With one wicket lost, South Africa’s modest goal of 57 runs was accomplished in 8.5 overs.
In the opening semi-final of the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024, South Africa defeated Afghanistan by nine wickets on Thursday at Tarouba, Trinidad’s Brian Lara Stadium.
This is the first time South Africa, who haven’t lost in the competition, has advanced to the World Cup final (T20 and ODI) The Proteas won the first-ever ICC Knockout Trophy in Dhaka in 1998, which was the only previous time the South African men’s team advanced to the final of an ICC competition.
With one wicket lost, South Africa’s modest 57-run target was reached in 8.5 overs. Fazalhaq Farooqi removed Quinton de Kock (5 off 8) early, but South Africa crossed the finish line with ease thanks to opener Reeza Hendricks (29 off 25) and captain Aiden Markram (23 off 21).
Afghanistan had earlier chosen to field against South Africa after winning the toss. Afghanistan batted first, but the Proteas cleaned them out for just 56 runs in 11.5 overs, demonstrating their exceptional bowling ability.
Anrich Nortje and Kagiso Rabada each claimed two wickets, while Marco Jansen and Tabraiz Shamsi each claimed three. Azmatullah Omarzai was the only player to reach double figures in a miserable batting effort with 10 runs scored. Mohammad Nabi, Noor Ahmad, and Rahmanullah Gurbaz were all sent out for a duck.
The lowest score a side has ever posted in a T20 World Cup semi-final is 56 all-out. In T20 Internationals, this is Afghanistan’s lowest total to date.
 Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje each took two wickets apiece, while Tabraiz Shamsi and Marco Jansen each took three. With 10 runs scored, Azmatullah Omarzai was the only player to score in double figures during a terrible batting performance. Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Noor Ahmad, and Muhammad Nabi were dispatched to find a duck. 56 all-out is the lowest total a team has ever scored in a T20 World Cup semi-final. This is Afghanistan’s lowest-ever total in T20 Internationals.
“I think the guys did a great job playing and executing.” All we had to do was bowl our best ball and follow the plan. We wanted to keep things basic, and the wicket was giving us a few to work with, according to the assessment.
After winning Player of the Match, Marco Jansen stated, “We will enjoy [the win] and be back at it tomorrow.” For this game, neither team changed their starting lineup.
Teams South Africa (starting XI): Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Tabraiz Shamsi, Quinton de Kock (wk), Reeza Hendricks, Aiden Markram (c).
Afghanistan (Playing XI): Rashid Khan (c), Nangeyalia Kharote, Noor Ahmad, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Nabi, Karim Janat, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Azmatullah Omarzai, Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Nabi, Karim Janat.
