Stumps flying, edges galore: South Africa shatter records, bowl Afghanistan out for lowest score in T20 World Cup semi
Afghanistan were bowled out for 56 in 11.5 overs - their lowest in T20Is. It was also the lowest score in a T20 World Cup semi-final as South Africa ruled.
Situmps were flying, edges went to slips, it was all South Africa as their pacers Marco Jansen and Kagiso Rabada ran riot in the powerplay to demolish Afghanistan's top-order in the first semi-final of the T20 World Cup 2024 in Trinidad. South Africa captain Aiden Markram lost the toss and was asked to field first by Afghanistan skipper Rashid Khan, who would have second thoughts about his decision while watching the carnage unfold from the dugout.
Afghanistan were bowled out for 56 in just 11.5 overs - their lowest-ever score in T20Is. This was also the first time a team was bowled out under 100 runs in a T20 World Cup semi-final. Azmatullah Omarzai (10) was the only Afghanistan batter to reach double figures.
In their maiden T20 World Cup semi-final appearance, Afghanistan were left shell-shocked by South Africa's new-ball bowlers. Marco Jansen started things by getting an outside edge of Rahmanullah Gurbaz's bat in the last ball of the first over. Gurbaz, Afghanistan's top-scorer in this tournament, wanted to shuffle across his stumps to cover for the angle but ended up getting an outside edge to the slip cordon, where Reeza Hendricks gobbled up a simple catch.
Gurbaz was out for a three-ball duck. It turned out to be a telling moment in the game as the opening partnership between Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran was one of Afghanistan's strongest points.
South Africa vs Afghanistan Live Score, T20 World Cup Semi-final
Jansen's next victim was Gulbadin Naib. The Afghanistan all-rounder's feet were rooted to the crease and the Jansen in-dipper snuck through the gap between his bat and pad to smash into the off stump.
Markram quickly realised that the pitch offered something to the seamers. After bowling Keshav Maharaj for one over, he threw the ball to Kagiso Rabada from the other end. And what a decision it turned out to be.
Rabada bowled a double wicket maiden. Both of his wickets were bowled. Afghanistan captain Zadran (2) was the first to go. Like Naib, he too was done it with the seam movement and was guilty of not pushing forward. The ball caught the inside edge and clipped the leg stump. A couple of balls later, Rabada got Mohammad Nabi (0) in identical fashion. The only difference? It was Nabi's off stump that went for a walk.
Afghanistan were 20/4 in four overs - the lowest score for any side to lose four wickets in a T20 World Cup semi-final. Very soon it became five as Jansen found the outside edge of Nangeyalia Kharote's bat in the next over to complete his three-fer. It was the first instance of a team losing five wickets in the powerplay in a T20 World Cup semi-final.
There was no respite for Afghanistan as Anrich Nortje struck in the first over after the powerplay. Omarzai wanted to go over the top but ended up providing a simple catch to deep point.
Rashid hit a couple of boundaries in the next over of Rabada to give rise to a glimmer of hope in the Afghan camp for putting up a good score, but Tabraiz Shamsi quickly dowsed it. The left-arm wrist spinner's double strike in the 10th over got Afghanistan on the brink.
Nortje got another wicket in the next over and Shamsi finished off the business by taking the last Afghanistan wicket. He finished with figures of 3/6 in 1.5 overs. Jansen got his three wickets for 16 runs while Rabada and Nortje got a couple of wickets each.
