South Africa pulled off a thrilling win over Afghanistan in a high-scoring encounter at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. However, the Rashid Khan-led side didn’t go away without a fight. Chasing 188, the Rashid Khan-led side looked in control for much of the innings, especially with Rahmanullah Gurbaz blazing 84 off 42 balls. However, his dismissal triggered a wobble and the chase tightened dramatically.
Just when the game appeared to be slipping away, Rashid Khan and Noor Ahmad produced crucial late cameos to drag Afghanistan back into contention and force the contest into a Super Over. The innings concluded with two balls remaining, underlining how close the chase had been.
In the one-over eliminator, Afghanistan opted for Azmatullah Omarzai and Gurbaz with the bat. Omarzai wasted no time, striking a boundary first ball and then launching a six to seize the initiative. Lungi Ngidi struggled to contain the pair as Afghanistan piled on 17 runs in the Super Over, putting South Africa under immediate pressure.
When it came to South Africa’s chase, David Miller and Dewald Brevis were sent out to bat. The latter hit a massive six to keep Proteas in the hunt but Fazalhaq Farooqi sent him to the pavilion on the very next ball. Tristan Stubbs started with a boundary as the equation came down to seven off two balls. He played a dot on the fifth ball and then hit a cracking six on the final ball as the game moved to the second Super Over of the day.
What happened in the second over?
David Miller and Tristan Stubbs opened for South Africa in the second Super Over, while Omarzai was handed the ball. He failed to replicate the performance that he pulled off with the bat as Miller went berserk in the middle. The flamboyant batter smacked 22 runs in the over as South Africa posted 23.
Right from the beginning, it seemed difficult for the Afghan batters to get going and that’s what eventually happened. Mohammad Nabi and Omarzai opened but the prior failed to open his tally. With 24 runs required in four balls, Gurbaz showed intent, hitting three consecutive sixes. With six needed off final ball, the keeper-batter failed to deliver as Keshav Maharaj had the last laugh.
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