South Africa triumphed over Afghanistan by nine wickets in the first semi-final of the T20 World Cup 2024. The match took place on Thursday at the Brian Lara Stadium in Tarouba, Trinidad. This victory marks the first time South Africa has reached the final of any World Cup, whether T20 or ODI.
South Africa achieved their modest target of 57 runs in just 8.5 overs, losing only one wicket.Fazalhaq Farooqi dismissed Quinton de Kock, who scored 5 runs off 8 balls, early in the match. However, captain Aiden Markram (23 runs off 21 balls) and opener Reeza Hendricks (29 runs off 25 balls) led the team to a comfortable win.
Earlier, Afghanistan won the toss and chose to bat first. However, they delivered a disappointing batting performance, getting bowled out for a mere 56 runs in 11.5 overs. Marco Jansen and Tabraiz Shamsi took three wickets each, while Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje claimed two wickets each. Azmatullah Omarzai was the only Afghan player to score in double figures, with 10 runs.
This 56-run total is the lowest ever recorded in a T20 World Cup semi-final match. It is also Afghanistan’s lowest total in T20 Internationals and the lowest ever recorded in a knockout match in men’s T20 Internationals. The previous lowest was Botswana’s 62 all-out against Uganda in the 2023 ACA Cup semi-finals.
T20 World Cup Low Scores
Notable low totals by full-member teams in T20 World Cup history include:
- 55: England vs. West Indies, Dubai, 2021
- 56: Afghanistan vs. South Africa, Tarouba, 2024
- 60: New Zealand vs. Sri Lanka, Chattogram, 2014
- 70: Bangladesh vs. New Zealand, Kolkata, 2016
After the match, Marco Jansen, who earned the title of Player of the Match, said, “The guys played really well and executed the plan.” The wicket gave us some help, and we kept it simple. We will enjoy the win and be ready for the final.”
Both teams fielded unchanged line-ups for this match.
Also Read: Check the T20 World Cup 2024 Semi-Finals Dates
Teams:
- South Africa (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
- Afghanistan (Playing XI): Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Azmatullah Omarzai, Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Nabi, Karim Janat, Rashid Khan (c), Nangeyalia Kharote, Noor Ahmad, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi