An unbeaten knock from Rassie van der Dussen helped South Africa beat Afghanistan by five wickets in Ahmedabad at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023.
Proteas achieved the 245-run target in 47.3 overs, bringing Afghanistan’s World Cup campaign to an end.
The South African openers were among the runs from the very beginning. Quinton de Kock was particularly aggressive, while Temba Bavuma experienced some issues with his hamstring.
Afghanistan struck back early in the second Powerplay when Bavuma fell for 23. Then in the 14th over, Mohammad Nabi trapped Quinton de Kock’s leg before the wicket.
Rassie van der Dussen and Aiden Markram then took South Africa ahead with a steady stand. The duo hit a number of confident shots, even as the Proteas improved their scoring rate. However, Rashid’s special spell got two important breakthroughs for his team.
Heinrich Klaasen fell for 10, while David Miller tried to extend support to Dussen but he was dismissed by Mohammad Nabi for 25.
Later, Andile Phehlukwayo joined Dussen at the crease and they jointly pulled the win for their side.
Earlier, a magical bowling spell from South Africa’s Gerald Coetzee restricted Afghanistan from posting a challenging total in Ahmedabad.
Hasmat Shahidi’s side set a target of 245 runs for Proteas, thanks to blitz from middle-order player Azmat Omarzai, who smashed
Afghanistan openers backed the call of their skipper with yet another steady start. However, the Proteas managed to get their first breakthrough when opener Ibrahim Zadran was snared by Coetzee for 15.
Afghanistan lost second wicket when Rahmanullah Gurbaz wa s dismissed by Maharaj. Wickets continued to tumble as Maharaj struck in his second over as well, this time removing Hashmatullah Shahidi for cheap runs.
Afghanistan No. 3 Rahmat Shah fell for 26. At this point all-round Azmatullah Omarzai reached the crease and smashed much-need 97 to boost the total. During this campaign, he got a little support from fellow players except tail order Noor Ahmad, who made 26.
