Shahid Afridi advises South Africa on cheap tricks to knock India out of T20 World Cup semi-final race

South Africa has created a stir by defeating India by 76 runs. The massive defeat put India's chances for the semi-finals in the T20 World Cup 2026 in uncertainty. Not only by points, but India's chances to play the semi-finals are also wavering because of the low net run rate.

Former Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi has a solution to dismiss them from the title race. Afridi asks South Africa to lose deliberately against the West Indies in their next fixture of the Super 8. During a conversation, the former cricketer said that South Africa should allow the West Indies to win against them on February 26.

In Group 1, South Africa and the West Indies got massive wins in their respective matches. The Proteas outplayed India, while the Caribbeans thrashed Zimbabwe by a long margin. After these two matches, West Indies is currently on top of the points table of Group 1 with 2 points and +5.350, with the same points, South Africa is in the second spot with a net run rate of +3.800. India (net run rate -3.800) and Zimbabwe (net run rate -5.350) are in third and fourth places respectively.

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Why did Shahid ask South Africa to lose vs West Indies?

If India manages to win against Zimbabwe and the West Indies, then they will be back in the title race again. If the top three teams of the group secured 4 points each, then the net run rate will decide the two semifinalists. India can be in serious trouble if the net run rates are considered, as currently, they have a negative run rate. Keeping this equation in mind, Shahid Afridi advises South Africa to lose against the West Indies deliberately. Eliminating India, South Africa can easily win the trophy, feels Afridi. 

"If South Africa wants to win the World Cup, their best chance is to deliberately lose against the West Indies and knock India out of the tournament, because India is the only obstacle in their path. The moment India is eliminated, South Africa’s road to the World Cup becomes completely clear, and they can go on to win the World Cup easily", Shahid Afridi said.