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There was great drama at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, but the match ended in heartbreak for Rahmanullah Gulbaaz on Wednesday (February 11). Afghanistan’s star opener Rahmanullah Gubaz was left heartbroken after the team lost a thrilling double-super over to South Africa in a crucial Group D match of the 2026 T20 World Cup.
Rahmanullah Gubaz collapses as South Africa claim dramatic double Super Series title
As the South African players celebrated wildly, Gulbaaz, sitting alone near the boundary rope, completely broke down and burst into tears as the photo went viral on the internet.
Also read: Lungi Ngidi and Marco Jansen’s stunning catches keep Afghanistan struggling in T20 World Cup 2026
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Afghanistan came close to pulling off one of the most memorable wins in T20 World Cup history, but victory slipped away in the most dramatic way after Gubaz failed to hit six off the last ball against South Africa.
Rahmanullah Gubaz was completely devastated and sat alone in tears. 🥹💔
– fell in love with Gubaz, he gave everything, but somehow Afghanistan still lost. pic.twitter.com/freDoqZuI1
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) February 11, 2026
— Drizzyat12Kennyat8 (@45kennyat7PM) February 11, 2026
Rahmanullah Gubaz literally cried 🥺 and sat alone crying. 🥹💔
Rahmanullah Gubaz, you are a warrior♥️ Well played @RGurbaz_21#AFGvSA #SAvsAFG #T20World Cup #afghanistancricket pic.twitter.com/DW2eOGrINa— Visionary EV Media🇮🇳 (@Visionary_eagle) February 11, 2026
The Afghanistan wicketkeeper-batsman gave it his all and showed great courage under pressure, but he could not take the team home. South Africa were reduced to 187 for 6 behind Quinton de Kock’s 59 and Ryan Rickelton’s 61, with Afghanistan showing great determination in the chase.
First Super Bowl ends in another draw after Gulbaaz’s sensational knock
Gurbaz attacked the Proteas bowlers and scored a staggering 84 runs off just 42 balls. However, Afghanistan were bowled out for 187 in 19.4 overs. The score was tied and the game entered the super round. This is the first super over of this T20 World Cup.
In the first Super Over, Afghanistan batted first and scored 17 runs without losing a single wicket. Azmatullah Omarzai hit two fours and a six off Lungi Ngidi. South Africa then chased down 17 off the last ball and Tristan Stubbs hit a six to level the scores again.
This forced a second super over. In the second Super Over, South Africa attacked first and scored 23 points, with David Miller scoring 16 points and Stubbs scoring 7 points, including six. Gubaz scored 24 points from 6 balls and almost made history for Afghanistan.
Afghanistan’s second Super League heartbreak
The right-handed batsman hit three sixes in the first three balls to take his team very close to the target. But on the fourth ball, the Afghanistan star was out with just five runs needed, leading to South Africa winning a memorable Super Over and leaving Afghanistan heartbroken.
Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan heaped praises on Gubaaz after the heartbreaking defeat. Rashid said in his post-match speech: “Amazing innings; that’s what he’s famous for. In the last few overs of the powerplay, we lost quick wickets and put him at a disadvantage. Overall, he played great.”
Notably, this is a must-win game for Afghanistan after they lost to New Zealand in the 2026 T20 World Cup opener. The defeat has hurt their chances of advancing to the next round. The top two teams in each of the four groups will advance to the Super 8 rounds.
Currently, New Zealand and South Africa lead the Group D standings, having won the first two games and scoring 4 points each. Now, Afghanistan must win their last two group matches against the UAE and Canada, but that is not enough as they are also dependent on results in the last two matches of New Zealand and South Africa to progress further in the World Cup.
