South Africa thrash Afghanistan to reach T20 World Cup final

Afghanistan's hopes of reaching the T20 World Cup final were shattered by South Africa in a dominant fashion on Wednesday.

The minnows were crushed by nine wickets with over 11 overs to spare, as South Africa reached the final of the cricket showpiece for the first time.

Left-arm wrist-spinner Tabraiz Shamsi (3 for 6) and tall pacer Marco Jansen (3-16) led the charge in dismantling Afghanistan's fragile batting lineup, restricting them to a mere 56 runs off 11.5 overs after they chose to bat.

Fast bowlers Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje added to the pressure by taking two wickets each at the Brian Lara Stadium in Trinidad.

Despite losing Quinton de Kock early in their chase, South Africa comfortably reached the target of 60 runs for the loss of just one wicket in 8.5 overs. Reeza Hendricks (29 not out) and captain Aiden Markram (23 not out) guided them to victory, securing their place in Saturday's final in Barbados.

South Africa's bowling performance, which effectively sealed the match, was praised by Man of the Match Jansen. He acknowledged the assistance provided by the pitch and emphasized the importance of sticking to their plans and keeping it simple.

Afghanistan struggled throughout their innings, with only Azmatullah Omarzai (10) managing to reach double figures. The highest contribution to their meager total of 56 runs came from 13 extras. This disappointing performance followed their thrilling victory over Bangladesh in the previous match, which propelled them to the semi-finals.

Throughout their impressive journey to the semi-finals, Afghanistan heavily relied on openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran to provide a solid foundation and mask the weaknesses of the rest of their batting lineup.

When Jansen dismissed Gurbaz at slip with Hendricks without scoring in the first over of the match, the worst fears of the Afghans and a growing mass of supporters in the Caribbean were realized as the Proteas ruthlessly exploited their opponents' technical weaknesses.

"It was a challenging night for us as a team, but that's how it goes in T20s," stated Afghan captain Rashid Khan.

"One must be mentally prepared for any situation. They bowled exceptionally well and we simply couldn't bat effectively."

For Markram, who guided South Africa to the Under-19 men's title in 2014 in Dubai, it was all about capitalizing on good fortune.

"I was lucky to have lost the toss, I suppose, as we would have also chosen to bat. However, the bowlers still needed to hit the right areas, and they did just that," he elaborated.

"It's not solely the captain who brings you to this stage of a competition. It's a huge team effort involving those working behind the scenes and off the field."

This will mark South Africa's first senior men's final since the inaugural Champions Trophy in Bangladesh in 1998, where the team led by Hansie Cronje defeated Brian Lara's West Indies team in the title clash.

Afghan skipper Rashid, on the other hand, mentioned that his team would reflect on their campaign with pride and optimism for the future.

"We arrived here before the tournament, and if you had told us we would be playing the semi-final against South Africa, we would have accepted that," Rashid expressed. "We have the ability to defeat any team.

"Next time we participate in a tournament like this, we will have the confidence. It's about how you handle yourself in those pressure situations against strong teams.

"There is a lot of work to be done, especially in the middle order...We have achieved some positive results, but when we return to the tournament, we need to perform better, particularly in the batting department."