India capitalized on explosive innings from Suryakumar Yadav and Rinku Singh at St George’s Park, easing early concerns to comfortably surpass 150 in the second T20 against South Africa.
The Proteas initially faced a daunting challenge as the Men in Blue’s batting prowess threatened to breach the 200-mark, prompting them to strategically utilize a DRS appeal in an attempt to dismiss a rookie batsman.
During the 15th over, Lizaad Williams faced a relentless assault from Rinku Singh, conceding nine runs off the first three balls. His wayward delivery to Jitesh Sharma veered down the leg side.
Despite being clearly off-target, Williams curiously appealed on his own, only to be swiftly shut down by the umpire, who signaled a wide without hesitation. Williams, seemingly accepting the decision, began walking back to his mark.
However, midway through, he appealed again, this time signaling for a DRS review while glancing at Aiden Markram. Despite Heinrich Klassen, the wicket-keeper, indicating there was no valid reason to seek a review, Williams persisted, citing the team still had two appeals remaining.
— Virat Sharma (@ViratSharm39743) December 12, 2023
— Virat Sharma (@ViratSharm39743) December 12, 2023
Surprisingly, Markram relented, but upon review, it was evident that there was a significant gap between the bat and ball. The Proteas, already poised for the next delivery, foresaw this outcome from a distance.