South Africa cruised to a comprehensive nine-wicket victory over Afghanistan in the first Twenty20 World Cup semi-final in Trinidad on Wednesday, marking their first ever final appearance in the tournament’s history.
This victory breaks South Africa’s streak of seven consecutive short-format World Cup semi-final losses since 1992. The Proteas will now face either India or defending champions England, who compete in the second semi-final on Thursday, for the title in Barbados on Saturday.
South Africa’s bowlers dismantled the Afghan batting lineup in just under 12 overs at Brian Lara Stadium, restricting them to their lowest ever T20 international score of 56.
Despite a shaky start to their own batting innings, with Fazalhaq Farooqi dismissing Quinton de Kock early, Reeza Hendricks and captain Aiden Markram guided South Africa to their target within nine overs, without further loss.
“We’re thrilled to have another shot at lifting a trophy,” Markram said. “Many of our games have been really close, and I know there are a lot of people back home waking up in the early hours and getting quite stressed. Hopefully, tonight’s match was a bit more comforting for them.”
Afghanistan, making their first semi-final appearance after a dramatic victory over Bangladesh in their last Super Eight match in St Vincent, won the toss and elected to bat.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz, the tournament’s leading run-scorer, and Ibrahim Zadran had anchored Afghanistan’s batting with three century opening partnerships during their impressive run to the semi-finals. However, left-arm quick Marco Jansen (3-16) dismissed Gurbaz for a duck in the opening over and bowled Gulbadin Naib for nine in the third over.
Kagiso Rabada (2-14) continued the onslaught, bowling Zadran and Mohammad Nabi for just a couple of runs each in the fourth over. Anrich Nortje (2-7) contributed with two wickets, and Tabraiz Shamsi (3-6) cleaned up the tail, as Afghanistan became the first team to score fewer than 100 runs in a T20 World Cup semi-final.
Despite their dire situation, Afghanistan’s bowlers ensured South Africa had to work for their victory. Fazalhaq Farooqi, the tournament’s leading wicket-taker, claimed de Kock’s wicket in the second over, bringing his total to 17 wickets.
However, Hendricks (29 not out) and Markram (23 not out) played patiently, waiting for scoring opportunities and steering South Africa to their modest target. Hendricks sealed the victory with a six off a free hit and a four in successive balls, extending South Africa’s winning streak to eight matches.
Afghanistan’s captain Rashid Khan reflected on the journey: “It was a tough night for us as a team… they bowled exceptionally well. At the start of the tournament, if you had said we would reach the semi-finals and play one of the best teams, we would have accepted that. This is just the beginning for us. We’ve gained the confidence and belief that we can beat any side on a given day.”
