The first T20 World Cup semifinal between Afghanistan and South Africa at the Brian Lara stadium in Tarouba, Trinidad, on Wednesday laid bare the fickle beauty and cruelty of sport. Having gained Full Member status in 2017, Afghanistan was now competing for a chance to feature in its first final against a South African side, whose cricketing history is replete with World Cup heartbreaks.
In the end, Aiden Markram’s team inflicted upon its opponent a nine-wicket defeat and with it, the kind of pain that will linger. South Africa will face either India or England in the final at the Kensington Oval in Barbados on June 29.
On a mildly overcast evening, on a tough grassy pitch with a cracked look, the Proteas blew Afghanistan to smithereens in front of a noisy crowd, skittling it for 56, the lowest total in a T20 World Cup knockout game.
In response, South Africa lost opener Quinton de Kock early, leaving Reeza Hendricks and Aiden Markram to negotiate a tricky half hour of play, where the Afghan new-ball bowlers used the variable bounce and seam movement to keep them quiet. But the paltry nature of the target meant the batters could bide their time without doing anything foolish. Hendricks remained unbeaten on 29 off 25 and Markram on 23 off 21 as they got past the finish line with more than 11 overs to spare.
Earlier, Afghanistan’s collapse after choosing to bat was slightly surprising but not shocking. The surprise lay not in how it collapsed, but where it collapsed. That it happened in Tarouba, a venue not known for housing a batting minefield, should raise eyebrows. Was this an Afghan collapse or a tribute to South Africa’s top-drawer bowling? Both teams wanted to bat, but bowling first might not have been a bad option, as the South African quicks, Marco Jansen (3 for 16), Kagiso Rabada (2 for 14) and Anrich Nortje (2 for 7), soon demonstrated.
AS IT HAPPENED - Afghanistan vs South Africa Highlights
It all began with a soft dismissal. Rahmanullah Gurbaz was the first to go, nicking a full ball from Jansen to Hendricks at slip. After a few errant deliveries down the leg side, Jansen got one to tail away from middle and off and was immediately rewarded. It wasn’t an unplayable ball by any stretch, but Gurbaz’s mistake proved costly as it exposed the middle order. Gurbaz’s dismissal could be blamed on bad judgment, but not the ones that followed.
South Africa’s Marco Jansen celebrates after the dismissal of Afghanistan’s Rahmanullah Gurbaz. | Photo Credit: CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP
In a blink-and-you-will-miss span of play, Afghanistan was cut open by the South African seamers. The bowling was certainly disciplined and even intelligent as the tall South African quicks exploited the up-and-down bounce with back-of-length deliveries. But, it did not justify a scorecard that read 50 for eight at the halfway stage, with six wickets coming in the first seven overs. Tabraiz Shamsi joined in on the fun as he bagged three wickets to restrict Afghanistan to its lowest T20I total.
As heart-wrenching as this defeat was, Afghanistan will take pride in its inspiring run this edition, while South Africa will get down to preparing for its date with destiny.
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