KATHMANDU, June 27: South Africa have reached the final for the first time in the history of the ICC T20 World Cup.
In the first semi-final of the ongoing T20 World Cup, South Africa defeated Afghanistan by 9 wickets to secure their place in the final. The match took place at the Brian Lara Stadium in the West Indies, where South Africa chased down a modest target of 57 runs in just 8.5 overs, losing only one wicket.
This marks a historic moment for South Africa, as they have never reached the final in the history of ICC World Cup ODI and T20 formats. Previously, the South African team reached the semi-finals of ODIs five times (1992, 1999, 2007, and 2023) and twice in the T20 World Cup (2009 and 2014) but failed to advance to the final. However, this time, the South African team, which has been in form since the beginning, has created history and is now aiming to win the title in the final as well.
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Captain Aiden Markram scored 23 runs to guide South Africa to the final, while Reeza Hendricks top-scored with 29 runs. Earlier, opener Quinton de Kock was dismissed for 5 runs by Afghanistan's Fazalhaq Farooqi.
Afghanistan won the toss and chose to bat first but could only manage 56 runs in 11.5 overs, losing all their wickets. None of Afghanistan's batsmen, who reached the semi-finals for the first time, could withstand the South African bowlers for long. As a result, Afghanistan was bundled out for a low score.
Afghanistan's opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Mohammad Nabi, Noor Ahmad, and Fazalhaq Farooqi all returned to the pavilion without scoring any runs. Other batsmen such as Ibrahim Zadran (2), Gulbadin Naib (9), Azmatullah Omarzai (10), Nangialai Kharoti (2), Karim Janat (8), and captain Rashid Khan (8) also failed to make significant contributions.
South Africa's Marco Jansen and Tabraiz Shamsi took 3 wickets each, while Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje claimed 2 wickets each, restricting Afghanistan to a meager total.
South Africa will now face the winner of today's second semi-final, either India or England, in the final.
