T20 WC 2024: Match Analysis: How did Afghanistan's nightmare unfold in just 60 minutes? - Cricket Winner
In the semifinal, Afghanistan were completely undone by a potent mix of extravagant seam movement, inconsistent bounce, and exceptional seam bowling from South Africa’s world-class pace attack
| June 27, 2024 at 5:47 PM
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When Rashid Khan won the toss, he decisively chose to bat first, a choice that seemed obvious for Afghanistan. Heading into this semi-final, Afghanistan had batted first in four matches of this T20 World Cup, winning each time. This strategy played to their strengths, allowing their formidable spinners to apply pressure on the opposition in the second innings. Batting first provided a psychological edge, as their spinners thrived under the conditions set by a challenging first-innings total.
However, in Trinidad, on the biggest stage in their cricketing history, Afghanistan’s plans unraveled spectacularly. Facing a world-class South African pace attack, the Afghan batters were dismantled by a lethal combination of extravagant seam movement and inconsistent bounce. The South African seamers were relentless, exploiting every nuance of the pitch to devastating effect.
Seventy percent of Afghanistan’s wickets fell to deliveries hitting the stumps, highlighting the precision and dominance of the Proteas’ bowling. In a match that held so much promise, Afghanistan found themselves outclassed, their dream of a historic final appearance shattered by an exceptional display of fast bowling.
In-depth Analysis of Afghanistan’s Wickets Contact Points
Heading into the semi-finals, Afghanistan had heavily relied on their openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran, who had accounted for an astonishing 58% of the team’s runs during the group stages and Super 8s. The team’s dependence on this duo was glaringly evident, as the middle-order had struggled for form throughout the tournament. Afghanistan’s chances against South Africa hinged once again on their openers delivering a special performance to set a solid foundation and take the fight to their formidable opponents.
However, the match took a disastrous turn for Afghanistan as both Gurbaz and Zadran perished for single-digit scores, leaving the team reeling. Gurbaz, needing just one run to break the all-time record for most runs scored by a wicketkeeper in a single T20 World Cup edition, fell for a duck. On just his third ball, he sliced a half-volley from Marco Jansen straight to Reeza Hendricks at a flying slip position. Zadran followed soon after, managing only two runs, as Afghanistan’s dreams of a historic final appearance began to crumble under the relentless pressure from the South African pace attack.
Rabada, tonight, was bowling in Trinidad, but it might very well have been SuperSport Park in Centurion considering the way the pitch was behaving. Rabada was never going to get it wrong on a surface like this. On his very first ball, the right-armer castled Zadran with an absolute peach, a carbon copy of about half his dismissals in Tests back home.
The ball pitched outside off on a full-ish good length, seamed back in viciously, went through the batter’s gate, and kissed the bails. As unplayable as it can get, Rabada’s delivery set the tone for what was to come, demonstrating his mastery over seam movement and reaffirming why he is considered one of the best in the business.
At 20/4 in just 4.0 overs, Afghanistan found themselves in dire straits. The situation quickly deteriorated further. Marco Jansen struck again, this time bouncing out Nangeyalia Kharote, who attempted a hook but only managed to glove the ball to Quinton de Kock behind the stumps. This dismissal reduced Afghanistan to 23/5, as their innings began to unravel under relentless pressure.
Two overs later, the situation turned hopeless when Azmatullah Omarzai, the last recognized batter, fell attempting to take on Anrich Nortje. Omarzai’s ambitious shot resulted in a catch at sweeper cover, extinguishing Afghanistan’s faint hopes of a recovery. With the score at 28/6, South Africa’s task became clear: prevent the tail from wagging and avoid any slip-ups that might allow Afghanistan to build partnerships and get back into the contest.
The Proteas executed their plan to perfection, thanks to Tabraiz Shamsi. Introduced into the attack in the 10th over, Shamsi quickly wrapped up the tail, taking three wickets in just 11 balls. His clinical performance bowled Afghanistan out for a mere 56 runs, the lowest total ever recorded in a knockout game in World Cup history, across all formats.
See Also: T20 WC 2024: Player Analysis: How did Rohit Sharma decimate Australia’s bowling attack?
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afghanistanAnalysisCricket analysisICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024Match AnalysisSemifinalSouth Africa