Online Reporter
SOUTH Africa and Afghanistan created history in the T20 Cricket World Cup when their group match at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad yesterday required two Super Overs before the Proteas finally prevailed in a game they should have won in normal time having scored 187-6.
But a calamitous final over from Kagiso Rabada containing two no balls and a wide with Afghanistan’s last pair at the crease requiring 13 to win led to the first Super Over in which both teams scored 17. There was even greater drama in the second Super Over after Tristan Stubbs hit Azmatullah Omarzai for six and David Miller plundered two more to take 23 from the over. Keshav Maharaj replaced Lungi Ngidi as the designated bowler in the second Super Over and started with a dot ball and a wicket leaving Afghanistan requiring four sixes from the remaining four deliveries to win the match and Rahmanullah Gurbaz smashed the first three of those balls over the leg-side boundary. Maharaj strayed too far outside off-stump with the next ball which was called wide leaving Gurbaz to hit a six for victory — or a four to tie the scores once again and force an unprecedented third Super Over.
But this time Maharaj perfected his wide yorker and Gurbaz could only squeeze a drive into Miller’s hands at backward point and South Africa, finally, had their second victory of the tournament.
Earlier Quinton de Kock and Ryan Rickelton added 114 for the second wicket to set up South Africa’s formidable total but they had to withstand a whirlwind 84 from just 42 balls from Gurbaz before, apparently, taking control of the game.
Gurbaz drove Kagiso Rabada over long on, upper cut Marco Jansen over third man and smashed George Linde’s first ball over extra cover for sixes inside the Power Play as the 50 was reached from just 4.2 overs.
The innings changed course dramatically when three wickets fell in just six balls but the extraordinary Gurbaz found a willing ally in Darwish Rasooli and the run-chase, having slumped from 51-0 to 52-3, was back on track with a stand of 69 before both men were dismissed with score on 121. Opener Ibrahim Zadran (12) was bowled by Ngidi’s famous slower ball and Gulbadin Naib (0) fell victim to the same delivery two balls later when he chipped a return catch to the bowler. When left hander Sediqullah Atal (0) leg-glanced Rabada to Jansen at short fine leg Afghanistan were reeling. Australia impressed in their opener as they made light work of beating Ireland by 67 runs in Colombo.
The Aussies batted first and managed to put up 182 runs for six during their allotted 20 overs. They then bowled out Ireland for 115 runs.
Nathan Ellis stepped up for a bowling attack missing Pat Cummins and Josh Hazelwood with his figures of four wickets for 12 runs helping to end a run of five consecutive losses in T20 internationals. Spinner Adam Zampa also took four wickets against opposition who lost captain Paul Stirling to injury after facing just one delivery. After losing their opener against co-hosts Sri Lanka on Sunday, Ireland are now on the brink of elimination.
The side who did not win a game at the 2024 tournament will need to beat Oman on Saturday and Zimbabwe on Tuesday, as well as requiring results elsewhere to go their way, if they are to make the Super 8s.
Australia, the 2021 champions, were the last of the 20 teams to get their tournament under way and arrived in Sri Lanka with questions over the form and fitness of their squad after a bruising 3-0 series defeat by Pakistan. — BBC Sport/supersport.com
