SA vs AFG Highlights, T20 World Cup Semifinal 1: South Africa Defeat Afghanistan By 9 Wickets To Reach Tournament Final
SA vs AFG Highlights, ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024 Semifinal 1: South Africa defeated Afghanistan by 9 wickets to reach the first ICC World Cup final in their cricketing history.
Thankyou for joining us in this short-lasting but exhilirating semifinal between Afghanistan and South Africa. We will get to find who will face South Africa in the final in by the end of the day. Do join our live blog for that match as well. Till then, take care!
"Feels good. It's not only the captain that gets you here, it is a massive squad effort. Plenty of guys behind the scenes as well. Fortunate to have lost the toss, we would have batted too. We were brilliant with the ball, got it in the right areas and kept it really simple. The bowlers have been incredible for us. It was challenging with the bat, no batter is going to lie and tell you it was easy out there. We had a bit of luck and then got a bit of a partnership. We have had a few close games and a few people back home would have woken up early with more grey hairs. Glad today was a bit more comforting. (On the final) It is one more step for us, it is an opportunity we have never had, nothing to be scared of. This win means a lot, we have some world class players in the side but like I said, it takes a whole squad to be able to deliver such a performance."
"It was tough, tough for us as a team. We might have done better but the conditions didn't allow us to do what we wanted. That's how T20 cricket is, you need to be ready for all conditions. I think they bowled really well. I think we got good success in this tournament because the seamers bowled really well, you need good starts. I think we were unlucky with Mujeeb's injury, but our seamers and even Nabi bowled brilliantly with the new ball. That made our job easier as spinners. We have enjoyed this tournament. We will accept playing a semi-final and losing to a top side like Africa. It is just the beginning for us, we have the confidence and belief to beat any side. We just need to keep our processes. This has been a great learning experience for us. What we take from the competition is the belief. We know we have the skills, it is just about managing tough situations, pressure situations. Some work to be done, specially in the middle order to take the innings deep. As I said, it is always learning for our team and we have achieved good results so far but we will come back doing more hard work, specially in the batting department."
Marco Jansen gets awarded the Player of the Match (POTM) award and here's what he said in the post-match presentation:
"Awesome feeling. The guys played really well, we executed perfectly. We just wanted to stick to our plan, bowl good lengths and see how the wicket reacts. The wicket was getting a bit open, and it was about keeping it simple. (On Markram's captaincy) He is awesome to have as a captain. We'll enjoy tonight and be on our way again."
South Africa break their semi-final curse and advance to an ICC final with a commanding display of dominance as they remain undefeated in this tournament with 8 victories. Rabada and Jansen's fiery pace decimated Afghanistan in the powerplay, leaving their innings in disarray. Shamsi and Nortje continued the onslaught post-powerplay, bowling Afghanistan out for a mere 56 runs.
In response, Afghanistan's new ball bowlers fought bravely, with Farooqi dismissing de Kock with a delivery that nipped back. However, the modest target proved insufficient, as Markram and Hendricks quickly found their rhythm. South Africa chased down the target in under 9 overs, marking a historic day for their cricketing legacy. Conversely, it was a day to forget for Afghanistan but they will take a lot of heart out the tournament that saw them defeat teams like New Zealand and Australia.
South Africa do it quite easily in the end as they win the match by 67 balls remaining. With this victory, South Africa achieve the honor of reaching any ICC World Cup final for the first time. Aiden Markram leads them into the final and will either face India or England for the coveted trophy.
South Africa win by 9 wickets.
Hendricks hits a six off Omarzai's ball that was a free-hit after a no-ball and SA are just 1 run away.
Omarzai comes back for his second over and Aiden Markram hits him for a boundary.
8 runs from the Gulbadin Naib over for South Africa and they only need 14 more to reach the finals. SA are 43-1 after 8 overs.
Gulbadin Naib will bowl his first over for the day. Can he do the unthinkable for Afghanistan here?
Just one runs from the Omarzai over and SA are 35-1 after 7 overs.
Azmatullah Omarzai is brought into the attack.
South Africa get 8 runs off the Rashid Khan over and they only need 23 runs now as SA are 34-1 fter 6 overs.
Rashid Khan brings himself on to bowl the first over for the day.
Naveen-ul-Haq bowls his third over of the spell on the trot and concedes 13 runs. Two boundaries from the over and SA are 26-1 after 5 overs.
Fazalhaq Farooqi bowls his second over of the spell and gives away 7 runs. A few more overs like this and South Africa will be the first finalists of the T20 World Cup. Afghanistan need to be tighter here. SA are 13-1 after 4 overs.
Naveen-ul-Haq bowls to Markram a delivery that wobbles outside off, leaving Markram struggling with his drive. Interestingly, there's a slight spike on Ultra Edge, suggesting a faint outside edge, but Afghanistan opted not to review. SA are 6-1 after 3 overs.
Aiden Markram, the SA skipper, comes to the crease. Can Afghanistan take more wickets here?
Fazalhaq Farooqi dismisses de Kock! Bowled him for 5 runs off 8 balls, including 1 four. SA are 5-1 after 2 overs.
Fazalhaq Farooqi comes on to bowl the second over and De Kock treats him with the first boundary of the innings.
It could be a very small target but Afghanistan will make sure South Africa have to give their all to chase it. Naveen-ul-Haq bowls the first over and gives away just 1 run. SA are 1-0 after 1 over.
Quinton de Kock and Reeza Hendricks start the innings for South Africa. Naveen-ul-Haq opens the attack for Afghanistan.
Lowest totals by a full-member team in T20 World Cup history:
1. 55 - ENG vs WI, Dubai, 2021
2. 56 - AFG vs SA, Tarouba, 2024* (today)
3. 60 - NZ vs SL, Chattogram, 2014
4. 70 - BAN vs NZ, Kolkata, 2016
It's the first time a team has been bowled out for under 100 in the semifinal of a T20 World Cup. Today has been a disaster for the Rashid Khan-led team. After winning the toss, Afghanistan needed to counter the moving ball and play cautiously during the powerplay. However, things quickly unraveled as the wickets kept falling.
South Africa only need 57 runs to reach the first final of any cricket World Cup in the history of sport.
Shamsi bangs the final nail in Afghanistan's coffin as Naveen-ul-Haq becomes the last wicket of South Africa. Afghanistan are rolled over for the score of 56 runs.
Fazalhaq Farooqi is the new batter in and South Africa need just one more wicket.
Fazalhaq Farooqi is the new batter in and South Africa need just one more wicket.
Nortje bowls to Rashid Khan, who gets bowled! The off stump has been knocked over. AFG are 50-9 after 10.2 overs.
Just when Afghanistan were thinking Rashid Khan could bail them out of this grave situation, Nortje gets his wicket.
The new batter Noor Ahmad falls now. Shamsi traps him right in front of the stumps as gets out LBW. AFG are 50-8 after 10 overs.
Is there another wicket here? Noor Ahmad is given out but reviews it immediately.
Shamsi gets to open his account with the wicket of Karim Janat as the batter misses the ball on a flick and is given out. He reviewed it bu the wickets were 'umpire's call'. AFG are 50-7 after 9.3.
Karim Janat has been trapped in front but he opts for the review!
Tabraiz Shamsi is brought into the attack by Aiden Markram.
Nortje returns to bowl his second over of the spell and continues to keep it tight for the Afghans. AFG are 45-6 after 9 overs.
Rashid Khan will not die wondering and hits back-to-back boundaries to Kagiso Rabada. AFG are 386 after 8 overs.
Afghanistan are in serious trouble now! Azmatullah steps back and attempts a big shot over covers, but only connects with the toe-end of the bat. Stubbs at sweeper cover makes a safe catch. Rashid Khan is the new batter in. AFG are 29-6 after 7 overs.
Anrich Nortje comes into the attack and gets his first wicket for the day!
Karim Janat is the new batter in. Omarzai shows some intent as he hits Rabada for a boundary but it won't do it. Afghanistan in grave danger here. AFG are 28-5 in 6 overs.
Marco Jansen bowls to Nangeyalia Kharote, who gets caught by de Kock! AFG are 23-5 after 5 overs.
Marco Jansen gets his third wicket and Afghanistan are half-a-side down!
Nangeyalia Kharote is the new batter in for Afghanistan! AFG are 20-4 after 4 overs.
Mohammad Nabi comes and Mohammad Nabi goes! Rabada bowls a peach and goes through the defenses of Nabi and knocks over his stumps. South Africa on fire here.
Kagiso Rabada comes in and effects a wicket on the very first ball!! Knocks Ibrahim Zadran's wickets as Afghanistan lose their third. South Africa are all over Afghanistan here. AFG are 20-3 after 3.1 overs.
Azmatullah Omarzai is the new batter in for Afghanistan. AFG are 20-2 after 3 overs.
Marco Jansen gets another. Bowls two wides in the over and then gets hit for a boundary but comes right back with a delivery that knocks Gulbadin Naibs stumps off. AFG are 16-2 after 2.3 overs.
Gulbadin Naib is the new batter in and shows intent straightaway. Hits Keshav Maharaj for a boundary. Six runs from the spinner's over as AFG are 10-1 after 2 overs.
Marco Jansen gets South Africa the perfect start. Gets rid of the Afghan opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who goes for a duck after edging the ball to the slip. AFG are 4-1 after 1 over.
Ibrahim Zadran and Rahmanullah Gurbaz start the proceedings for Afghanistan and South Africa's Marco Jansen bowls the first over. A WICKET!
Aiden Markram: We would have probably batted first as well but it's a fresh wicket. We haven't nailed it quite with the bat yet, conditions have been tough. Hopefully, we will do well with the bat and ball and step up in the semi-final. Same team for us.
Rashid Khan: We would like to bat first, it's a fresh wicket and we will like to have a good total on the board. The middle-order hasn't got much time in the middle, they have to come out in the 15-16th over and it's not easy. It's good that the top-order has taken responsibility and they have batted very well. When you have a 4-hour delay flight, it's not easy. Doesn't matter if you sleep 1 hour, you have to be at your best. We are going with the same lineup.
South Africa Playing 11: Quinton de Kock(w), Reeza Hendricks, Aiden Markram(c), Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Tabraiz Shamsi
Afghanistan Playing 11: Rahmanullah Gurbaz(w), Ibrahim Zadran, Azmatullah Omarzai, Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Nabi, Karim Janat, Rashid Khan(c), Nangeyalia Kharote, Noor Ahmad, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi
Afghanistan choose to bat first.
Hang around as we are only five minutes away from the all-important toss.
Under Rashid Khan's leadership, Afghanistan have made history by securing their first-ever semifinal spot in a senior men's ICC tournament. This milestone comes on the heels of impressive victories against top-tier teams like New Zealand and Australia.
In contrast, Aiden Markram's South Africa have consistently edged out close-call results in this tournament. Their recent win against hosts West Indies has positioned them just two steps away from claiming their first-ever ICC trophy. Historically, the Proteas have struggled in the knockout stages of World Cups, earning the unfortunate nickname "chokers" due to their poor record.
As they prepare to face Afghanistan, South Africa would be determined to shed this label. Meanwhile, Rashid Khan's team have earned the reputation of "giant killers" with their inspirational performances.
Hello and welcome everybody to ABP Live's live coverage of the South Africa vs Afghanistan Semifinal 1 of the T20 World Cup 2024. We are all set to find out who will be the first finalist of the marquee tournament in a few hours' time.
Background
SA vs AFG Live Score, ICC Men's T20 World Cup Semifinal 1: Irrespective of what happens at the Brian Lara Stadium in Trinidad when South Africa play Afghanistan in the first semifinal of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024 Semifinal 1, it is set to be a historical contest. To begin with, the fixture marks the maiden appearance for the Afghans in a semifinal of any world cup. On the other hand, it is also a shot at a step for the Proteas that they have never managed to take either- a place in the final of a World event.
At the outset, this tournament has been nothing short of a fairytale for Afghanistan. Not many backed them to reach the business end of the competition- that too at the expense of Australia. But that is exactly what they have managed to achieve. It hasn't been a fluke by any stretch of the imaginations- wins over New Zealand, the Kangaroos and Bangladesh- all in a space of 18 days has now put them in a knockout game of an ICC event.
The Men From The Rainbow nation might have much more experience than their opponents in this marquee clash and are one of the only two teams to have remained unbeaten in the competition so far but when it comes to their record in the knockout stage- it depicts a dismal picture. In nine attempts, they have tasted only a solitary win which means it wouldn't come as a shocker if they were to 'choke' yet again in the semis this time around.
But will that turn out to be too much of an ask for Rashid Khan & Co. or will they make the most of what the conditions have on offer to give the Aiden Markram-led side a run for their money? We shall find out over the course of the next few hours. STAY TUNED To ABP Live!
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