(Credit Screengrab)
Following South Africa’s triumph over Afghanistan to secure a spot in the ongoing T20 World Cup final, Kagiso Rabada honored Dwayne Bravo with a commemorative jersey. Rabada, who excelled as one of the top bowlers for the Proteas in the semifinal, took two wickets as Afghanistan was dismissed for 56 runs in their innings. After South Africa sealed a comprehensive nine-wicket victory in the low-scoring encounter, Rabada was captured on camera presenting Bravo with a signed jersey. Bravo, serving as a bowling consultant for the Afghan team in this tournament, received the gesture in a heartwarming moment documented and shared by the ICC on Instagram.
After the one-sided semifinal concluded in Trinidad and Tobago, Kagiso Rabada met with Dwayne Bravo, emerging from the tunnel with his match jersey in hand. Rabada had signed the jersey and presented it to Bravo, who took a photo with the memento shirt. The Caribbean cricket legend then shared a warm embrace with Rabada and extended his best wishes for the upcoming final.
Dwayne Bravo played a pivotal role in Afghanistan’s impressive bowling performance throughout this T20 World Cup. It was a historic campaign for the Asian side, marking their first-ever semifinal appearance in an ICC event. Bowling emerged as the primary strength for Rashid Khan’s squad.
In their second-last Super Eight match, Afghanistan successfully defended a total of 148 runs against Australia. In their subsequent crucial match, they managed to dismiss Bangladesh for just 105 runs, securing a must-win victory. However, their fortunes changed in the semifinal encounter against South Africa, who had maintained an unbeaten record in the tournament.
Opting to bat first in the knockout match at Tarouba, Afghanistan suffered a collapse in their batting lineup. Azmatullah Omarzai was the lone Afghan batsman to reach double figures. South African pacer Marco Jansen led the attack with a three-wicket haul, while spinner Tabraiz Shamsi showcased his expertise on the slow pitch, also claiming three wickets. Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje contributed with two wickets each, contributing to Afghanistan’s downfall.
South Africa faced little trouble in their chase against Afghanistan. Despite losing Quinton de Kock early in the second over to Fazalhaq Farooqi, Reeza Hendricks and Aiden Markram batted superbly and saw their team through to victory without further losses. They achieved the modest target in just 8.5 overs. South Africa now awaits the winner between India and England for the T20 World Cup final on June 29.
