South Africa thrash Afghanistan by 9 wickets, secure first-ever berth to T20 World Cup Final

A clinical South Africa crushed Afghanistan by 9 wickets at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy Stadium in Tarouba, San Fernando. This is the first time that South Africa have qualified for the final of the T20 World Cup, where they will meet the winner of the semi-final clash between India and England.

Asked to bat after winning the toss, Afghanistan's batting was severely lacking against an experienced Proteas attack and they lost more than half their total in the first powerplay. Afghanistan were eventually bowled out for 56 in 11.5 overs.

Pacer Marco Jansen and spinner Tabraiz Shamsi were the stars with the ball, taking 3 wickets apiece. Meanwhile, Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje also took 2 wickets each to complete an excellent all-round bowling performance.

In reply, South Africa made no mistakes in their run chase and cruised to an easy 9 wicket win. While opener Quinton de Kock departed early, Reeza Hendricks (29) and skipper Aiden Markram (23) ensured there were no hiccups along the way.

Rashid Khan reacts to defeat in first T20 World Cup semi-final:

Meanwhile, it was a heartbreaking moment for the entire Afghanistan team as they couldn't even put up a good fight in their first World Cup semi-final. It should be noted that Afghanistan had qualified for the semi-finals by beating Australia and Bangladesh in successive Super Eight encounters.

Speaking to the press after the match, Rashid said, “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 going. This has been a great learning experience for us. What we take from the competition is our belief. We know we have the skills, it is just about managing tough situations, pressure situations.”

“There is some work to be done, especially in the middle, in 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 come back doing more hard work, especially in the batting department” the Afghanistan skipper added.