The first
semifinal of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 saw South Africa take on
Afghanistan at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in San Fernando, Trinidad and
Tobago. Afghanistan won the toss and elected to bat, setting the stage for an
intense showdown.

Afghanistan’s Historic Struggle: Lowest T20 Score in Semifinal
History

Afghanistan’s
innings quickly went off the rails, making history for all the wrong reasons.
They were bowled out for just 56 runs, the lowest total in a men’s T20 World
Cup semifinal. This is also Afghanistan’s lowest T20 score and the lowest total
against South Africa.

Afghanistan 56 All Out: South Africa’s Bowling Masterclass

South Africa
wrapped up the Afghanistan innings inside 12 overs. The pitch proved more
troublesome than the Asian side expected, and South Africa’s bowlers utilized
it to the fullest. A significant portion of Afghanistan’s runs came from
extras, making the situation even more bleak.

WICKET! Naveen LBW – Afghanistan 56 All Out

Naveen was
trapped LBW by Shamsi, signaling the end of Afghanistan’s innings. Shamsi’s
delivery pitched up on middle stump, and Naveen’s attempted play around it
resulted in the umpire’s decision to raise the finger.

Shamsi Continues His Spell

Shamsi
continued to bowl effectively, maintaining pressure on Afghanistan’s batters.
Despite their best efforts, the Afghan batters struggled to cope with his
deliveries.

Afghanistan’s Collapse: Wickets Tumble Rapidly

WICKET! Rashid Bowled – Afghanistan 50-9

Nortje’s
fiery delivery on off stump was too much for Rashid, who was late on the shot,
resulting in his dismissal. This was a critical blow to Afghanistan’s hopes.

Review Unsuccessful for Janat

Shamsi
struck again, trapping Janat LBW. Janat’s review was unsuccessful, with replays
showing the ball clipping the leg stump. This decision left Afghanistan in deep
trouble.

WICKET! Noor LBW – Afghanistan 50-8

Shamsi’s
consistent line and length paid off once more as he trapped Noor in front.
Despite a review, Noor had to walk back, further diminishing Afghanistan’s
chances.

WICKET! Janat LBW – Afghanistan 50-7

Another LBW
decision went South Africa’s way as Shamsi trapped Janat. The review upheld the
on-field umpire’s call, putting Afghanistan in dire straits.

Boundary for Janat off Shamsi

Despite the
tough situation, Janat managed to whip a boundary off Shamsi’s delivery,
momentarily lifting Afghanistan’s spirits.

Goodbye for Now: Afghanistan’s Campaign Ends

Afghanistan,
who looked formidable throughout the tournament, finally succumbed at the
penultimate stage. Electing to bat first, they were quickly put under pressure
by South Africa’s bowlers. Their total of 56 was never going to challenge the
Proteas. Despite the wicket offering some surprises, South Africa’s top order
cruised to the target within nine overs, securing their place in their first
ICC tournament final.

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Join Us for the Second Semifinal

Join us on
June 27 for the coverage of the second semifinal in Guyana, where India will
play England to decide the other finalist. On behalf of Kevin Hand and Al
Jazeera Sport, this is Rohan Sharma signing off.

South Africa Captain Markram: “Just One More Step”

Victorious
South African captain Markram shared his thoughts post-match: “It feels good.
It is not really the captain that gets you here – it is a massive squad effort.
Really chuffed for us to have one more crack to lift a trophy. It was special.
We were fortunate to lose the toss. 

We also wanted to bat. The bowlers put the
ball in the right areas and made life tough for the Afghanistan batters. It was
quite tough, but we knew it was a matter of a partnership to take the sting out
upfront. Just one more step [the final]. It is an exciting challenge that we
have never had. There is a lot of belief. We have played really good cricket
for a couple of years as a white-ball group.”

Afghanistan Captain: “It is Just the Beginning for Us”

The losing
Afghanistan captain shared his thoughts at the post-match presentation: “It was
a tough match for us. We might have done a little better than that, but the
conditions didn’t allow us to do what we want. You have to be mentally ready
for any conditions, but the way they bowled was exceptional. We just couldn’t
bat well. 

The way they stood up for us [the fast bowlers] throughout the
tournament is why we had success. The way Naveen and Fazal bowled, that made
our job as a spinning unit easier in the middle. Overall, we are quite happy
with the way we managed ourselves in pressure situations. 

That was very
pleasing. Beating big teams is very special for us. It is just the beginning
for us. We now have the belief that we can beat any side on the day. We learned
a lot of things, and the next time the belief will be there, and much better
than this.”

Afghanistan’s Lap of Honour: Appreciation for Fans

As has been
their custom, the Afghanistan players showed their appreciation to the fans who
traveled far and wide to follow their journey in this tournament. It is clear
that this will not be the last time we see Afghanistan going deep in an ICC
tournament, as the side has unearthed several marquee players over these last
few weeks.

Player of the Match Jansen: “We Executed Perfectly

Jansen, who
set the tone with his 3 for 16, was awarded Player of the Match: “Awesome
feeling. The guys played really well, and we executed perfectly. It was about
sticking to our plans and then seeing how the wicket reacts. The wicket was
giving us something to work with, so we tried to keep it simple and bowl in the
right areas.”

South Africa’s Comprehensive Victory

South Africa Win by Nine Wickets

Hendricks
bludgeoned the next ball through long-off to end the match and seal a
comprehensive nine-wicket victory for South Africa. More importantly, the
Proteas finally broke their longtime semifinal jinx by advancing to their first
ICC tournament final. They now await the winner between India and England on
June 27 in Guyana.

South Africa 56-1

Hendricks
received a free hit courtesy of a no-ball from Omarzai. The bowler’s bouncer
was hooked high over deep fine leg for six by Hendricks.

Winning Toss Backfires for Afghanistan

It seemed a
great toss to win for Afghanistan, but the pitch conditions went against them.
South Africa anticipated this, while Rashid Khan’s side was in shock at what
they faced.

South Africa on the March

Markram
lofted high over mid-off to find the boundary early in Omarzai’s over.

South Africa 43-1

Markram
dominated a shortish length from Gulbadin, pulling it over mid-wicket with
authority for a boundary. Just 14 runs were required for victory.

Gulbadin into the Attack

Gulbadin,
who provided significant breakthroughs in the tournament, managed to restrict
the batters to four runs off his first four balls.

South Africa 35-1

The final
ball of the over from Gulbadin spit up at Hendricks, but he safely negotiated
it on the off side. South Africa continued to cruise.

Omarzai’s Over

Omarzai was
brought on and conceded just one single off the first three balls. Afghanistan
relied on the pitch’s magic but needed a more stump-to-stump line to exploit
the variable bounce.

South Africa 34-1

Hendricks
began to capture form, bludgeoning a boundary through deep extra cover. Just 23
more runs were needed for South Africa to reach their first ICC tournament
final.

Rashid into the Attack

Afghanistan
captain Rashid Khan decided to intervene by bringing himself on to bowl.
Hendricks managed to work him away through midwicket, picking up three runs
from the first two balls.

Pitch Analysis: Not Suitable for a T20 Semifinal

Former New Zealand International Ian Smith on the Pitch

Ian Smith
described the pitch as looking like a mosaic on ICC commentary. The variation
in bounce raised questions about its suitability for such an occasion.

South Africa 26-1

Markram hit
back-to-back boundaries through the covers and picked up three more with a push
to deep extra cover.

Former Australian Captain Ricky Ponting on the Pitch

Ricky
Ponting questioned the decision to use a brand-new wicket for the semifinal,
citing the variation in bounce and limited preparation time as concerns.

Naveen into His Third Over

Variable
bounce continued to challenge the South African batters. An inside edge from
Markram surprised him for height, but the ball went past the keeper to the fine
leg boundary.

Commentary Consensus: Inappropriate Pitch

Both Ponting
and Smith agreed that the pitch was unsuitable for a T20 semifinal, likely
prompting an inquest.

Hendricks’ Pressure-Relieving Shot

Hendricks
relieved some pressure with a scythe through the offside, finding the square
boundary.

Farooqi’s Consistency

Farooqi
bowled a wide delivery but maintained tight lines otherwise, preventing quick
runs.

Ricky Ponting on the Pitch

Ponting
reiterated his view on the pitch’s challenges, highlighting the swing, uneven
bounce, and sideways movement.