South Africa Reaches First-Ever T20 World Cup Final After Beating Afghanistan
South Africa’s cricket team, led by Aiden Markram, has made history by reaching their first-ever T20 World Cup final. They achieved this milestone by defeating Afghanistan in a thrilling match.
Match Highlights
South Africa ended their semifinal curse with a win over Afghanistan, marking their first victory in eight semifinal matches across both ODI and T20 World Cups. This victory ended Afghanistan’s dream campaign and secured South Africa a spot in the final against either India or England.
Post-Match Comments
In the post-match presentation, skipper Aiden Markram praised the team’s collective effort, especially the bowlers. He acknowledged the challenging batting conditions and expressed gratitude for the team’s performance.
Markram said, “It feels good. It is not only the captain that gets you here, it is a massive squad effort. There are plenty of guys behind the scenes as well. Fortunate to have lost the toss, we would have batted too. We were brilliant with the ball, got it in the right areas and kept it really simple. The bowlers have been incredible for us. It was challenging with the bat, no batter is going to lie and tell you it was easy out there. We had a bit of luck and then got a bit of a partnership. We have had a few close games and a few people back home would have woken up early with more grey hairs. Glad today was a bit more comforting.”
He added, “(On the final) It is one more step for us, it is an opportunity we have never had, nothing to be scared of. This win means a lot, we have some world-class players in the side but like I said, it takes a whole squad to be able to deliver such a performance.”
Match Details
Afghanistan won the toss and chose to bat first. However, 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 standout bowlers for South Africa, taking three wickets each. Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje also contributed with two wickets each.
In the run-chase, South Africa lost Quinton de Kock early. However, Reeza Hendricks and Aiden Markram guided the team to victory in 8.5 overs. Hendricks scored 29* in 25 balls, while Markram added 23* in 21 balls.
With this win, South Africa overcame a winless streak in seven World Cup semifinals across both ODIs and T20I formats and reached their first-ever final. Afghanistan’s inspirational run ended in the semifinals.
Marco Jansen was awarded the ‘Player of the Match’ for his outstanding performance.
