Argus News - South Africa Survive Afghanistan Scare in Double Super Over Thriller at T20 World Cup

Ahmedabad, Feb 11: In an exciting Group D contest of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 at the Narendra Modi Stadium here, South Africa and Afghanistan forced the match into a double super over after two explosive innings before the Proteas finally clinched a win.

It was a so-near-yet-so-far climax for the Afghans as they conceded the match thrice. They were bundled out with two balls to spare while chasing 188, and the last wicket was a run out, falling short of the winning run by a millimetre.

In the first super over, defending 17, they only had to restrict Tristan Stubbs from hitting a maximum, but Fazalhaq Farooqi failed to do so.

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In the second super over, Azmatullah Omarzai was wayward with the ball conceding 23 runs, including three sixes. That left Afghanistan chasing a daunting 24 against Keshav Maharaj. The task grew tougher when veteran Mohammad Nabi wasted two deliveries — first missing a big swing, then falling on the very next ball. The required equation then was simple — four 6s off four deliveries.

Rahmanullah Gurbaz had almost pulled it off, hammering three sixes in a row to keep Afghanistan’s hopes alive. Maharaj added to the tension with a wide, but the drama ended when Gurbaz fell on the final legal delivery — dismissed in almost the same fashion as Nabi earlier.

Earlier, Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan won the toss and opted to field as the team eyed their first win of the tournament. Early morning conditions offered some assistance to the bowlers, and Afghanistan made the most of it, keeping the South African batters in check during the first three overs. Fazalhaq Farooqi struck first, trapping South Africa captain Aiden Markram with a clever slower delivery to mid-off.

However, the game soon shifted in South Africa’s favour, thanks to a dominant partnership between Quinton de Kock and Ryan Rickleton. The left-handed pair tore apart the Afghan bowling attack, compiling 116 runs off just 61 balls.

De Kock finished his innings with 59 off 41 deliveries, while Rickleton too was sensational, hammering 61 from only 28 balls, including four sixes and five boundaries.

Rashid temporarily stemmed the flow of runs by removing both De Kock and Rickleton within three balls, but cameos from Dewald Brevis (23) and David Miller (20 not out) helped South Africa post a competitive 187/6.

Chasing, Afghanistan got off to a dream start with Rahmanullah Gurbaz in full swing. The opener smashed two fours and three sixes as the team raced to 50 in just four overs. South Africa fought back with three quick wickets as Lungi Ngidi castled Ibrahim Zadran and accounted for Gulbadin Naib, while Kagiso Rabada removed Sediqullah Atal, reducing Afghanistan from 51/0 to 52/3.

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Gurbaz continued his onslaught, bringing up a 26-ball fifty with powerful hitting that included seven sixes and four fours. By the 10-over mark, Afghanistan were 93/3, keeping the pressure firmly on the Proteas. George Linde eventually ended Gurbaz’s blistering knock, but Azmatullah Omarzai (22) and Rashid Khan (20) kept the momentum alive.

The contest came down to the final over, with Afghanistan needing 13 runs to win. Kagiso Rabada’s over began poorly with a no-ball and a wide, allowing Afghanistan to scrape to 187 before a crucial run-out forced a dramatic super over.

Brief Scores: South Africa 187/6 in 20 ov (Ryan Rickleton 61, Quinton de Kock 59; Azmatullah Omarzai 3-41, Rashid Khan 2-28) beat Afghanistan 187/10 in 19.4 ov (Rahmanullah Gurbaz 84, Azmatullah Omarzai 22; Lungi Ngidi 3-26, Keshav Maharaj 1-27) in super overs.

• 1st Super Over: Afghanistan 17/0 (Azmatullah Omarzai 16*, Rahmanullah Gurbaz 1*; Lungi Ngidi 0-17) tied with South Africa 17/1 (Tristan Stubbs 10*, Dewald Brevis 6; Fazalhaq Farooqi 1-17).
• 2nd Super Over: South Africa 23/0 (David Miller 16*, Tristan Stubbs 7*) beat Afghanistan 19/2 (Rahmanullah Gurbaz 18, Keshav Maharaj 2-19).

(IANS)