“Concrete jungle where dreams are made of. There’s nothing you can’t do
“Now you’re in New York
“These streets will make you feel brand new
“Big lights will inspire you
“Hear it from New York, New York, New York!
“I’m gonna make it by any means, I got a pocket full of dreams
“Baby, I’m from New York!”
These are the words the born-and-raised New Yorker Alicia Keys sang in her 2009 No 1 hit single “Empire State Building” with Jay Z.
Now, this is the track the Proteas will be hoping stays in their heart and minds when they left the Big Apple behind for the trip across to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines in the Caribbean to continue their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup adventure against Nepal on Saturday (1.30am SA time start).
The fortnight spent in New York will certainly not be forgotten in a hurry – and not just the crossing of the Manhattan Bridge and visits to Times Square, Central Park and the iconic Yankee Stadium.
The Proteas’ three matches there have been nothing short of remarkable.
From dismissing Sri Lanka for their lowest total to requiring two record middle-order stands after slumping to 12/4 and 23/4 to beat The Netherlands and Bangladesh respectively, each match in the East Side has been unique in its own right.
New York – where the “noise is always loud, there are sirens all around and the streets are mean” – tested not just the Proteas’ technical abilities, but also their collective resolve.
“From our team perspective, we have been in situations like this at these types of tournaments, where we haven’t crossed the line. So, it’s been good to see the character come out in these games,” said the Proteas’ last-over hero in Monday’s four-win win over Bangladesh, Keshav Maharaj.
“Obviously, the first two games were very low-scoring, and we caused some issues upfront – but we still found a way.
“That’s encouraging from our team perspective.”
It is not just the Proteas batters that have been on an emotional roller-coaster due to the surface they have encountered at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium on Long Island, New York.
On Monday, in the midst of a pressure-filled contest, Maharaj discovered that he would be bowling the final over of a T20 International for the first time.
It was the end of the 16th over, and Bangladesh required just 27 off 24 balls to achieve their first-ever T20I victory over the Proteas.
Considering this tournament had already seen sensational shock victories for the United States over Pakistan, Afghanistan beating New Zealand and African minnows Uganda claiming their maiden victory at a major ICC tournament, the stocks were certainly weighted heavily in favour of the Tigers.
Dolphins and Durban’s Super Giants star Maharaj could only hope that the seam bowlers left him enough – if anything – to defend in the final six deliveries.
Thanks to some excellent execution from Kagiso Rabada and Ottniel Baartman, the left-arm spinner eventually had 11 runs in his back pocket.
It was just enough as Maharaj – despite delivering three full tosses and a wide – claimed two wickets in the final over to edge the Proteas over the line by just four runs.
At the end of the nail-biting over, the Durbanite simply looked skywards to give thanks in relief.
“I knew I was going to bowl the last over from the 16th over onwards,” he said.
“I was more nervous in the penultimate over, going through the processes and plans. But I was quite calm and clear in the last over.
“Obviously, my plan was to bowl yorkers.
“I thought he got hold of it, but luckily the breeze held it up nicely, and it was a good catch under pressure from Aiden (Markram).
“It is a small margin of error, but I’ll take it. I was just trying to hit the lower end of the bat. And luckily, it played in my favour.”
The Proteas have already qualified for the Super Eight stage – which starts on June 19 – and will play their last group-stage match against Nepal on Saturday (1.30am SA time start) at the Arnos Vale Stadium in Kingstown, Saint Vincent.