By Levy Masiteng
South Africa edged Afghanistan in a cricket T20 World Cup thriller in Ahmedabad on Wednesday, winning the second Super Over by four runs after the match — and the first Super Over — ended tied at 187 apiece.
In a contest set to rank among the tournament’s classics, the Proteas held their nerve in the first men’s T20 World Cup match decided by a double Super Over, after both teams finished level on 187 at the end of the regulation 20 overs.
Sent in to bat, South Africa posted 187/6, built around fluent half-centuries from Quinton de Kock and Ryan Rickelton. The pair anchored the innings before late acceleration lifted the total to a figure that looked just about defendable on a good batting surface.
Afghanistan refused to go quietly. Rahmanullah Gurbaz struck a superb 84 off 42 balls, powering a fluctuating chase that stayed alive deep into the final over.
Afghanistan forced the Super Over after a chaotic finish that included costly extras and a critical running error. The tension only grew when the first Super Over also ended in a tie, pushing the match into a second tiebreaker — a first in T20 World Cup history.
South Africa stayed in the contest when Tristan Stubbs hit a last-ball six to level the first Super Over. In the decisive second Super Over, Afghanistan’s task steepened dramatically, leaving them needing four sixes from four balls to win.
The result keeps South Africa’s strong start intact after their earlier Group D win over Canada. They next face New Zealand in Ahmedabad on Saturday.
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