'Cry more': South Africa bowler slammed for poking fun at Suryakumar Yadav's iconic World Cup catch

South Africa's spinner Tabraiz Shamsi found himself at the center of a social media storm after making a light-hearted comment about Suryakumar Yadav's remarkable catch during the T20 World Cup 2024 final. The catch, which has since become iconic, played a pivotal role in India's thrilling victory, as Suryakumar's athletic effort dismissed South Africa's power-hitter David Miller in the nail-biting last over.

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Tabraiz Shamsi faces flak for a harmless joke

Following the match, Tabraiz Shamsi took to his X (formerly Twitter) account to share a controversial remark about the catch. "If they used this method to check the catch in the world cup final maybe it would have been given not out," Shamsi wrote, seemingly questioning the legitimacy of Suryakumar Yadav's game-changing moment.

While the comment might have been intended as a harmless joke, it quickly sparked backlash from Indian cricket fans, who were quick to defend Suryakumar Yadav and the integrity of his catch. 

As the criticism poured in, Shamsi clarified his stance, emphasizing that his comment was meant to be taken in jest. "In case some people don't understand that it's meant to be a joke and no one is crying... let me explain it to you like a 4-year-old child. It's A Joke," he added in a follow-up post, attempting to quell the outrage.

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As far as the 2024 T20 World Cup final is concerned, South Africa needed 16 runs to win off the last six deliveries. Hardik Pandya was bowling for India. Miller, who was well set in the crease, tried to smash a full toss from Hardik Pandya towards the long-off region. Suryakumar Yadav showed great presence of mind as he prevented the ball from going for a six by taking a catch. SKY quickly got rid of the ball before crossing the boundary line and then came back inside and caught the ball again.   

The catch turned out to be a game-changer as it saw David Miller being dismissed at a crucial stage. India went on to win the match by 7 runs and lift the T20 World Cup trophy for the second time.