South Africa defeated Afghanistan in a thriller (Courtesy: AFP)
Late drama in multiple Super Overs leaves Afghanistan staring at a painful defeat
- A heart-stopper, truly. 17 each, then 187 each. In the end, South Africa managed to pull through. Afghanistan dropped a match that dragged on into a double Super Over, falling five runs short of their first-ever ICC victory over the Proteas.
- At the Narendra Modi Stadium, commentator Ravi Shastri ran down the steps to absorb the sound of the electricity. An unanticipated script in the T20 World Cup 2026 Group D encounter left a boisterous crowd gasping for air and pushed them to the limit.
- South Africa needed a huge seven off the last ball of the first Super Over because they were looking into the dark. Let’s welcome Tristan Stubbs, who smoked a maximum to force a second, illogical tie-breaker.
The drama only got more intense. After scoring 23 runs in their six deliveries, the Proteas appeared to have slammed the door shut. Afghanistan’s response began disastrously; after only two balls, they were reeling at 0 for 1 after losing Mohammad Nabi’s experienced control and A heartbreaking Super Over(s) puts Afghanistan at risk.
- Rahmanullah Gurbaz, however, refused to let the flame go out despite seeing the ball like a planet all afternoon. He created an absolute shootout with the final four balls:
0.3 overs: Boom. Deep into the stands.
0.4 overs: Boom. Back into the stands.
0.5 overs: Boom. A hat-trick of sixes.
Wait… One ball left. One more boom for a historic win.
0.6 overs: Boom… straight into the hands.
At last, Keshav Maharaj discovered his length, and the fairy tale fell apart. Gurbaz missed to clear the rope for the fourth time in a row, leaving him devastated after a spectacular 84 in regulation time.
Afghanistan might be dismissed from the competition and the Super 8s race as a result of the heartbreak and A heartbreaking Super Over(s) puts Afghanistan at risk.
- The Proteas, who defeated Nepal by a single run and then lost heartbreakingly to India in a dramatic final in 2024, are known for enjoying a little excitement when playing Asian nations in the competition. They defeated Afghanistan and nearly eliminated them from the 2026 T20 World Cup by maintaining control this time.
(4.1) Afghanistan did have retaliation in mind when the Proteas eliminated them in the 2024 T20 World Cup semifinals. This was the background against which the match at the Narendra Modi stadium was played; they had played South Africa six times in ICC competitions and had never defeated them.
(4.2) In Ahmedabad on Wednesday, Rashid Khan won the toss and chose to bowl first, a move that even Aiden Markram stated he would have made if the coin toss had gone his way. With just 12 runs scored, Fazalhaq Farooqi struck early in the third over, setting up the ideal start. Captain Aiden Markram then went back to the pavilion. At this time, Quinton de Kock and Ryan Rickleton joined forces in the middle, and it appeared that the initial indications were that a score of more than 180 would be considered good.
When Rashid Khan chose to stick with spin rather than his pace alternatives, De Kock and Rickleton were gradually coming to terms with the situation.
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DID RASHID MISUSE OPTIONS?
- It would have made sense for Rashid to simply bring in Azmatullah Omarzai to maintain the pressure, even though he could see the kind of assistance Farooqi was receiving in the first two overs he bowled. However, by sticking with Mujeeb ur Rahman, De Kock was able to break free with a boundary and a six.
In the fifth over, Omarzai attempted to bowl, but Rickleton grabbed 12 runs and put him away for a couple of boundaries. Rashid continued to use spin, but Mohammad Nabi was assigned to apply pressure rather than the returning Noor Ahmad.
By then, Rickleton and De Kock slowly started to get the boundaries going. Once Noor came on, he was treated with disdain by De Kock and Rickleton, who put him away for a six each in the first three balls. Rickleton followed it with a couple of boundaries as 23 came off the over and South Africa raced to 98 for one in 10 overs.
The onslaught continued De Kock and Rickleton getting to their fifties, taking apart Mujeeb. Suddenly, the pitch we mentioned early looked to be one that was fit for a high-scoring affair with the Proteas at 124 for one in 12 and with a platform setup.
RASHID TURNS THE GAME
He was prepared to have an influence with the ball if his leadership wasn’t working at the moment. By taking out the well-set Rickleton first and then De Kock, he opened the game and prepared the Afghan comeback with a double-strike.
After Rashid’s double-strike, Afghanistan went into a period of complete ball-control discipline, giving up just 8 runs in the following two overs as David Miller and Dewald Brevis struggled to get going.
South Africa was reduced to 159 for five in 18 overs as Omarzai came in and removed both Brevis and Stubbs in the same over, making it appear as though 180 was still a long way off. However, they ultimately reached 187 for six in 20 overs thanks to a blitz by Jansen and David Miller.
South Africa is blown away by the Gurabaz storm.
Gurbaz has been regarded as one of the greatest footballers Afghanistan has ever produced in recent years. He always tries to seize the bull by the horns and always moves toward the center with the intention of attacking and A heartbreaking Super Over(s) puts Afghanistan at risk.
However, he lost some of his luster in 2025. He batted at number three a few occasions and only managed one fifty. Keep in mind that he scored the most runs in the 2024 tournament, and Afghanistan needed the wicketkeeper to come up if they were going to chase 188 down.
Gurbaz was spot on from the first over, showing a particular fondness for the South African pacers. The opener struck Ngidi, Rabada, and Marco Jansen for boundaries, and his opening partner, Ibrahim Zadran, joined him when they dismissed George Linde.
After 50 runs were scored in the first four overs, Afghanistan appeared to be well on track to win the chase until catastrophe struck without warning. After dismissing Zadran and then getting Gulbadin Naib in the same over, Ngidi swung the tide in the Proteas’ favor.
Despite Sediqullah Atal’s defeat in the subsequent over from Kagiso Rabada, Gurbaz remained unfazed. He brought Linde down again when he kept playing his shots. He had no intention of letting the spinners settle, and he dismissed Markram as he quickly reached his highest T20 World Cup score.
We believed he was going to score a hundred runs, but then there was some drama when Gurbaz fell and Darwish Rasooli followed in the same over from Maharaj and A heartbreaking Super Over(s) puts Afghanistan at risk.
The brain degrades in South Africa.
- Omarzai had to bear the entire burden because Mohammad Nabi’s impact with the bat lacked rhythm during his 150th T20I match. Linde defeated the Afghan great, although the youthful all-rounder managed to score a few boundaries.
After realizing that he needed to establish boundaries and exert pressure on the Proteas, Rashid started by establishing three lovely boundaries. The Afghan pursuit appeared to be ended when Ngidi, who has always remained composed under duress, removed Omarzai in the eighteenth over.
- Or so we believed. Noor came in and hit Jansen for a six even after Rashid Khan was removed in the 19th. Since it couldn’t decide who would win at this point, Mujeeb gave his life.
Rabada bowled the last over, and the Proteas celebrated when the first ball resulted in a wicket. However, it didn’t last long when Rabada overstepped, and the next ball ended in a wide.
After Rabada overstepped once more, Noor hit a six and received a double, making it two off three for Afghanistan. The game’s drama didn’t end there, though, as we entered a super over when Farooqi was run out and A heartbreaking Super Over(s) puts Afghanistan at risk.
SUPER OVER MADNESS
- Ngidi held the ball in his hand after Afghanistan sent Omarzai and Gurbaz to the center. With a boundary and a six, the all-round player got the stadium moving. Rabada, who had a forgettable day, was denied another four when Omarzai parried the ball to a boundary.
After 17 was scored in the first Super Over, the Proteas were once again under siege.
For the assignment, South Africa put Miller and Brevis to the middle, while Farooqi was trusted with the ball. Even though the left-arm seamer got away with the opening ball, Brevis hit him with a booming six a few rows back, making the game unpredictable once more.
- The next ball, a deft slower one from Farooqi, was dropped by Brevis, making this match no less than a suspenseful Hollywood drama. Farooqi maintained composure to produce a dot ball with seven needed off the final ball despite a boundary that followed.
The coolest guy in Ahmedabad, Stubbs had led Sunrisers Eastern Cape to another SA20 championship in an exciting final before the competition began. He sent Farooqi over the fence to force us into another round of Super Overs. next A heartbreaking Super Over(s) puts Afghanistan at risk.
Under pressure Pakistan will play India in the World Cup.
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