Tarouba: Afghanistan faced a crushing defeat at the hands of South Africa in the first semifinal of the ICC T20 World Cup at Tarouba, being bowled out for a mere 56 runs on Thursday.
Opting to bat first, Afghanistan struggled right from the start against the relentless pace attack of South African bowlers. Marco Jansen struck early, dismissing Rahmanullah Gurbaz for a duck with a superb catch by Reeza Hendricks at slips, leaving Afghanistan reeling at 4/1 in just one over.
South Africa’s pace battery continued to wreak havoc as Gulbadin Naib’s brief resistance was ended by Jansen, clean bowling him for nine runs. The Afghan innings faltered further as Kagiso Rabada joined in, dismantling Ibrahim Zadran and Mohammed Nabi quickly.
At 20/4 in 3.4 overs, Afghanistan was in deep trouble. Jansen claimed his third victim, Nangeyalia Kharote, caught behind by Quinton de Kock. The Proteas’ dominance was evident as Afghanistan limped to 23/5 by the fifth over.
Anrich Nortje and Tabraiz Shamsi then continued the onslaught. Azmatullah Omarzai fell to Nortje, caught by Tristan Stubbs, further denting Afghanistan at 29/6 in 6.3 overs.
Despite a brief resistance from skipper Rashid Khan and Karim Janat, who managed a 21-run partnership, Afghanistan struggled to stabilize. Shamsi dismissed Karim, triggering a collapse that saw Afghanistan lose their last five wickets for just six runs.
In the end, Afghanistan was bowled out for a paltry 56 runs in 11.5 overs. Marco Jansen (3/16) and Tabraiz Shamsi (3/6) led the bowling attack for South Africa, well supported by Kagiso Rabada (2/14) and Anrich Nortje (2/7).
South Africa’s clinical performance with the ball secured their spot in the ICC T20 World Cup final, demonstrating their dominance and skill in the semifinal clash against Afghanistan.
