Proteas Book Their first-ever Spot in the Final of the T20 World Cup
South Africa ended their semifinal curse, registering their first-ever win in the semifinals in eight matches across both ODI and T20 World Cups to end Afghanistan’s dream campaign and book for themselves a spot in the final against either India or England.
The Proteas have advanced to the T20 World Cup final following a dominant bowling display against Afghanistan in Tarouba, Trinidad and Tobago, during the early hours of Thursday morning (SA time).
This marks their inaugural appearance in a World Cup final, and they will now await the winner of Thursday afternoon’s second semi-final between India and England.
Despite losing the toss and being asked to bowl first, the Proteas were exceptional right from the beginning, quickly dismantling Afghanistan’s top batting order.
The trio of fast bowlers – Marco Jansen (3/16 in 3 overs), Kagiso Rabada (2/14 in 3 overs), and Anrich Nortje (2/7 in 3 overs) – were superb for the Proteas, limiting Afghanistan to a mere 56 runs all out in just 11.5 overs, with Tabraiz Shamsi (3/6 in 1.5 overs) finishing off the innings.
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This total stands as Afghanistan’s lowest ever in T20 cricket and also the lowest in a T20 World Cup semi-final, highlighting the Proteas’ nearly flawless performance.
In their reply, despite challenging batting conditions, Reeza Hendricks (29 not out) and Aiden Markram (23 not out) showed composure and efficiency.
Proteas Book Their first-ever Spot in the Final of the T20 World Cup