Australia took down South Africa in a tense World Cup semifinal, but one of the more fascinating stretches came from the duel between South Africa’s spinner Shamsi and Australia’s Marnus Labuschagne. Shamsi, bowling left-arm spin, worked through a mix of tight lines, sharp turn, and clever variations to unsettle Labuschagne across a few overs. Early on, Shamsi found a rhythm with balls turning in sharply and forcing defensive play, but he ran the risk of conceding wides whenever Marnus let them go untouched. The back-and-forth included dot balls, a couple runs off an unconvincing reverse sweep, and a dramatic LBW review that ended in umpire’s call, keeping Marnus alive.
Later, Shamsi returned and kept pressing. He stayed on that same angle, trying to trap Marnus leg before or bait him into mistiming a shot. Marnus, never fully confident at the crease, attempted another reverse sweep and looked trapped again. Another review came and again it was umpire’s call, saving him. Eventually though, Shamsi broke through. Marnus tried the reverse one more time and this time the decision stuck. Out. Shamsi celebrated loud as Labuschagne walked off frustrated. The duel had leaned Shamsi’s way from the start, with Labuschagne hanging on through reviews and scrambles until the spinner finally got him.
Later, Shamsi bowled to Glenn Maxwell and ended up getting him too, but not before charging around the field in a one-man celebration. No teammates chased after him, which made the whole moment kind of awkward and funny. Still, the energy showed how much that spell meant. It wasn’t a game-winning run for South Africa, but it was a highlight as Shamsi controlled the tempo in a tough spot, outthinking one of Australia’s more stubborn batters.