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South Africa left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj claimed consecutive wickets in the ninth over of the innings in the ongoing 2024 T20 World Cup encounter against Sri Lanka. The match is being held at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York on Monday, June 3.
The Proteas were all over Wanindu Hasaranga and company after being put into bowl first. The powerplay yielded only 24 runs, and they had no choice but to push hard in the middle overs. However, their attempt only resulted in wickets falling in a heap, with Maharaj playing a key role in the downfall.
The left-arm spinner had come into the attack right after the powerplay and conceded six runs off his first over. He returned for his second over as Wanindu Hasaranga promoted himself to No.4 for a potential impact. However, the skipper perished for a two-ball duck after trying to take the spinner and being stumped instead.
Maharaj struck again off the very next ball by dismissing Sadeera Samarawickrama. The right-handed batter tried to play a cut shot without much room to operate, and ended up chopping it back onto the stumps. The double strike left Sri Lanka reeling at 32-4 in the ninth over of the innings.
Have a look at the wickets right here:
Sri Lanka were placed at 40/5 at the halfway mark of the innings, which marks their worst tally after 10 overs in the shortest format. Maharaj has bowled out his four overs, finishing with figures of 2/22.
Sri Lanka brace themselves for a humiliating total as wickets continue to fall
The subcontinent side are looking completely lost in their opening encounter at the World Cup after opting to bat first on a relatively unknown surface. Sri Lanka's downward spiral continued as Anrich Nortje claimed the third wicket of his spell to reduce the opposition to 45/6 in the 12th over.
Sri Lanka's last batting pair in the form of Dasun Shanaka and Angelo Mathews are currently sharing the crease, and the duo will have to pull off a miracle just to get their side to a competitive total.
