In what was the best match ever in T20I history, Afghanistan went down by the tiniest of margins as they suffered a heart-breaking defeat to South Africa at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad as a double super over could separate both the teams. In a game where both teams committed errors, it was Afghanistan who lost theirs when it mattered as South Africa scraped through the win. This match could have gone either way and it was cinema indeed.
There were a few areas where Afghanistan lagged behind and eventually that came back to haunt them and we will list them out for you at least three of the main reasons.
Inability to break Quinton de Kock-Ryan Rickelton partnership early put Afghanistan on the back foot.Â
Afghanistan won the toss and decided to bowl first on a bright sunny day and on a good looking pitch. They did well initially that they removed captain and last match’s form batter Aiden Markram early in the piece for a low score. Afghanistan needed more wickets to put South Africa under pressure as the Proteas bat deep, but they were unable to take another wicket for the next 10 odd overs. Rickelton and de Kock made merry as they accelerated after powerplay as the powerplay score was 43/1 in 6 overs.
South Africa through Ryan Rickelton and Quinton de Kock turned it on in the middle phase and aced it as they took down the Afghanistan bowling Noor Ahmad who came to bowl for the first time in the 10th over was taken to the cleaners by the duo Rickelton in particular as he went for 23 runs that changed the full momentum of the game. South Africa suddenly were 98/1 in 10 overs and at this stage suddenly 200 looked on. Yes, Afghanistan pegged it back a bit towards the end, but 187 on a day game against Afghanistan was a formidable score.
Afghanistan’s campaign is all over for all practical purposes but for them to improve as a nation they need to be more ruthless and try and put the opposition under pressure. They got Markram early but they could not take wickets in clusters and this 114-run stand off 61 balls really put pressure on the Afghans as they did take wickets but the Proteas still had enough batting power to take the score to 187. If they take one, they should try to take another if not two more inside powerplay to put more pressure on these big teams.
Lack of support for Rahmanullah Gurbaz hurts Afghanistan.Â
Chasing 188 for the win, Rahmanullah Gurbaz was the show steeler as he blazed away under the Ahmedabad sun. He single-handedly gave the team a quick start as his opening partner Ibrahim Zadran was a mere spectator and someone who was just hanging in there. Afghanistan posted 50 in the first 4 overs with Ibrahim Zadran’s contribution a mere 12 runs as it was the Gurbaz show. All it needed was someone complimenting Gurbaz from the top order but that did not happen.
Firstly, his opening partner Ibrahim went for 12 in the 5th over as Ngidi had his first wicket. Thereafter, Gulbadin Naib fell for a silver duck to Lungi Ngidi. If that was not enough, Sediqullah Atal fell for a bronze duck to Kagiso Rabada. Suddenly, Afghanistan who were off to a flier were restricted to 56/3 in 6 overs of powerplay with Darwish Rasooli joining Gurbaz in the middle. Rasooli and Gurbaz did build a partnership but it was Gurbaz doing all the scoring and heavy lifting.
Rasooli showed no intent to hit the ball and went at less than run a ball. This meant Gurbaz had to play the big shots more and he played a stunning innings scoring 84 off 42 balls but because he had to go for it he eventually miscued one and fell. Had he got support from the top and middle order, then Gurbaz might have stayed through and we could have been talking a different story now. But it was not to be and the Afghan batters barring Gurbaz needs to pull up their socks and contribute as a team.
Yes, Azmatullah Omarzai and Rashid Khan kept Afghanistan alive even as Nabi had a day to forget. Noor too tried to redeem the story by taking the game to super over, but this match could have gone Afghanistan’s way had Gurbaz received support while he was batting out there.
Lack of game awareness under pressure costs Afghanistan.Â
The most important aspect that Afghanistan lost was lack of game awareness and mental toughness. Under pressure, they wilted and lost the game eventually where they at once had no business winning, but when victory was near, they could not cross the line. It is about finishing matches and Afghanistan through lack of experience against big teams had to pay the price in the end as South Africa showed never say die attitude.
Yes, there was one over of Noor that went for 23 runs but that was not the reason why they faltered. It was much later. Afghanistan kept on losing wickets at intervals after Gurbaz got out but Noor kept his side in the game with a maximum even after Rashid Khan fell. With 12 needed off the last over, Kagiso Rabada had the match won when he dismissed Noor. But Afghanistan got a lifeline as the bowler overstepped. South Africa should have won the contest here.
Noor hit a maximum and the bowler bowled another no ball which brought the equation down to 2 off 3 balls with only one wicket in hand. One can be only run out of a free hit. Noor managed to get the free hit ball away to the off-side and tried to come back for the second run. Fazalhaq Farooqi did not make an attempt to slide the ball or dive as he was day dreaming and fell short of his crease. This was the main turning point of the match.
Thereafter, in Super Over, Afghanistan scored 17 runs and South Africa were up against it. But Farooqi was there to concede runs and though he got a wicket, Tristan Stubbs slammed it down the ground for the maximum to tie the super over.
The drama was not done yet as Omarzai was given the ball now and he was smashed for 23 runs to put the game beyond the Afghans. But then chasing 24 runs to win, Afghanistan sent Mohammad Nabi out the man who had a bad day and he played a dot ball and got out to Keshav Maharaj. With 24 now needed off 4 balls, Gurbaz almost pulled it off as he hit three consecutive sixes and then Maharaj fired in wide outside the off-stump.
With 5 needed off 1 ball, Gurbaz was holed out at backward point as South Africa sealed the deal. Too many errors at crucial times cost the team as Gurbaz should have faced from the word go.
If Afghanistan aspire to be a good team, these are errors they have to avoid and come back stronger as a nation. They have Canada and UAE remaining and may well win both games but for all practical purposes, this tournament is as good as over. South Africa almost through to Super 8s.
What Lies Ahead.Â
South Africa will next face New Zealand on Saturday night in Ahmedabad before they go to Delhi to play UAE while Afghanistan has Canada and UAE to come to end their campaign. More action coming your way this Thursday as co-hosts Sri Lanka takes on Oman in Pallekele at 11 AM IST followed by Nepal vs Italy in Mumbai at 3 PM IST. Then, the feature match as co-hosts and defending champions India takes on Namibia in New Delhi at 7 PM IST.
So, plenty of action lined up for all of us on another triple header day.
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