Anrich Nortje and Fazalhaq Farooqi Make History in T20 World Cup Semifinal

Tarouba, Trinidad and Tobago, June 27: South African fast bowler Anrich Nortje set a new record for the most wickets taken by a South African in a single ICC T20 World Cup edition. He achieved this milestone during the semifinal match against Afghanistan, where he took the wickets of Azmatullah Omarzai and Rashid Khan, finishing with figures of 2/7 in three overs.

In the ongoing tournament, Nortje has taken 13 wickets in eight matches, with an average of 13.46 and an economy rate of 5.64. His best figures are 4/7, making him the fourth-highest wicket-taker in the competition. He surpassed the previous record held by former South African spinner Imran Tahir, who took 12 wickets in the 2014 edition.

Afghanistan’s left-arm pacer Fazalhaq Farooqi also made history by becoming the bowler with the most wickets in a single ICC T20 World Cup edition. In the same match, Farooqi took the wicket of Quinton de Kock and ended with figures of 1/11 in two overs. He has taken 17 wickets in eight games, with an average of 9.41 and an economy rate of 6.31, and his best figures are 5/9. He is currently the leading wicket-taker in the tournament.

Afghanistan won the toss and chose to bat first, but South African pacers Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen quickly reduced them to 28/6. Despite efforts from Karim Janat and Rashid Khan, Afghanistan was bowled out for just 56 runs in 11.5 overs. Tabraiz Shamsi and Marco Jansen were the top bowlers for South Africa, each taking three wickets, while Rabada and Nortje took two wickets each.

In their run-chase, South Africa lost de Kock early, but Reeza Hendricks and captain Aiden Markram guided their team to victory in 8.5 overs. This win ended South Africa’s winless streak in World Cup semifinals and secured their place in their first-ever final. Marco Jansen was named ‘Player of the Match’.