South Africa broke their streak of semi-final disappointments by defeating Afghanistan to secure their first men’s T20 World Cup final appearance.
The Proteas, who had previously failed to advance from all seven of their World Cup semi-finals across various formats, dismissed Afghanistan for 56 in 11.5 overs on a challenging pitch, securing a nine-wicket victory in Trinidad.
Marco Jansen dismissed Rahmanullah Gurbaz, the tournament’s leading run-scorer during Afghanistan’s historic run to their first semi-final, and the score quickly plummeted to 28-6.
Spinner Tabraiz Shamsi cleaned up the tail with figures of 3-6, while Jansen finished with 3-16. However, questions arose regarding the condition of the pitch for such a significant event, as it offered excessive seam movement and bounce, occasionally dangerously so. South Africa also faced difficulties during their chase.
Quinton de Kock was bowled after being struck on the body, but with minimal pressure to score quickly, the Proteas completed their chase in 8.5 overs. South Africa, now progressing to Saturday’s final in Barbados unbeaten, are poised to win a World Cup for the first time.
They will face either England or India, who compete in the second semi-final on Thursday in Guyana at 15:30 BST.
