(AP Photo)
South Africa’s entry into a World Cup final has been a long time coming—25 years, to be exact. Today, the Proteas finally broke their streak of semi-final heartbreaks as Aiden Markram and his team dominated Afghanistan with a decisive 9-wicket victory in the 2024 T20 World Cup semi-final.
Considering South Africa’s impressive unbeaten run of 7 wins in the competition, their victory seemed predictable. However, they had another streak looming over them: their dismal record in World Cup semi-finals.
Before this match, South Africa had lost all seven of their previous semi-finals, with the latest defeat occurring in the 2023 ODI World Cup, where they were narrowly beaten by their fierce rivals, Australia, by 3 wickets.
But that is precisely what makes today’s victory even sweeter for the Proteas. It marks a redemption 25 years in the making, led by none other than Marco Jansen.
Marco Jansen and Tabraiz Shamsi each took 3 wickets, while fast bowlers Rabada and Nortje claimed 2 wickets apiece, reducing Afghanistan to a dismal 56 runs in just 12 overs.
After the early loss of Quinton de Kock, the rest was smooth sailing for South Africa. Reeza Hendricks and captain Markram guided the team to an easy 9-wicket win, chasing down the target in just 8.5 overs.
The Proteas will compete against either India or England in the final after dismissing Afghanistan for their lowest-ever T20I score, which also set a record for the lowest total in a T20 World Cup semi-final.
