South Africa skipper Aiden Markram expressed his satisfaction and pride after leading his team to their first final in a global cricket event since their readmission to the sport 32 years ago.
Markram credited personal and individual motivation for his team’s success following their commanding nine-wicket victory over Afghanistan in the first semi-final of the ICC Men’s Twenty20 World Cup on Wednesday.
“To be honest, I think it’s a personal and individual motivation that gets you into a final; to earn the opportunity to hopefully lift the trophy,” Markram stated after the match at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy.
Significant milestone for South Africa
This victory marked a significant milestone for South Africa, as it was their first win in eight white-ball World Cup semi-finals since their return to international cricket after a two-decade isolation due to Apartheid. The triumph comes seven months after the Proteas’ failed attempt to reach the final of the One-Day International World Cup in India, where they were defeated by Australia in the semi-finals.
Afghanistan, making their debut in the final four of a global cricket event, struggled on a pitch that played unpredictably. Unorthodox left-arm spinner Tabraiz Shamsi spearheaded the demolition with figures of three for six from 1.5 overs, while left-arm pacer Marco Jansen delivered a Player-of-the-Match performance with three for 16 from three overs. Afghanistan was bowled out for their lowest T20 International total of 56 in 11.5 overs after opting to bat under the lights.
Anrich Nortje contributed to the Afghan collapse with two for seven from three overs, and fellow pacer Kagiso Rabada added two for 14 from three overs.
Batting deficiencies
Reflecting on the game, Afghanistan head coach Jonathan Trott, a former England batsman, highlighted his team’s batting deficiencies. “I just think it’s bad as we haven’t fired really, the middle order hasn’t fired enough this World Cup. We’ve perhaps been a bit too reliant on [Rahmanullah] Gurbaz and Ibrahim [Zadran] to get runs. Nobody else has got runs – and we need to find a reason for that.”
Despite a moment of excitement for Afghanistan when pacer Fazalhaq Farooqi, the leading bowler of the tournament with 17 wickets, bowled South African opener Quinton De Kock for five in the second over, South Africa’s chase was smooth and drama-free. Reeza Hendricks, unbeaten on 29, and Markram, unbeaten on 23, ensured a comfortable victory with a calm, unbroken stand of 55 for the second wicket, taking South Africa to 60 for one.
Hendricks sealed the win in style with 67 balls remaining, hitting the first six of the match over square leg and following it up with a four to long-off. This win extended South Africa’s winning streak at the tournament to eight matches.
