SA vs AFG, T20 World Cup 2026: Proteas see off Afghanistan in double Super Over thriller

The South African cricket team survived a double Super Over to eventually beat Afghanistan in a topsy-turvy T20 World Cup 2026 Group D match at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Wednesday.

Sent in to bat first, the Proteas, fifth in the ICC T20I team rankings, rode on fifties by Quinton de Kock and Ryan Rickelton to post 187/6 on the board after 20 overs.

A sensational 42-ball 84 by Rahmanullah Gurbaz saw world No. 10 Afghanistan match South Africa’s score after a rollercoaster innings, which saw both teams seize control in phases.

The match then took two thrilling Super Overs to conclude with South Africa narrowly edging the contest in the final ball of the second tiebreaker.

The Proteas suffered an early blow to their innings as they lost captain Aiden Markram, whose scored a fifty against Canada in their first match, to Fazalhaq Farooqi in the third over.

South Africa could only manage 43/1 in the powerplay as runs proved difficult to come by. However, the experienced Quinton de Kock and Ryan Rickelton batted with maturity to see off the difficult phase of play.

Once both had their eyes in, runs flowed more freely as both players scored fifties and put up a 114-run stand for the second wicket. During the course of the partnership, Quinton de Kock also surpassed AB de Villiers to become South Africa’s highest scorer in T20 World Cup history.

At 124/1 after 12 overs, the Proteas seemed in the driver’s seat and destined for another massive total.

Afghan captain Rashid Khan, however, had other plans as he dismissed both De Kock (59 off 41) and Rickelton (61 off 28) in the 13th over to drag his team back into the contest.

Another double-wicket over in the 18th saw Azmatullah Omarzai send back Dewald Brevis (23 off 19) and Tristan Stubbs (1 off 2) to claw back the momentum a bit more in Afghanistan’s favour.

Marco Jansen’s late seven-ball 16 cameo before falling in the final ball of the innings saw South Africa reach a respectable yet not imposing 187/6.

Afghanistan made a good start with Rahmanullah Gurbaz going on the attack early.

However, Lungi Ngidi, who impressed with bowling figures of 4/31 in the first match, picked up where he had left off against Canada, dismissing Ibrahim Zadran for 12 and Gulbadin Naib for a duck in the fifth over.

Kagiso Rabada sent back Sediqullah Atal for 0 in the very next over to reduce the Afghans to 56/3 at the powerplay’s conclusion.

Gurbaz, however, continued to play his shots and completed his 13th T20I fifty in 26 deliveries. With Darwish Rasooli supporting him from the other end, the Afghan opener put up a 69-run stand for the fourth wicket to keep his team in the game.

Keshav Maharaj provided the Proteas with the decisive breakthrough in the 13th over as he removed Gurbaz following a brilliant 42-ball 84. George Linde deserved equal credit for a stunning catch.

Some quick thinking from de Kock also saw Rasooli run out a couple of balls later, leaving Afghanistan at 121/5

Despite the double blow, the Afghans kept fighting with Azmatullah Omarzai (22 off 17), contributing decisive runs. Rashid Khan’s late surge (20 off 12) kept Afghanistan hoping till late, but the skipper's departure in the penultimate over swung the game in South Africa’s favour again.

With 11 needed in the last over and one wicket in hand, Noor Ahmed hit Rabada for a six in the second ball set up a thrilling end.

A couple off Rabada’s no ball in the next ball left Afghanistan with just two to get of two balls, but Fazalhaq Farooqi was run out while going for a winning run in the free-hit delivery, triggering the first Super Over of the 2026 T20 World Cup.

With Afghanistan batting first in the Super Over, Omarzai hit Ngidi for two fours and a six off the first two balls to hand South Africa a score of 17 to chase.

Tristan Stubbs hit a six off Farooqi’s final ball in the Super Over to tie the scores again and extended the drama. It also brought about the first-ever double Super Over in a T20 World Cup.

With the Proteas batting first this time and Omarzai bowling, Tristan Stubbs (7 not out) and David Miller (16 not out) took South Africa to 23/0.

Keshav Maharaj, bowling for South Africa, dismissed Mohammad Nabi off the second delivery but Gurbaz hit three consecutive sixes to breathe life into the contest yet again.

With five needed of the final ball, Gurbaz went for a six but was caught at point, bringing an end to the incredible contest.

Prior to this only two T20I matches have been settled by multiple Super Overs. India and Afghanistan played out the first-ever double Super Over back in 2024, while Netherlands and Nepal needed three to find a winner last year.

The result also saw South Africa maintain their unbeaten head-to-head record against Afghanistan in T20I cricket.

South Africa will face New Zealand at the same venue in their third match of the ongoing T20 World Cup on Saturday. The outcome of the match could very well determine the Group D winners.

SA vs AFG, T20 World Cup 2026, brief scores: South Africa 187/6 in 20 overs (Ryan Rickelton 61, Quinton de Kock 59; Azmatullah Omarzai 3/41, Rashid Khan 2/28) tied with Afghanistan 187/10 in 19.4 overs (Rahmanullah Gurbaz 84; Lungi Ngidi 3/26).

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