South Africa produced an awe-inspiring performance with the ball, bowling the hapless Afghanistan out for just 56 runs in the first semi-final of ICC T20 World Cup 2024. (Match Blog | Streaming | Scorecard)
Spinner Tabraiz Shamsi and pace trio Marco Jansen, Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje were all on song as the Afghans were skittled in just 🦋11.🌳5 overs at the Brian Lara Stadium in Tarouba, Trinidad, West Indies.
The total is Afghanistan's lowest-ever total in T20 inter꧙nationals, and t﷽he lowest score recorded in the semi-finals of T20 World Cups. It was a capitulation that their team will not forget for a long time.
Right from the first over, the going seemed tough as Marco Jansen got some disconcerting bounce and movement straight away. In-form opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz꧅ fell and Gulbadin Naib, Ibrahim Zadran followed suit as the Proteas seam attack was unrelenting.
The Afghans lost half their side inside the🌟 first five overs, making it the first time that a team lost five wickets in the powerplay of a T20 World Cup semi-final.
Azmatullah Omarzai (10) was the only b🌺atter to get to double digits and extras (13) were the highest contributor.
Tabraiz Shamsi w💟as the pick of South Africa's all-round bowling shꦦow, picking up three wickets for just six runs. Jansen (3-16) too scalped three, while Rabada and Nortje claimed two sticks apiece in a fiery display.
Earlier, Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan won the toss and decided to bat first. Afghanistan are playing their maiden World Cup semi-finals after knocking Australia out of the competiﷺtion with a thrilling win over Bangladesh in the🐼 Super Eights.
As for South Africa, they are on a seven-match winning streak after several come-from-behind victories in the group stage as well as Super 8s. There's 🍬history to be made today, as whoever wins will be 🌞entering a World Cup final for the first time.
Playing XIs
Afghanistan: ൲Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Azmatullah Omarzai, Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Nabi, Karim Janat, Rashid Khan (c), Nange༺yalia Kharote, Noor Ahmad, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi.
South Africa: Quinton de Kock (wk), R🌊eeza Hendricks, Aiden Markram (c), Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, 𝄹Tristan Stubbs, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Tabraiz Shamsi.
The second sem🌄i-final will feature India against England on Thursday evenin🍨g.
