South Africa Thrashes Afghanistan to Reach T20 WC Final

South Africa triumphed over Afghanistan by nine wickets in first semi-final of T20 World Cup 2024. Match took place on Thursday at Brian Lara Stadium in Tarouba, Trinidad. This victory marks 1st time as South Africa has reached 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 lowest ever recorded in a knockout match in men’s T20 Internationals , previous lowest was Botswana’s 62 all-out against Uganda in 2023 ACA Cup semi-finals.

Also Read: Check the T20 World Cup 2024 Semi-Finals Dates

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

Marco Jansen, who earned title of Player of the Match, said, “Guys played really well and executed the plan.” Wicket gave us some help, and we kept it simple. We will enjoy the win and be ready for final.”

Both teams fielded unchanged line-ups for this match.