South Africa is on the brink of ending their lengthy World Cup title drought following a dominant nine-wicket victory over first-time semifinalist Afghanistan at the 2024 Twenty20 cricket tournament.
Marco Jansen and Kagiso Rabada played pivotal roles in securing the lopsided win with their devastating opening spells of pace bowling.
Their early onslaught left Afghanistan in disarray at 20-4 within the first four overs, ultimately resulting in their dismissal for a mere 56 runs.
South Africa displayed impressive resilience, losing just one wicket. Reeza Hendricks showcased remarkable skill, hitting a six and a four on consecutive deliveries, propelling South Africa to a score of 60 for 1 in the ninth over.
Hendricks showed great form by scoring an unbeaten 29 runs from 25 balls. He formed an unbroken 55-run partnership for the second wicket with skipper Aiden Markram, who finished with 23 not out.
Either the defending champion England or India
The South Africa will play either the defending champion England or India in the final, which will occur in Barbados on Saturday.
Markram expressed his excitement and optimism in a post-match interview, stating, “This is an exhilarating challenge for us.
We’ve never reached a final, but there’s nothing to fear. It’s an unprecedented opportunity for us, and we are genuinely thrilled about the prospect.”
In their previous seven appearances in the semifinals of an ICC World Cup in either the one-day or T20 formats, the South African team lost six matches and tied one.
The tie was against eventual champion Australia in 1999. Despite these statistics, Markram emphasised that the outcomes belonged to the teams that played those matches. He also expressed strong belief in his team’s lineup heading into the upcoming matches.
Rashid Khan won the toss
Afghanistan’s captain Rashid Khan won the toss in the World Cup semifinal and decided to bat first as his team made their historic appearance in the semifinals.
However, their batting innings got off to a disastrous start as South Africa’s bowlers took early wickets. Jansen was particularly lethal, claiming three wickets for just 16 runs, with critical dismissals in the first and third overs.
Adding to Afghanistan’s woes, Kagiso Rabada joined the attack and produced a double-wicket maiden over, leaving Afghanistan reeling at 20-4 after just 3.4 overs.
This early collapse was a massive blow to Afghanistan, as it exposed their middle and lower-order batters to a South African bowling attack that was hitting peak form at the most crucial stage of the tournament.
Wickets fell beyond belief
In the game’s opening moments, Rahmanullah Gurbaz faced three deliveries before his edge found its way to slip, where he was caught out by Jansen in the very first over. Shortly after, Ibrahim Zadran was beaten by a Rabada inswinger and was bowled on the first ball of the third over.
Anrich Nortje made a significant impact, claiming two wickets for just seven runs as the pacemen continued their dominance, dismantling the Afghanistan innings.
The momentum continued when wrist spinner Tabraiz Shamsi took three wickets in just 11 deliveries, with all dismissals being lbw decisions due to balls keeping low.
This assault led to Afghanistan being bowled out for 56 runs in 11.5 overs. Azmattullah Omarzai showed resilience and determination by top-scoring with 10 runs, making him the only Afghan batter to reach double figures.
finally end South Africa’s World Cup drought
Rabada emphasised the team’s intention to maintain the same intensity that had been a hallmark of their play throughout the tournament.
He expressed the team’s collective determination to persist with their successful approach. When asked if this is the team to finally end South Africa’s World Cup drought, Rabada was confident: “We 100% believe that this is the team.”
The coming of age of cricket in Afghanistan
Afghanistan made history by reaching the tournament’s semifinals for the first time. Their success was underlined by the outstanding performance of their players, with three of the top five wicket-takers and two of the top three run-scorers in the tournament hailing from their team.
This achievement inspired a new generation of fans, especially after their remarkable victories against Australia and Bangladesh in the Super Eight stage.
Rashid, one of Afghanistan’s key players, expressed the team’s confidence in defeating top-ranked teams and establishing themselves among the world’s best.
He emphasised that their journey was just the beginning and that the team had gained the confidence and belief to compete with any side on any given day. Overall, he considered the tournament a great success for the team.
Although South Africa remained unbeaten in the tournament, their path to the semifinals was far from easy. They faced tough contests and secured narrow wins against teams like Nepal, Netherlands, Bangladesh, and England.
Their victory over West Indies in the Super Eight stage came with only five balls to spare. Markram, a key figure in the South African team, acknowledged the close nature of their matches and the stress it might have caused their supporters back home. He hoped that their latest performance would provide some comfort to their loyal fans.
