Sports Desk: For the first time in the history of cricket, Afghanistan and South Africa are going to play an unequal match in the T20 World Cup. The two teams are going to meet for the first time with the goal of reaching the final of an ICC tournament. The aim of Afghans is to make history. South Africa aims to shake off the ‘chokers’ slander and step onto the title stage.
Tomorrow (June 27), South Africa and Afghanistan will meet in the first semi-final of the tournament at 6:30 a.m. Bangladesh time at the Brian Lara Stadium in Trinidad.
This is the first time that Afghanistan has reached the semi-finals of a major ICC event. Meanwhile, the Proteas did not get a chance to reach the final stage despite playing in the semi-finals seven times in the ODI and T20 World Cups. This time, Aiden Markram’s team will enter the field for the eighth time.
South Africa is running at great speed in this tournament. They won all four matches in the group stage and made it to the Super Eight. After that, he entered the semi-finals of the Super Eight as well. The Proteas want to maintain this streak of 100% victory in the semi-finals.
Dreaming of making it to the finals for the first time, Beaver Protea captain Markram said, ‘It’s lucky and satisfying to reach the semi-finals. I want to win strongly in the semis. I made a lot of mistakes in the previous seven matches. We hope to make it to the finals with our best.’
The Proteas have a bad reputation as ‘chokers’ because they repeatedly collapsed under pressure at the World Cup. Markram wants to dispel that bad name: ‘We are not thinking about the statistics of the past. All the plans are now around a new match. Afghanistan is a very good team. We are also ready to face the Afghan challenge.
Meanwhile, Afghanistan played great cricket in the group stage. In the first three matches, they beat New Zealand, Uganda, and Papua New Guinea to secure the Super Eight. They show a bigger surprise in the Super Eight. Although they lost to India, they lost to Australia and Bangladesh to qualify for the semis. Afghanistan wants to play its best in the fight to reach the final.
Desperate to get tickets to the finals, captain Rashid Khan said, ‘The best opportunity to play in the finals has come before us. Thinking of nothing but the final. The entire team is energized and confident. They are desperate to play the best cricket in the semi-finals. South Africa is a strong team, but if we play our best, it is not impossible to win.’
The two teams have met twice in T20s so far. Both times on the World Cup stage. Proteas won both matches. South Africa won by 59 runs in 2010 and by 37 runs in 2016.
