South Africa, who have gone undefeated in the competition thus far, will square up against Afghanistan in the T20 World Cup semi-final. The teams will square off on Thursday, June 27 at 6:00 AM IST at Tarouba, Trinidad’s Brian Lara Stadium.
Afghans will try to catch another “big fish” in the Proteas, having already defeated teams like New Zealand and Australia in this event. Despite a shaky start to their T20 World Cup campaign, the Aiden Markram-led team has been outstanding thus far.
In the final on June 29, Saturday, the winner of this competition will play either India or England.
Let’s take a look at the three key things that will vital in the context of the game –
Kagiso Rabada vs. Rahmanullah Gurbaz
Rahmanullah Gurbaz of Afghanistan, who batted first in the Twenty20 World Cup, is the leading scorer with 281 runs at a strike rate of 126.01. Gurbaz’s batting higher up the order has been essential to the Afghans’ explosive start to the series; should the wicketkeeper-batter choose to follow suit in the semi-final, the Proteas may find themselves in a vulnerable position. Kagiso Rabada, a pace bowler, would try to get rid of Gurbaz as soon as possible because his 10 wickets in 7 games are no accident. This Thursday, June 27, at Brian Lara Stadium, these two will clash.
Quinton de Kock vs Rashid Khan
Afghanistan is enjoying an incredible T20 World Cup because its bowlers and hitters are saturating the stat sheet. With 14 wickets taken thus far in this tournament, captain Rashid Khan’s astute bowling has left opposing hitters scratching their heads. Khan will try to outwit SA’s Quinton de Kock, who has unexpectedly found his form. Khan has even contributed with the bat. QdK, who has amassed 199 runs thus far, will not fail while facing one of the top spinners in T20 cricket.
Heinrich Klaasen vs. Fazalhaq Farooqi
With 16 wickets in seven matches, Afghanistan’s Fazalhaq Farooqi sits top of the T20 World Cup 2024 wicket-taking standings. Farooqi has been bowling ‘on the money’ for AFG, and he is eager to take on Heinrich Klaasen, the most formidable T20I batsman in SA. Although Klaasen may be unstoppable on his day, the Protea hitting has not been at its best lately.
Squads:
South Africa Squad: Quinton de Kock (wk), Aiden Markram (c), Reeza Hendricks, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Tabraiz Shamsi, Ottneil Baartman, Gerald Coetzee, Bjorn Fortuin, Ryan Rickelton
Afghanistan Squad: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Rashid Khan (c), Ibrahim Zadran, Azmatullah Omarzai, Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Nabi, Karim Janat, Nangeyalia Kharote, Noor Ahmad, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Najibullah Zadran, Fareed Ahmad Malik, Hazratullah Zazai, Mohammad Ishaq
