South Africa and the Netherlands have had a fascinating recent history, with the Dutch pulling off consecutive upsets against the South Africans in ICC events.
As the stage was set for another thrilling encounter, Aiden Markram won the toss and elected to have the Dutch bat first under pleasant weather conditions. As usual, Marco Jansen opened the bowling and immediately made an impact by taking a wicket in the first over, thanks to a brilliant DRS call by Quinton de Kock against the odds.
On the third ball of the first over, Jansen delivered a good length ball just outside the off-stump, which rose sharply and moved slightly towards the batsman. Levitt attempted an off-side drive but only managed to inside-edge the ball, as later confirmed by UltraEdge.
The on-field umpire initially gave a Not Out decision, a sentiment echoed by the Proteas players, including Jansen. While Levitt confidently believed he hadn’t hit the ball and even fist-bumped his partner, de Kock was convinced there was an edge and persuaded the captain to review the decision.
UltraEdge revealed a spike in the graph, validating de Kock’s keen observation and Jansen’s first breakthrough was celebrated by the South African team. Shortly after, replays showed Jansen signaling uncertainty about any edge by gesturing towards his ear.
— Bill Jax (@jax_bill74377) June 8, 2024
Despite the uncertainty, de Kock’s insistence on a review defied expectations and earned praise across Twitter as the Proteas successfully capitalized on their sharp cricketing instincts.
