| 0.0 : TOSS - It is time for the all-important toss in the 1st Semi-Final. Aiden Markram flips the coin and Rashid Khan calls it right. Afghanistan have elected to BAT first. |
| Afghanistan (Unchanged Playing XI) - Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK), Ibrahim Zadran, Gulbadin Naib, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Karim Janat, Rashid Khan (C), Nangeyalia Kharote, Noor Ahmad, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi. |
| South Africa (Unchanged Playing XI) - Quinton de Kock (WK), Reeza Hendricks, Aiden Markram (C), Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Tabraiz Shamsi. |
| Aiden Markram, the captain of South Africa says that they would have batted first as well. Adds that it is a fresh wicket but he is not too upset bowling first and will look to use the conditions early on. Mentions that they have played good cricket throughout the tournament and have adapted to the wickets well, they just need to keep doing the basics right and they will be closer to a perfect game. Informs they are unchanged as well. |
| Rashid Khan, the skipper of Afghanistan says it's a fresh wicket and they want to have a total on the board. Adds that the middle order hasn't got that time in the middle as the top order has batted responsibly. Says they didn't get much rest time as they came here straight out of the last game and a 4-hour flight delay didn't help as well. But adds that everyone in the team is pumped up for this challenge. Further says they will bring the skills on the field and that will decide the game for t |
| PITCH REPORT - Shaun Pollock and Ricky Ponting are at the 22 yards. Pollock says the temperature has come down and a gentle breeze is blowing. Mentions that it is equidistant being 63 meters at both squares. Ricky Ponting joins him and says it is a brand new pitch. He adds that four games have been played at this venue with the average score being only 91. Says there are a few cracks and if you look closely inside the cracks, there's some thatchy grass. Reckons there's going to be a lot of spin |
| We are moments away from the start of this momentous clash but before that, the players from both sides make their way out to the middle with a lot of pride and line up for their respective national anthems. It will be Afghanistan's first, followed by the national anthem of South Africa. |
| It's time for the action now! The fans of both teams have come in numbers here and it is a festive atmosphere here in Trinidad. We can see the South African players in a huddle who then spread out and take their respective field positions. The formidable duo of Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran are the two openers for Afghanistan. The tall left-armer, Marco Jansen has the new ball in his hand and is raring to go. Let's play... |
| 0.1 : Marco Jansen to Rahmanullah Gurbaz, A leg bye and Afghanistan are underway! Marco Jansen lands it on a shade fuller length, swinging into the batters and angling onto the pads, Rahmanullah Gurbaz misses to tuck it away and the ball brushes off his thigh pad towards deep fine. |
| 0.2 : Marco Jansen to Ibrahim Zadran, No run. |
| 0.3 : Marco Jansen to Ibrahim Zadran, Full and outside off this time, Ibrahim Zadran drives it to the right of the bowler. |
| 0.4 : Marco Jansen to Ibrahim Zadran, Just short ahead of the slip fielder! |
| 0.5 : Marco Jansen to Rahmanullah Gurbaz, No run. |
| 0.6 : Marco Jansen to Rahmanullah Gurbaz, WIDE! He will have to reload this one! Angles it down leg, on a length, wide given. |
| Marco Jansen to Rahmanullah Gurbaz, WIDE! Short and swinging down the leg side again, Rahmanullah Gurbaz goes for a pull shot but misses. Wide called. |
| Marco Jansen to Rahmanullah Gurbaz, OUT! c Reeza Hendricks b Marco Jansen. |
| 1.1 : Keshav Maharaj to Ibrahim Zadran, 1 run. |
| 0.0 : We will see some spin now as Keshav Maharaj is ready to share the attack. |
| 1.2 : Keshav Maharaj to Gulbadin Naib, FOUR! Good intent there! |
| 1.3 : Keshav Maharaj to Gulbadin Naib, No run. |
| 1.4 : Keshav Maharaj to Gulbadin Naib, Good-length delivery outside the off stump. Gulbadin Naib punches it off the back foot to short extra cover. |
| 1.5 : Keshav Maharaj to Gulbadin Naib, Full on the middle stump and turns it away, Gulbadin Naib is drawn forward and gets beaten on the outside edge. |
| 1.6 : Keshav Maharaj to Gulbadin Naib, 1 run. |
| 2.1 : Marco Jansen to Gulbadin Naib, WIDE! Swinging down the leg side, on a length. Wided. |
| Marco Jansen to Gulbadin Naib, FOUR! Nice shot! Bowls it on a length, on the top of the middle, Gulbadin Naib stands with an upright stance and pulls it crisply through the left of mid on for a boundary. |
| 2.2 : Marco Jansen to Gulbadin Naib, Full and with an extra bit of bounce, across off, Gulbadin Naib swings hard across but misses on the outside edge. |
| 2.3 : Marco Jansen to Gulbadin Naib, WIDE! Sprays it down the leg side with a swing. Gulbadin Naib fails to flick it away and the umpire calls it a wide. |
| Who will walk out now? |
| Marco Jansen to Gulbadin Naib, OUT! BOWLED'EM! Through the gates! Jansen gets his second and Afghanistan in a bit of an early trouble. |
| 2.4 : Marco Jansen to Azmatullah Omarzai, Length-delivery pitching on middle, and moving away outside off. Azmatullah Omarzai stays leg side of the ball and gets beaten. |
| 2.5 : Marco Jansen to Azmatullah Omarzai, Just short of a good length, angling into the batter on the pads, Azmatullah Omarzai misses to clip it and gets pinged on the upper thigh pad. |
| 2.6 : Marco Jansen to Azmatullah Omarzai, FOUR! Lucky, very lucky there! Short and attacking the bodyline with an inward angle on a length, Azmatullah Omarzai is caught in an awkward position and takes the eyes off the ball, taking the gloves and flies past the diving leg slip fielder where Heinrich Klaasen almost gets his hands to it and races away to the boundary in the deep. |
| Kagiso Rabada replaces Keshav Maharaj. |
| 3.1 : Kagiso Rabada to Ibrahim Zadran, OUT! KNOCKED HIM OVER! |
| 3.2 : Kagiso Rabada to Mohammad Nabi, No run. |
| 3.3 : Kagiso Rabada to Mohammad Nabi, No run. |
| 3.4 : Kagiso Rabada to Mohammad Nabi, OUT! BULL'S EYE! More trouble for Afghanistan! KG Rabada gets his second wicket now. |
| 3.5 : Kagiso Rabada to Nangeyalia Kharote, No run. |
| 3.6 : Kagiso Rabada to Nangeyalia Kharote, No run. |
| 0.0 : Nangeyalia Kharote is the next man in with Afghanistan in a spot of bother. |
| 4.3 : Marco Jansen to Nangeyalia Kharote, No run. |
| 4.1 : Marco Jansen to Azmatullah Omarzai, Short of a length on the leg stump with an extra bounce on off. Azmatullah Omarzai fends it off his gloves to backward square leg for a run. |
| 4.2 : Marco Jansen to Nangeyalia Kharote, No run. |
| 4.4 : Marco Jansen to Nangeyalia Kharote, No run. |
| 4.5 : Marco Jansen to Nangeyalia Kharote, Angles it on the leg stumps, full in length, Nangeyalia Kharote flicks it towards backward square leg for a brace. |
| 4.6 : Marco Jansen to Nangeyalia Kharote, OUT! CAUGHT BEHIND! Half of the Afghan side is in the dugout now. Marco Jansen gets his third wicket. |
| 0.0 : Karim Janat comes out to the middle now. |
| 5.1 : Kagiso Rabada to Azmatullah Omarzai, Fuller one and around middle, Azmatullah Omarzai backs away and knocks it towards the bowler. |
| 5.2 : Kagiso Rabada to Azmatullah Omarzai, FOUR! That's a nice shot! Kagiso Rabada goes full again and on off, Azmatullah Omarzai opens the face of the bat slightly and carves it over extra covers for a boundary. |
| 5.3 : Kagiso Rabada to Azmatullah Omarzai, No run. |
| 5.4 : Kagiso Rabada to Azmatullah Omarzai, Back of a length and outside off, nips away, Azmatullah Omarzai leaves it alone. |
| 5.5 : Kagiso Rabada to Azmatullah Omarzai, Pitches it up, on middle, angling in this time, Azmatullah Omarzai looks to drive but gets an inside edge towards fine leg for a single. |
| 5.6 : Kagiso Rabada to Karim Janat, Fullish again and middle, Karim Janat drives it firmly but straight to mid off. Afghanistan are 28/5 at the end of the Powerplay. This is also the first time that a side has lost five wickets in the Powerplay in a T20 World Cup Semi-Final. |
| 6.1 : Anrich Nortje to Azmatullah Omarzai, Anrich Nortje starts with a hard-length delivery around off, Azmatullah Omarzai dabs it down to point. |
| 6.2 : Anrich Nortje to Azmatullah Omarzai, Absolute beauty! |
| 6.3 : Rashid Khan, the skipper of Afghanistan comes out to the middle at number 8. |
| 6.4 : Anrich Nortje to Rashid Khan, No run. |
| 6.3 : Anrich Nortje to Azmatullah Omarzai, OUT! TAKEN! Anrich Nortje strikes in his first over as well! |
| 6.5 : Anrich Nortje to Rashid Khan, Wide! |
| Anrich Nortje to Rashid Khan, Cannons it on the back of a length, around off, Rashid Khan hops on the back foot and punches it solidly to the off side. |
| 6.6 : Anrich Nortje to Rashid Khan, No run. |
| 7.1 : Kagiso Rabada to Karim Janat, No run. |
| 7.2 : Kagiso Rabada to Karim Janat, Back of a length and on off, Karim Janat stabs it to point. |
| 7.3 : Kagiso Rabada to Karim Janat, Pitches it up, on middle, Karim Janat looks to push it away but the inward movement takes the inside edge as the ball rolls towards deep square leg for a single. |
| 7.4 : Kagiso Rabada to Rashid Khan, Full again and on off, Rashid Khan drills it straight to mid off. |
| 7.5 : Kagiso Rabada to Rashid Khan, FOUR! Glorious shot! Kagiso Rabada pulls his length back just a bit, on off, Rashid Khan gets on top of it nicely, presents the full face of the bat and punches it sweetly past mid off for a boundary. |
| 7.6 : Kagiso Rabada to Rashid Khan, FOUR! TWO IN TWO! Kagiso Rabada goes short this time and well outside off, Rashid Khan gets the license to free his arm and absolutely crunches it over point for another boundary. |
| 8.1 : Anrich Nortje to Karim Janat, 2 runs. |
| 8.2 : Anrich Nortje to Karim Janat, On a length and on off, Karim Janat stays back and pushes it to short covers. |
| 8.3 : Anrich Nortje to Karim Janat, FOUR BYES! That beats everyone! Anrich Nortje bangs this one into the pitch hard, on middle, it hits one of the grass patches it takes off viciously, Karim Janat tries to cut it away but is nowhere near the ball while it goes well over Quinton de Kock as well for a boundary. |
| 8.4 : Anrich Nortje to Karim Janat, An appeal for LBW, but turned down! Touch fuller and around middle, angling in, Karim Janat looks to work it away but misses and gets hit on the pads. It looks like going down the leg side but Aiden Markram decides to take the review. UltraEdge confirms no bat involved and Ball Tracking shows it is missing the leg-stump. South Africa lose a review! |
| 8.5 : Anrich Nortje to Karim Janat, No run. |
| 8.6 : Anrich Nortje to Karim Janat, Pitched up and around off, Karim Janat knocks it towards mid off for a quick single. |
| 9.1 : Tabraiz Shamsi to Karim Janat, FOUR! Poor delivery and rightly punished! Tabraiz Shamsi begins with a short delivery down the leg side, Karim Janat has all the time in the world to rock back and he pulls it hard and wide of deep square leg for a boundary. |
| 9.2 : Tabraiz Shamsi to Karim Janat, Wide! |
| Tabraiz Shamsi to Karim Janat, Tossed up, full and on off, Karim Janat drills it to short covers. |
| 9.3 : Tabraiz Shamsi to Karim Janat, OUT! LBW! Tabraiz Shamsi gets the breakthrough. Or does he? Afghanistan take the review this time. |
| 0.0 : Noor Ahmad is in at number 9. |
| 9.4 : Tabraiz Shamsi to Noor Ahmad, No run. |
| 9.5 : Tabraiz Shamsi to Noor Ahmad, OUT! LBW! Tabraiz Shamsi with the double whammy! It is going from bad to works for Afghanistan. |
| 0.0 : Naveen-ul-Haq is in at number 10. |
| 9.6 : Tabraiz Shamsi to Naveen-ul-Haq, No run. |
| 10.1 : Anrich Nortje to Rashid Khan, Back of a length, and on the top of off, Rashid Khan punches it off the back foot to covers. |
| 0.0 : Drinks break! Well, it has been a one-sided affair through and through with the Proteas totally dominating over the Afghans. The South African pace trio was right on the money and they badly dented Afghanistan's top and middle order. Marco Jansen has been the chief destructor getting three to his name with Kagiso Rabada and Tabraiz Shamsi striking a double whammy each. None of the Afghan batters could sustain against the pace and variable bounce and fell like a house of cards. With all chips |
| 10.2 : Fazalhaq Farooqi is the last man in for Afghanistan. |
| Anrich Nortje to Rashid Khan, OUT! BOWLED'EM! This has been absolute carnage from ball one by South Africa. Afghanistan are 9 down now. |
| 10.3 : Anrich Nortje to Fazalhaq Farooqi, Full and on off, Fazalhaq Farooqi hangs his bat away from his body and pushes it through covers for a single. |
| 10.4 : Anrich Nortje to Naveen-ul-Haq, On a length and on middle, angling in, Naveen-ul-Haq blocks it out as the ball rolls towards mid off. |
| 10.5 : Anrich Nortje to Naveen-ul-Haq, Back of a length and around middle, Naveen-ul-Haq backs away and guides it nicely wide of point, Kagiso Rabada in the deep fumbles and allows the second run. |
| 10.6 : Anrich Nortje to Naveen-ul-Haq, Short of a length and on middle, gets some extra bounce this time, Naveen-ul-Haq sways away and tries to ramp it but misses it. |
| 11.1 : Tabraiz Shamsi to Fazalhaq Farooqi, 1 run. |
| 11.2 : Tabraiz Shamsi to Naveen-ul-Haq, BYES! |
| 11.3 : Tabraiz Shamsi to Naveen-ul-Haq, No run. |
| 11.4 : Tabraiz Shamsi to Naveen-ul-Haq, Quicker one, on middle, turns in a long way, Naveen-ul-Haq gets struck on hi pads again. |
| Is that out? |
| 11.5 : Tabraiz Shamsi to Naveen-ul-Haq, OUT! LBW! Tabraiz Shamsi wraps things up here! He flights this one up, full and around middle, Naveen-ul-Haq goes for the traditional sweep this time, but the length is too full for that shot, he misses and gets hit on the pads right in front of the stumps. There is a huge appeal for LBW, and up goes the finger again, Naveen takes the review more in desperation. Nothing on UltraEdge and Ball Tracking comes up with three reds. Afghanistan have been bowled |
| 0.0 : A completely dominating performance from South Africa with the ball as they decimate the Afghan innings to a paltry 56. It is the first time that a team has been bowled out below three figures and also, this is the lowest first innings total in the history of the ICC T20 World Cup Semi-Finals. It seemed like Afghanistan was more swept up in the excitement of facing world-class opposition in the semifinals than focused on the task at hand. |
| Afghanistan's batters found themselves utterly bewildered by South Africa's relentless pace attack and unpredictable bounce. The innings began to unravel with Rahmanullah Gurbaz's early dismissal, sparking a swift procession of wickets. Unable to adapt to the challenging conditions, the Afghan lineup crumbled badly. At the end of the Powerplay, Afghanistan were teetering badly with half of their side into the dugout with only 28 on the board. Rashid Khan then came out and tried to counterpunch b |
| The Proteas' bowling performance was near flawless, with their pace attack living up to its fearsome reputation using all the pace and bounce to perfection. South Africa's pace trio systematically dismantled Afghanistan's batting lineup. Marco Jansen set the tone with a wicket in his opening over, followed by Kagiso Rabada's devastating double strike. Anrich Nortje then unleashed his searing pace, claiming another victim and further intensifying the struggles for Afghanistan. Marco Jansen claime |
| Kagiso Rabada, one of the chief destructors with the ball is up for a flash interview. Rabada says they were not expecting this and just wanted to do what they have been doing throughout the tournament. Adds that it is moving a lot and they hit the right areas and it just happened for them. Mentions that sometimes you bowl well and not get results and vice-versa. Says that they absolutely believe that this team can lift the trophy here. |
| Right then, after demolishing Afghanistan's batting, South Africa now eyes a swift chase of 57 runs with the bat. The Proteas are on the cusp of stepping into their first-ever T20 World Cup Final and will aim to look to blitz through this modest target without any hiccups. Stay tuned as the run chase is up next in a bit. |
| 0.1 : Naveen-ul-Haq to Quinton de Kock, No run. |
| 0.2 : Naveen-ul-Haq to Quinton de Kock, Ouch! Naveen-ul-Haq hits the hard length this time, on off, nips back in sharply with some bounce, Quinton de Kock uses his feet to play but gets cramped up and the ball hits him around his chest. That will sting a bit. |
| 0.3 : Naveen-ul-Haq to Quinton de Kock, 1 run. |
| 0.4 : Naveen-ul-Haq to Reeza Hendricks, Absolute peach! Naveen-ul-Haq comes around the wicket and bowls this on a hard length, gets it to nip away sharply, Reeza Hendricks prods forward but gets nowhere near the ball as it zips past to the keeper. |
| 0.5 : Naveen-ul-Haq to Reeza Hendricks, A fine in-swinging yorker now, on off, Reeza Hendricks digs it out to the off side. |
| 0.6 : Naveen-ul-Haq to Reeza Hendricks, No run. |
| 1.1 : Fazalhaq Farooqi to Quinton de Kock, FOUR! Nicely played! Fazalhaq Farooqi in search of some swing begins with a full delivery but bowls it too straight, shapes in, Quinton de Kock picks it up off his pads and flicks it beautifully through mid-wicket for the first boundary of the chase. |
| 0.0 : Fazalhaq Farooqi to bowl the second over. |
| 1.2 : Fazalhaq Farooqi to Quinton de Kock, Back of a length and around off, shaping away this time, Quinton de Kock leaves it alone. |
| 1.3 : Fazalhaq Farooqi to Quinton de Kock, Hard length and outside off again, not much movement this time but QDK decides to let it go again. |
| 1.4 : Fazalhaq Farooqi to Quinton de Kock, Fazalhaq Farooqi goes fuller now just around off, gets it to nip away again, Quinton de Kock strides out to push it away but gets beaten on the outside edge. |
| 1.5 : Fazalhaq Farooqi to Quinton de Kock, OUT! BOWLED'EM! Fazalhaq Farooqi strikes the first blow! This is exactly what Afghanistan wanted here. |
| 0.0 : The South African skipper, Aiden Markram walks out to the middle at number 3. |
| 1.6 : Fazalhaq Farooqi to Aiden Markram, Short of a length and on middle, Aiden Markram stays back and blocks it out. |
| 2.1 : Naveen-ul-Haq to Reeza Hendricks, 1 run. |
| 2.2 : Naveen-ul-Haq to Aiden Markram, Goes fuller and on off, Aiden Markram pushes it towards covers. |
| 2.3 : Naveen-ul-Haq to Aiden Markram, Full again and on middle, shaping in, Aiden Markram blocks it out this time. |
| 2.4 : Naveen-ul-Haq to Aiden Markram, No run. |
| 2.5 : Naveen-ul-Haq to Aiden Markram, No run. |
| 2.6 : Naveen-ul-Haq to Aiden Markram, Hurls it on a length, slightly around off, Aiden Markram takes his front foot ahead and drives it to mid off from the inner half of the bat. A very quiet over from Naveen-ul-Haq. Three overs done it's 6/1. |
| 3.1 : Fazalhaq Farooqi to Reeza Hendricks, On a length and on off, Reeza Hendricks steers it towards point. |
| 3.2 : Fazalhaq Farooqi to Reeza Hendricks, Full and outside off, Reeza Hendricks tries to reach for it but gets an inside edge just past the stumps to short fine. |
| 3.3 : Fazalhaq Farooqi to Reeza Hendricks, Wide! |
| Fazalhaq Farooqi to Reeza Hendricks, Overpitched and on off, Reeza Hendricks connects with his drive nicely this time but hits it straight to mid off. |
| 3.4 : Fazalhaq Farooqi to Reeza Hendricks, Another full delivery, on middle, Reeza Hendricks knocks it with a straight bat wide of mid on for a brace. |
| 3.5 : Fazalhaq Farooqi to Reeza Hendricks, No run. |
| 3.6 : Fazalhaq Farooqi to Reeza Hendricks, FOUR! Good shot! Fazalhaq Farooqi takes pace off again and serves this full, outside off, Reeza Hendricks waits for it this time and drills it through cover-point for a boundary. |
| 4.1 : Naveen-ul-Haq to Aiden Markram, On a length and on middle, Aiden Markram stays back and blocks it out well. |
| 4.2 : Naveen-ul-Haq to Aiden Markram, Length again and on off, Aiden Markram tries to drive but the ball keeps low and takes the toe-end of his bat to roll towards mid off. |
| 0.0 : Halt! Aiden Markram calls for another bat as this one gets stung on the bottom as it dramatically stays low on the bounce, and he is evidently not happy with it. |
| 4.3 : Naveen-ul-Haq to Aiden Markram, FOUR! Streaky and these will hurt Afghanistan a lot! Hard length and around off, nips back in sharply and with extra bounce, Aiden Markram tries to play at it but gets an inside edge as the ball rolls away to the fine leg fence for a boundary. |
| 4.4 : Naveen-ul-Haq to Aiden Markram, FOUR! Nothing streaky about this one! |
| 4.5 : Naveen-ul-Haq to Aiden Markram, Naveen-ul-Haq goes for the bouncer but this one goes above the batter, Aiden Markram leaves it alone. Wided. |
| Naveen-ul-Haq to Aiden Markram, 3 runs. |
| 4.6 : Naveen-ul-Haq to Reeza Hendricks, Touch fuller, on middle, Reeza Hendricks pats it towards mid on for a quick single. 13 runs off the over then! |
| Change. |
| 5.1 : Rashid Khan to Reeza Hendricks, Pitches it right in front of the stumps, on a fuller length, Reeza Hendricks goes deep inside the crease and tucks it in front of deep mid-wicket and quickly runs two. |
| 5.2 : Rashid Khan to Reeza Hendricks, On a length, and on the middle, Reeza Hendricks works it off the back foot to widish long on for a single. |
| 5.3 : Rashid Khan to Aiden Markram, Pushes it quicker and flatter on a fuller length, on the leg stump line, Aiden Markram goes for a hoick across the line but gets a thick inside edge that rolls towards deep fine for a single. |
| 5.4 : Rashid Khan to Reeza Hendricks, Bowls it slow this time, on the stumps and full in length, Reeza Hendricks takes a huge stride out and defends it back to the bowler with a straight bat. |
| 5.5 : Rashid Khan to Reeza Hendricks, No run. |
| 5.6 : Rashid Khan to Reeza Hendricks, FOUR! Hendricks says, Thank You! Rashid Khan serves a juicy half-volley around off, Reeza Hendricks plants his front foot ahead and clears the 30-yard circle going inside out over covers for a cracking boundary. End of the mandatory powerplay and South Africa are 34/1. |
| 6.1 : Azmatullah Omarzai to Aiden Markram, Stays low on the bounce on the middle and leg, Aiden Markram hops and jams his bat down in time to block it out back to the bowler. |
| 6.2 : Azmatullah Omarzai to Aiden Markram, On the top of off, on the back of a length, Aiden Markram climbs on the bounce and plays it to mid on with a horizontal bat. |
| 6.3 : Azmatullah Omarzai to Aiden Markram, Angles it on the pads, on a length, Aiden Markram whips it and beats Noor Ahmad at mid on for a single. |
| 6.4 : Azmatullah Omarzai to Reeza Hendricks, Outside off, on a length with a variable bounce that keeps viciously low. Reeza Hendricks anticipates the ball to bounce but adjusts his shot hopping back and blocking it out. |
| 6.5 : Azmatullah Omarzai to Reeza Hendricks, No run. |
| 6.6 : Azmatullah Omarzai to Reeza Hendricks, Now this one takes off! Hard length, and outside off, it climbs on the bounce. Reeza Hendricks camps back and punches it straight to covers. |
| 7.1 : Gulbadin Naib to Aiden Markram, Gulbadin Naib comes into the attack and hurls it outside off at just 119 kph, Aiden Markram waits for the ball to arrive, and goes back and across before slashing it through covers for a single. |
| 7.2 : Gulbadin Naib to Reeza Hendricks, The last thing Afghanistan would want is sloppiness in the field! Back of a length, nipping away from outside off, Reeza Hendricks slices it off the outer half of the bat towards deep third where Karim Janat fumbles to pick it cleanly and allows the batters to cross for the double. |
| 7.3 : Gulbadin Naib to Reeza Hendricks, Hard length and outside off, Reeza Hendricks pushes it to covers off the bottom half of the bat. |
| 7.4 : Gulbadin Naib to Reeza Hendricks, 1 run. |
| 7.5 : Gulbadin Naib to Aiden Markram, FOUR! Pulled away powerfully! Short in length, and on the top of the off and middle, Aiden Markram stands tall, rides on the bounce and pulls it using his wrists over mid-wicket for a boundary. |
| 7.6 : Gulbadin Naib to Aiden Markram, Bowls it full in length and outside off, Aiden Markram drives it nicely but finds backward point. South Africa need only 14 runs to win now and they have all the time in the world to do so. |
| 8.1 : Azmatullah Omarzai to Reeza Hendricks, On the back of a length, outside off, Reeza Hendricks caresses it on the up through the cover-point gap for a single. |
| 8.2 : Azmatullah Omarzai to Aiden Markram, FOUR! In a hurry now! Gloriousness written all over it! Offers more width on the back of a length, Aiden Markram hits it on the rise and gets it over mid off for a boundary. |
| 8.3 : Azmatullah Omarzai to Aiden Markram, Wild swing and a miss there! Short and jagging back in sharply, Aiden Markram goes for a pull shot but the ball pings his body and lobs towards the point region. |
| 8.4 : Azmatullah Omarzai to Aiden Markram, Full in length, and on the fourth stump line, Aiden Markram takes the front foot out and goes for an expansive drive through covers but inside edges it to square leg for a single. Oh, wait! Azmatullah Omarzai has overstepped here and the umpire calls a No Ball. Free-Hit to follow now. |
| Azmatullah Omarzai to Reeza Hendricks, SIX! Just beyond the ropes and the scores are level now! Azmatullah Omarzai bangs it short and it rises up with the bounce on the bodyline, Reeza Hendricks bends a bit and manages to pull it all the way over deep square leg for a six. |
| 8.5 : Azmatullah Omarzai to Reeza Hendricks, FOUR! DONE AND DUSTED! SOUTH AFRICA IS HEADING TO BARBADOS FOR THEIR FIRST EVER T20 WORLD CUP FINAL! This is bowled full in length, and angles on the off stump, Reeza Hendricks presents the full flourish of the willow and drives it downtown past mid off for a boundary to seal the deal. |
| 0.0 : PROTEAS POWER THEMSELVES THROUGH TO THE FINAL! They have finally managed to get past the semi-final hurdle and this was a complete domination by them. South Africa also keep their unbeaten streak intact and they are heading to Barbados with a lot of confidence and momentum. Afghanistan had an off-day but that does not take anything away they have achieved in this T20 World Cup, and they should be mighty proud of themselves. |
| South Africa knew that the wicket was not easy to bat on and Quinton de Kock tried to be aggressive but lost his wicket early in the process. Reeza Hendricks and Aiden Markram struggled to get going due to the uneven bounce and trickiness of the wicket but the good thing was that they did not give their wicket away. The duo took their time and got through that period and then the runs started to flow as well. After that, they navigated the chase nicely and stayed unbeaten to take them over t |
| Earlier in the game, Afghanistan posted the lowest-ever total in an ICC T20 World Cup Semi-Final as they had no answers to the fiery bowling attack of the Proteas. It was very disappointing for them as it happened in probably the biggest game of their careers. Marco Jansen and Tabraiz Shamsi picked up three wickets each while Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje shared four wickets equally to dismantle the Afghans. While chasing, Afghanistan tried their very best to trouble the South African |
| Presentation Time... |
| Marco Jansen is the PLAYER OF THE MATCH for his scintillating 3-fer. He says it is an awesome feeling and says the guys played really well and executed the plans to perfection. Says they didn't know how it would play and says it was all about keeping it simple by bowling good lines and lengths. Adds everyone was calm on the field and stuck to their plans. On being asked about Aiden Markram's captaincy, he says Markram is known for his calmness. Says he is a great captain. He wraps up by saying |
| Rashid Khan, the captain of Afghanistan says that it was a tough game as a team for them. Adds that they could have batted better but the conditions were not easy, and credits South Africa for their bowling. Mentions that in T20s getting a good start is important, they had a setback when Mujeeb got injured but the way Naveen, Nabi, and Farooqi performed, was great to see. Says that it has been a great World Cup for them and they are proud of how they have played and achieved some excellent res |
| Aiden Markram, the victorious skipper of South Africa says it feels good. He says it's not only the captain that gets you here, but the massive squad effort and says that he is fortunate to have lost the toss as they would have batted first as well. He says they were brilliant with the ball and bowled in the right areas. Adds that their bowlers have been incredible throughout the tournament. Mentions it was tough to bat and adds they had a bit of luck. Tells that they had a few close games but |
| Right then, that it is it from this one-sided 1st Semi-Final where South Africa after all their historic struggles have finally made it to an ICC World Cup final. It was heartbreak for Afghanistan but they have had a special journey in this tournament. Now, it is time to find out who will face the Proteas in the big finale. The 2nd Semi-Final between India and England will start on 27th June, Thursday at 8 pm IST (2.30 pm GMT), but as you know, you can always join us early for all the build-u |
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