South Africa’s gumption in this World Cup.
The Proteas landed in Pune, with that picture of Maharaj roaring after a single-wicket victory over Pakistan freeze-framed in memory. While their batsmen continued piling on misery on opposing bowling crews, scoring a couple of more hundreds batting first and accumulating most sixes by any team in a single World Cup, it was Marco Jansen and Maharaj who ensured New Zealand didn’t even begin to dream of challenging 357, let alone come within 5 runs of a 380-odd score like they did against Australia.
New Zealand had won five World Cup ...