South Africa Crushes Afghanistan: Books First T20 World Cup Final Berth

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2 years ago

South Africa Crushes Afghanistan in T20 World Cup Semi-Final.

Afghanistan vs South Africa T20 World Cup

South Africa booked their place in the T20 World Cup final for the first time with a dominant nine-wicket victory over Afghanistan in a one-sided semi-final at Brian Lara Stadium in Trinidad.

The Proteas ruthlessly dismantled Afghanistan’s batting line-up, bowling them out for a paltry 56 runs – the lowest total ever in a T20 World Cup match. Marco Jansen and Tabraiz Shamsi spearheaded the bowling attack, each taking three wickets to dismantle Afghanistan’s fragile batting.

T20 World Cup semi-final results

This emphatic win marked the end of a long wait for South Africa. They had never reached a World Cup final in the shortest format despite reaching the semi-finals on eight previous occasions since 1992. Now, they await the winner of the second semi-final between India and England, with a chance to finally lift the trophy on Saturday.

South Africa’s T20 World Cup win

Here’s a closer look at the key moments that unfolded in this lopsided encounter:

Early Wickets for Jansen: Afghanistan’s hopes for a competitive total took a massive blow early on as Marco Jansen dismissed both openers – Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran – within the first over.
Rabada Joins the Party: Kagiso Rabada continued the South African onslaught, removing the dangerous Mohammad Nabi and Gulbadin Naib in quick succession. By the end of the powerplay, Afghanistan was reeling at a precarious 23/5.
Afghanistan Crumbles Further: Anrich Nortje joined the wicket-taking frenzy, dismissing Azmatullah Omarzai to leave Afghanistan in deep trouble at 28/6. While Rashid Khan offered some resistance with a couple of boundaries, Tabraiz Shamsi ensured the fall of wickets continued, picking up three wickets to restrict Afghanistan to a mere 56 runs.
South Africa Cruises to Victory: Despite losing Quinton de Kock early, Reeza Hendricks and captain Aiden Markram steered South Africa home comfortably within nine overs, securing a convincing nine-wicket victory and their place in the coveted final.

Let us take a look at the 10 lowest totals in the 20-over showpiece.

Rank	Country	Score	Against	Year
1	Uganda	39 all out	West Indies	2024
2	Netherlands	39 all out	Sri Lanka	2014
3	Uganda	40 all out	New Zealand	2024
4	Netherlands	44 all out	Sri Lanka	2021
5	Oman	47 all out	England	2024
6	West Indies	55 all out	England	2021
7	Afghanistan	56 all out	South Africa	2024
8	Uganda	58 all out	Afghanistan	2024
9	New Zealand	60 all out	Sri Lanka	2014
10	Scotland	60 all out	Afghanistan	2021