afghanistan vs south africa champions trophy 2025
south africa 315/6 {50} Afghnistan 208 {43.3} So buried are the ghosts of 22 runs off 1 ball. Forgotten is the face of a confused Mark Boucher who defended the last ball against Sri Lanka in a botched DLS chase. The image of a forlorn Dale Steyn, down on the ground in tears as Grant Elliot celebrates next to him isn’t as haunting anymore. The conversations around Donald not running, of Herschelle Gibbs dropping the World Cup don’t seem taboo anymore. For all the perpetual bad luck, for all the untimely chokes, maybe, just maybe the rub of the green seems to have tilted in favour of the rainbow nation, and Aiden Markram’s boys march on to Kensington Oval with a new ray of hope and optimism. Today was a cake walk but they’ve come through in four final over finishes, and here they are now knocking at the doorstep of history!! That’s all for this game, a second semi-final isn’t too far away. For now, this is Saurabh signing off on behalf of Raju, Ramki, Abhinav and Siva. Chin up, Afghanistan!! Germany, Japan, Argentina, Italy, Vanuatu. These were some of the nations Afghanistan were playing against till a little over a decade ago. They’ve come a long way in the space of 10 years. Nobody (except Brian Lara) predicted them to get to a semi-final, many perhaps would have written them off in the group stage itself. However, they punched above their weight, beating New Zealand and then Australia to reach the promise land of a semi-final. Today proved to be a bridge too far but don’t let this performance sullen how heroic and historic this World Cup campaign has been for them. They may have a 1000 problems off the field, but when these 11 Afghan splendid sons step on it, an entire nation seems transfixed in hope and strength. That’s been the biggest win for Rashid Khan and co – giving a nation that might have even forgotten to sleep the ability to dream… Aiden Markram | South Africa Captain: Feels good. It’s not only the captain that gets you here, it is a massive squad effort. Plenty of guys behind the scenes as well. Fortunate to have lost the toss, we would have batted too. We were brilliant with the ball, got it in the right areas and kept it really simple. The bowlers have been incredible for us. It was challenging with the bat, no batter is going to lie and tell you it was easy out there. We had a bit of luck and then got a bit of a partnership. We have had a few close games and a few people back home would have woken up early with more grey hairs. Glad today was a bit more comforting. (On the final) It is one more step for us, it is an opportunity we have never had, nothing to be scared of. This win means a lot, we have some world class players in the side but like I said, it takes a whole squad to be able to deliver such a performance. Rashid Khan | Afghanistan Captain: It was tough, tough for us as a team. We might have done better but the conditions didn’t allow us to do what we wanted. That’s how T20 cricket is, you need to be ready for all conditions. I think they bowled really well. I think we got good success in this tournament because the seamers bowled really well, you need good starts. I think we were unlucky with Mujeeb’s injury, but our seamers and even Nabi bowled brilliantly with the new ball. That made our job easier as spinners. We have enjoyed this tournament. We will accept playing a semi-final and losing to a top side like Africa. It is just the beginning for us, we have the confidence and belief to beat any side. We just need to keep our processes. This has been a great learning experience for us. What we take from the competition is the belief. We know we have the skills, it is just about managing tough situations, pressure situations. Some work to be done, specially in the middle order to take the innings deep. As I said, it is always learning for our team and we have achieved good results so far but we will come back doing more hard work, specially in the batting department. Stats by Shashikant Singh South Africa in ICC WC Semi FinalsMats: 8Won: 1 (today)Lost: 6Tied: 1 (vs AUS, 1999) Most consecutive wins in T20 WCs8* – SA (2024)8 – AUS (2022-2024)7 – ENG (2010-2012)7 – IND (2012-2014) South Africa’s longest winning streaks in T20Is8* – in 20247 – in 20097 – in 2021 Biggest win for SA in T20 WCs (by Wkts)10 wkts vs ZIM, Hambantota, 20129 wkts vs AFG, Tarouba, 2024 – 67 balls is the biggest win margin for South Africa in terms of balls remaining in T20Is, bettering 51 balls against Pakistan in Jo’burg in 2007. This is also the biggest defeat margin for Afghanistan in terms of balls remaining in T20Is. Most wickets for South Africa in a T20 WC edition13 – Anrich Nortje (2024)*12 – Imran Tahir (2014)12 – KG Rabada (2024)*11 – C Langeveldt (2010)11 – Anrich Nortje (2022)11 – Tabraiz Shamsi (2024)* Cricreport Live Hindi: T20 World Cup, Semi-Final 1 | South Africa v Afghanistan, Post-match Show https://youtu.be/27hw3HJe1Eo?si=H3VUEVD-r2IY4Llp
On familiar territory, India and England look to test their power game
Since the 2024 T20 World Cup, India’s collective batting strike rate of 158.28 ranks as the second-highest among full-member sides © Getty Familiarity breeds success. England are keen to familiarise themselves with their revamped squad under the guidance of now all-formats coach Brendon McCullum. Meanwhile, India, well-versed in the demands of the T20 format, have redefined their approach, yielding impressive results. Both Phil Salt and McCullum understand what it takes to perform at Eden Gardens, as does skipper Jos Buttler, whose last outing on this ground saw him score a match-winning century for the Rajasthan Royals. Varun CV doesn’t have to familiarise himself bowling here, nor does Mohammed Shami or the rest of the Indian bowling unit. Suryakumar Yadav, Sanju Samson and Rinku Singh are familiar with Eden Gardens, having delivered heroic performances at various moments, alongside other Indian batters who are equally attuned to the synergy and intensity required at this iconic venue. The expectations are clear. High-scoring games have become standard in T20 cricket, and Eden Gardens is no exception. During the previous edition of the Indian Premier League, the 200-run mark was crossed eight times at this venue, including a record-breaking chase by the Punjab Kings, who overhauled the Kolkata Knight Riders’ massive total of 261. At the international level, India has been piling up massive scores, surpassing the 200-run mark seven times since the T20 World Cup – more than any other team. During this period, India’s collective batting strike rate of 158.28 ranks as the second-highest among full-member sides, with England following at 151.66. Both teams excel at scoring big, and the message from their management will be just that: “Smash”. And for the Eden crowd, familiarity = entertainment. When: Wednesday, January 22 at 7:00 PM IST Where: Eden Gardens, Kolkata What to expect: The average first-innings total during IPL 2024 was 198 at Eden Gardens and four out of seven matches were won by chasing sides. Win the toss and bowl will be the obvious option for the captains, especially considering the dew factor. However, teams batting first have also won three out of four times in T20Is played at Eden Gardens since 2021. Teams watch: India:The focus will be on Mohammed Shami, with skipper Suryakumar confident of the veteran pacer delivering. The rest of the line-up is a tried and tested one, in what has been a smooth transition for the Indian team since their T20 World Cup triumph. Tactics & Match-ups: Shami has dismissed Buttler thrice in 11 T20 innings and could prove useful when the England captain walks out to bat at No.3. Axar Patel and Varun CV have also dismissed Buttler twice each. Harry Brook has been out to leg spin three times in six innings in T20Is since 2023, which brings Ravi Bishnoi into play. Meanwhile, Arshdeep Singh could prove productive against Ben Duckett, who has fallen to left-arm pace twice in three innings in T20Is since 2023. Probable XI: Sanju Samson (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Ravi Bishnoi, Varun Chakaravarthy, Mohammed Shami England:Buttler confirmed that Ben Duckett will open with Phil Salt, with the latter also set to keep wickets. England announced their playing XI a day before the match, with Jamie Smith, Rehan Ahmed, Brydon Carse and Saqib Mahmood being the exclusions. Tactics & Match-ups: Adil Rashid has dismissed left-handed batters 10 times in 22 T20Is since 2023, with an economy rate of 6.89, while Archer has bagged scalps of left-handed batters eight times in 16 innings, with an ER of 7.38. Both these bowlers could prove effective against the likes of Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel and Washington Sundar. Rashid could also prove useful against Hardik Pandya, who has a strike rate of 108.45 against leg spin since 2023. Meanwhile, Bethell could be useful in containing Suryakumar, who has an SR of 103.89 against left-arm spin, and also Pandya (SR of 82.45). Playing XI: Ben Duckett, Phil Salt (wk), Jos Buttler (c), Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Jacob Bethell, Jamie Overton, Gus Atkinson, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood Did you know? – Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav have scored a combined 4304 runs in T20 cricket since 2024, with 9 centuries and 26 fifties collectively, with a combined strike rate of 167.53 – Among full-member teams, Arshdeep Singh is the highest wicket-taker among pacers in T20Is since 2024, with his 36 wickets coming in 18 innings at a strike rate of 10.8 – In IPL 2024, spinners had an economy rate of 8.73 at Eden Gardens whereas the pacers had an economy of 11.2 – Bowling in the powerplay has been an area of concern for England. Since January 2024, England have had an economy rate of 9.14 in the 1-6 over period, which is the highest among full-member teams. They have also picked up only 27 wickets in this phase, which is the second least. What they said: “It’s always a good challenge playing against them. They have been good in almost all the formats. Even when they play T20, they have always been aggressive. And we also have a similar kind of batting order, so it will be a good challenge against them. And from the bowling point of view, we have a few plans. We have also discussed with them (bowlers), what kind of cricket they play, where they can feel a little discomfort. So all these things, we have been planning. We have been good, it’s very relaxed” – Suryakumar Yadav, India captain. “It’s a really exciting tour coming to India with what I’d say is a full line-up for us. Sometimes there’s so much cricket that certain players have to be rested or managed, but that’s certainly not the case for us at all in this series. So we’ve got a full complement of players, which is really exciting” – Jos Buttler, England captain. Facebook Twitter Youtube