South Africa decisively crushed Afghanistan’s hopes of winning the T20 World Cup on Wednesday. defeating the underdogs by nine wickets with over 11 overs remaining. This victory propels South Africa to the final of the prestigious cricket tournament for the first time. South Africa reach first T20 World Cup final.
South Africa reach first T20 World Cup final
Tabraiz Shamsi, a left-arm wrist-spinner, took 3 wickets for 6 runs, while Marco Jansen, a tall fast bowler, took 3 wickets for 16 runs. They led the dominant performance against Afghanistan’s weak batting lineup, dismissing them for a mere 56 runs in 11.5 overs. Afghanistan had chosen to bat first.
Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje, both fast bowlers, continued to apply unyielding pressure by taking two wickets each at the Brian Lara Stadium in Trinidad.
On a favorable pitch for bowlers, Afghanistan had a low total to defend. South Africa suffered an early loss when Quinton de Kock was dismissed by Fazalhaq Farooqi, who now holds the record for the most wickets in the tournament with 17.
Reeza Hendricks
Reeza Hendricks (29 not out) and captain Aiden Markram (23 not out) guided the Proteas to victory with a score of 60 for one off 8.5 overs. This win allows them to progress to the final in Barbados on Saturday. In the final, they will compete against the winners of Thursday’s second semi-final match between title-holders England and unbeaten India in Guyana.
“We quickly evaluated that the pitch was offering us an advantage to exploit, so it was simply a matter of adhering to our strategies, maintaining simplicity, and achieving the desired outcomes,” stated Jansen, the Man of the Match, regarding South Africa’s bowling performance, which effectively concluded the match as a competitive event.
Azmatullah Omarzai (10) was the only Afghan player to score more than ten runs, while the largest contribution to their low total was 13 extras. This disappointing performance came after their thrilling victory over Bangladesh in St. Vincent, which secured their place in the last four.
During their impressive journey to the semi-finals of a major men’s international competition, Afghanistan has heavily depended on the opening batsmen Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran to provide a strong foundation for the team. Additionally, their performance has helped to conceal the weaknesses of the remaining batting order.
‘An arduous evening for our team’
However, when Jansen successfully caught Gurbaz at slip by Hendricks without scoring in the first over of the match, it confirmed the worst worries of the Afghans and a rising number of spectators in the Caribbean. The Proteas ruthlessly took advantage of their opponents’ technical weaknesses.
“As a team, we had a challenging night, but that is to be expected in T20 matches,” stated Rashid Khan, the captain of Afghanistan.
“One must possess the mental preparedness to handle any situation.” Their bowling performance was outstanding, while our batting performance was subpar.
Markram, who captained South Africa to victory in the Under-19 men’s championship in 2014 in Dubai, attributed his success to capitalizing on fortunate circumstances.
“I consider myself lucky to have lost the toss, as we would have also chosen to bat.” However, the bowlers were required to deliver the ball accurately in specific spots, and they successfully accomplished this task,” he clarified.
“The captain does not play a significant role in advancing to this stage of a competition.” It is a substantial collaborative endeavor that includes individuals working behind the scenes and away from the playing field.
South Africa has not reached a senior men’s final
South Africa has not reached a senior men’s final since the first Champions Trophy in Bangladesh in 1998, where they won over Brian Lara’s West Indies team under the leadership of Hansie Cronje.
Meanwhile, Afghan captain Rashid stated that his team would reflect on their performance with a sense of pride and confidence for the future.
“If you had informed us earlier that we would be competing in the semi-final against South Africa, we would have readily agreed,” Rashid stated. “We have the ability to defeat any team.”
“In our next tournament, we will possess the conviction necessary to compete.” The focus is on effectively handling oneself in high-pressure situations when facing formidable opponents.
“There is a significant amount of laborious tasks that need to be accomplished, particularly in the middle order…”Although we have obtained satisfactory outcomes, it is imperative that we improve upon our performance, particularly in the area of batting, upon our return to the tournament.
