The game had surprising twists until the end. Afghanistan had the game on the bench at one point, needing two runs off the last three balls. However, Fazalhaq Farooqi was taken out at the non-striker’s end as he attempted to complete a double. The Blue Tigers were bowled out for 187, the same score the Proteas had scored in the first innings.
Two Super Overs later, South Africa emerged victorious as Afghanistan slumped to back-to-back defeats at the start of their T20 World Cup campaign. Now, by Rashid Khan men will need to win their next two matches and hope that other results will go their way to secure progression to the Super-Eight stage of the competition.
Afghanistan head coach Jonathan Trott, whose term ends after this tournament, said he is proud of his players for the fight they showed against the Proteas until the end. The game bore an uncanny resemblance to Trott’s tenure with the Asian side, where hope and pain never left each other. However, the former England batsman stated that the players must remain positive despite the setbacks.
“I think that was a great snapshot. I’d rather talk about it (his time in charge) when it’s over than talk about it now. We’ve got two important games left and I respect the side and the job, but also the two games we have ahead of us are important too. I don’t think it’s time to start talking about when I’m not in the position when I’m still in the position. I want to make sure I do that well and we do it well. Hopefully this group is We can surprise a few people and we’ll get a few losses somewhere down the line and we’ll get back into it. We’ve got to stay positive,” Trott said at the post-match press conference.
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