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02/11 05:06 CST South Africa beats Afghanistan after a dramatic double
tiebreaker at cricket's T20 World Cup
South Africa beats Afghanistan after a dramatic double tiebreaker at cricket's
T20 World Cup
AHMEDABAD, India (AP) --- South Africa held off Afghanistan in a dramatic
double tiebreaker Wednesday at the Twenty20 World Cup, with spinner Keshav
Maharaj just holding his nerve in the second Super Over.
It was one of the tightest, most seesawing matches in elite cricket's shortest
international format.
Fazalhaq Farooqi's runout ended Afghanistan's chance to win it in regulation
with two balls to spare, with his team finishing all out for 187 after 19.4
overs chasing South Africa's 187 for six.
That meant it had to go to a tiebreaker --- the so-called Super Over. Twice.
Afghanistan posted 17 in the first Super Over and Farooqi was in position to
win it again, this time with his bowling. He restricted South Africa to 11 runs
with one ball remaining until Tristan Stubbs plundered a six to level the
scores again.
South Africa batted first in the second tiebreaker, posting 23 with David
Miller and Stubbs combining for three sixes off Azmatullah Omarzai.
Maharaj seemingly gave the 2024 T20 World Cup finalists control with a wicket
and two dot balls to start the second Super Over, leaving Afghanistan needing
24 runs from four balls. That would usually require clearing the boundary rope
four times.
Enter Rahmanullah Gurbaz. With nothing to lose, the big-hitting opener --- who
earlier blazed 84 from 42 deliveries as Afghanistan chased down South Africa's
target --- plundered three consecutive sixes to get the equation down to six
runs off one delivery.
A wide from Maharaj lowered the target to 5 from one delivery, and raised the
prospect of yet another tiebreaker. But the South African finished it off when
he had Gurbaz caught out. It was game over.
Lungi Ngidi, who took 3-26 during the match and then bowled the first of the
Super Overs for South Africa, was voted player of the match.
"I've lost so much weight today. I've never been that stressed in my life in a
cricket game," he said. "Being able to win two Super Overs with our hitters
hitting like that ... very happy."
South Africa is 2-0 after winning its opening game over Canada. Afghanistan is
now 0-2 after an opening loss to New Zealand and unlikely to progress to the
Super Eights from a group containing three highly-ranked teams. Only the top
two teams in each of the four groups will advance.
South Africa's innings Quinton de Kock (59) and Ryan Rickelton (61) combined in a 114-run second-wicket partnership to set South Africa on course for 187-6 after being sent in by Afghanistan. The South Africans were 98-1 at the halfway point of the innings, with 23 runs coming off the 10th over from Noor Ahmad. But Rashid Khan's double-wicket strike in the 13th over, removing both established batters, stemmed the flow of runs. The South Africans added 60 in the last seven overs, and Azmatullah Omarzai returned 3-41 for Afghanistan.
Afghanistan's chase
Afghanistan lost wickets in clumps, racing to 51 in 4.1 overs before losing three wickets within seven deliveries. Ngidi took a pair of wickets within three deliveries with clever slower balls and Kagiso Rabada chimed in with a wicket in the sixth over as Afghanistan slipped to 52-3. Gurbaz then combined in a 69-run fourth-wicket stand with Darwish Rasooli (15) until both batters were dismissed in the 13th over with the total at 121. Gurbaz was brilliantly caught by George Linde, diving at short third man off Maharaj's bowling. Rasooli was run out two balls later. Azmatullah (22), Rashid (20) and Noor Ahmad (15 not out) somehow combined in the lower order to get Afghanistan into a winning position, needing just two off three deliveries. In a tense final over of regulation, Rabada bowled two no-balls and a wide but was saved when No. 11 Farooqi was run out attempting a second run.
Other games
In the second game Wednesday, an injury-depleted Australia won the toss and elected to bat in its tournament opener against Ireland. Travis Head was standing in as captain after Mitch Marsh was ruled out of the game. Marsh was hit in the groin in practice earlier in the week and Cricket Australia issued a statement just before the game saying scans showed internal testicular bleeding. In the last game of the day, England is due to take on West Indies in Group C. ___ AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket
South Africa's innings Quinton de Kock (59) and Ryan Rickelton (61) combined in a 114-run second-wicket partnership to set South Africa on course for 187-6 after being sent in by Afghanistan. The South Africans were 98-1 at the halfway point of the innings, with 23 runs coming off the 10th over from Noor Ahmad. But Rashid Khan's double-wicket strike in the 13th over, removing both established batters, stemmed the flow of runs. The South Africans added 60 in the last seven overs, and Azmatullah Omarzai returned 3-41 for Afghanistan.
Afghanistan's chase
Afghanistan lost wickets in clumps, racing to 51 in 4.1 overs before losing three wickets within seven deliveries. Ngidi took a pair of wickets within three deliveries with clever slower balls and Kagiso Rabada chimed in with a wicket in the sixth over as Afghanistan slipped to 52-3. Gurbaz then combined in a 69-run fourth-wicket stand with Darwish Rasooli (15) until both batters were dismissed in the 13th over with the total at 121. Gurbaz was brilliantly caught by George Linde, diving at short third man off Maharaj's bowling. Rasooli was run out two balls later. Azmatullah (22), Rashid (20) and Noor Ahmad (15 not out) somehow combined in the lower order to get Afghanistan into a winning position, needing just two off three deliveries. In a tense final over of regulation, Rabada bowled two no-balls and a wide but was saved when No. 11 Farooqi was run out attempting a second run.
Other games
In the second game Wednesday, an injury-depleted Australia won the toss and elected to bat in its tournament opener against Ireland. Travis Head was standing in as captain after Mitch Marsh was ruled out of the game. Marsh was hit in the groin in practice earlier in the week and Cricket Australia issued a statement just before the game saying scans showed internal testicular bleeding. In the last game of the day, England is due to take on West Indies in Group C. ___ AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket
