AFG vs SA semifinal highlights: Aiden Markram's "undefeated" South Africa extended their winning streak by defeating Afghanistan by nine wickets in SA vs AFG T20 World Cup 2024 semifinal at Brian Lara Stadium in Trinidad on Thursday (June 27).
Chasing 57 for the win, opener Quinton de Kock fell early, managing just five runs. Aiden Markram contributed 21 runs off 23 balls, while Reeza Hendricks scored 25 runs off 29 balls, showcasing some elegant strokes. Hendricks sealed the game with a six and a four to chase down the target in under 9 overs.
With this victory, South Africa have now secured eight consecutive wins in T20 World Cup 2024 tournament under challenging conditions and are aiming to make history. They have advanced to the final of T20 World Cup 2024 for the first time in their cricketing history and are one win away from clinching their first-ever World Cup title. No team has ever won a T20 World Cup while remaining undefeated.
Afghanistan skipper Rashid Khan won the toss and opted to bat first. However, things quickly spiraled downward for Afghanistan as they kept losing wickets consistently. South African bowlers completely dismantled the Afghan batting lineup, causing them to collapse like a pack of cards.
Afghanistan, playing in their first ever semi-final of an ICC tournament, were all out after scoring 56 runs in 11.4 overs. For the first time in the semi-final of a T20 World Cup, a team has been bowled out for under 100 runs.
The occasion and pressure appeared to overwhelm Afghanistan, leading to a notable collapse. Jansen started by dismissing Gurbaz for a duck in the opening over and then removed Gulbadin Naib in his second over. He later added Kharote to his tally of wickets.
Afghanistan were five wickets down for 23 runs after first five overs. It marked the first time a team lost 5 wickets within the powerplay of a T20 World Cup semifinal. Also, 20 runs is the lowest score at which a team has lost 4 wickets in a T20 World Cup semifinal match.