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South Africa Maintained his 100% record in T20 World Cup Afghanistan In a dramatic second super over.
With the score tied – both teams scoring 187 runs in their regulation innings – the game went into a super over that could not separate them, Meaning they needed a second which South Africa won thanks to David Miller’s unbeaten 16 off four balls.
It was a fantastic game in Ahmedabad but ended in heartbreak for Afghanistan, whose hopes of qualifying for the Super Eight from Group D have ended.
Rickleton shone for South Africa
Winning the toss, Afghanistan restricted the Proteas to 187 for six in their 20 overs, with Quinton de Kock and Ryan Ricalton putting on 114 runs for the second wicket. De Kock scored 59 runs off 41 balls and Ricalton scored 61 runs off 28 balls.
Azmatullah Omarzai took three for 41 and Rashid Khan 28 kept South Africa in check.
Afghanistan’s reply got off to a blistering start, with Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran reaching 50 in just 3.6 overs. But Zadran’s dismissal led to a mini-collapse as pacemen Lungi Ngidi and Kagiso Rabada took three wickets between them.
Gurbaz scored 84 but it looked like South Africa had done enough with Afghanistan needing 13 runs from the final over with just one wicket in hand.
Rabada promptly bowled two no-balls and a wide, enabling Noor Ahmad to keep Afghanistan in check to swing again when he was caught below his crease chasing an ill-fated winning run.
Super over drama as South Africa assumes it
The first super over was equally tense.
Omarzai hit Ngidi with two fours and a six off five balls to give South Africa 18 runs to win. Again, the match was in Afghanistan’s hands and South Africa needed to clear the ropes to level the score with the final ball. Tristan Stubbs duly obliged, drilling a low full toss from Fazalhaq Farooqui at long-off.
South Africa batted first in the second super over and Miller punished a poor Omerzai to put a solid score of 23 on the board, who deserved better after a brilliant all-round performance.
Afghanistan failed to score in the first two balls off Keshav Maharaj, with Gurbaz needing four consecutive sixes to see his team home.
He was successful in the first three with a brilliant shot. And when Maharaj bowled his final set ball wide, the equation was simple: six to win, four to tie the second and a third super over.
Good contact by Gurbaz but the ball goes straight to Miller at point. A yard either way and he would have raced to the boundary.
South Africa have now won both their pool matches while Afghanistan have played two matches and lost two.
