Former Zimbabwe captain Andy Flower on Thursday labelled the pitch for the T20 World Cup semifinal in Trindidad as ‘dangerous’ after Afghanistan suffered a nine-wicket defeat to South Africa. On a tough pitch with variable bounce and exaggerated seam movement, Afghanistan folded for a mere 56 in 11.5 overs for their lowest T20I total as South Africa made their first-ever World Cup final. While Flower backed Afghanistan’s decision to bat after winning the toss, he said it was impossible for the batters to gauge the bounce off the surface.

“You can’t blame Afghanistan for doing what they did at the toss. They had such an excellent record batting first and then defending with a very good varied attack of their own,” Flower told ESPNCricinfo.

“But batting first was a really tough ask. You didn’t know what a good score would be and they were just blown away.” “A couple of balls flew off a length around, sort of shoulder, neck, chin height off the South African quicks and one of them flew over Quinton de Kock — the ‘keeper’s head and gloves for four byes. I was pleased that no one got hurt,” Flower said.

Flower, who coaches Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL, said visuals of the pitch revealed the cracks and blocks which produced a ‘wild variance in bounce’.

“You saw some interesting visual shots from above the square and a couple of the commentators referenced this being a brand new pitch. Perhaps, they could have used a pitch that had been used previously,” he said.

“Those shots showed that crazy paving-type effect and that those blocks and the cracks produced this wild variance in bounce. As a batter, you’re trying to predict where the ball is going to be. You want to meet it somewhere near the middle of the bat, at least.” “(But) on this pitch, it was almost impossible to do that on any consistent basis at all. I thought it was actually a little bit dangerous,” said the former England head coach.

Former Australia all-rounder Tom Moody said batting on that pitch at the Brian Lara Stadium was ‘a very difficult challenge to combat’.

“I don’t think you’d want to see it in any game, to be honest with you. You want a fair contest between bat and ball and I’m not advocating that we need to have surfaces that you need 200 plus runs,” he said.

“But you need consistent bounce — that is the most important thing — (and) any batter would hold their hands up and say, that is the most important thing.” “If you’ve got one ball that’s hitting the toe of your bat or one that you feel like you’re going to punch with your gloves at the same length, that is a very difficult challenge to combat,” he added.

Moody observed presence of thick grass near the cracks on the pitch led to invariable bounce on the surface.

“You see, this sort of crazy paving, if I could put it that way, where a lot of dense grass was gathered around those cracks — you could just tell that was the thing that promoted the inconsistency of bounce,” he said.

“It’ll be something that they’ll reflect on, if not reflecting on already and thinking, well, we’ve got this wrong,” added Moody. 

Former Australia cricketer Tom Moody gave a huge thumbs-down to the pitch at the Brian Lara Cricket Stadium in Trinidad used for the first semi-final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 between South Africa and Afghanistan, saying the surface was not fit to host any cricket match. The pitch offered huge lateral movement for fast bowlers and also offered excessive inconsistent bounce, as some balls flew off the surface, while others stayed really low. Amidst challenging conditions, South Africa were at their fiery best to bowl out Afghanistan for just 56 and chased down the total in 8.5 overs to seal their spot in the final at Barbados on Sunday.

“I don’t think you’d want to see it in any game, to be honest with you. You want a fair contest between bat and ball and I’m not advocating that we need to have surfaces that you need 200 runs. But you need a consistent bounce, that is the most important thing. Any batter would hold their hands up and say, that is the most important thing.”

“If you’ve got one ball that’s hitting the toe of your bat or one that you feel like you’re going to punch with your gloves at the same length, that is a very difficult challenge to combat. If you’ve got sidewards movement or swing or spin, that’s a different challenge, but at least there’s some sort of consistency and you can come up with some sort of strategy and method to combat that and I don’t think it was good enough.”

“I actually covered two games in Trinidad at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy and the surface was pretty similar. You see this sort of crazy paving, if I could put it that way, where a lot of dense grass was gathered around those cracks and you could just tell that was the thing that promoted the inconsistency of bounce. So therefore, it’ll be something that they’ll reflect on, if not reflecting on already and thinking, well, we’ve got this wrong,” said Moody on ESPNCricinfo’s TimeOut show.

Similar views were echoed by former Zimbabwe batter Andy Flower. “You saw some interesting visual shots from above the square and a couple of the commentators referenced this being a brand-new pitch and perhaps they could have used a pitch that had been used previously and therefore you knew that it could use a certain type of bounce.”

“That’s certainly something more consistent and predictable, but those shots showed that crazy paving-type effect and that those blocks and the cracks around those blocks produced this wild variance in bounce. And as a batter, you’re trying to predict where the ball is going to be. You want to meet it somewhere near the middle of the bat at least.”

“And on this pitch, it was almost impossible to do that on any consistent basis at all. I thought it was actually a little bit dangerous. A couple of balls flew off a length around sort of shoulder, neck, chin height of the South African quicks and one of them flew over Quinton de Kock, the keeper’s head and gloves for four byes, and I was pleased that no one got hurt.”

Flower also felt the pitch at Trinidad reminded them of how tough pitches were during the New York leg of the competition, where South Africa won three matches.

“We saw a little bit of a similar pitch in New York in the early part of the competition, which wasn’t good enough for international quality quicks. And then we saw it again today and it produced a complete mismatch.”

“And you can’t blame Afghanistan for doing what they did at the toss. They had such an excellent record batting first and then defending with a very good, varied attack of their own. But the bat first on there was a really tough ask. You didn’t know what a good score would be and they were just blown away.”

Following the nine-wicket defeat to South Africa in the ICC T20 World Cup semifinals, Afghanistan skipper Rashid Khan expressed disappointment with the loss, but happiness with the team’s overall campaign, pointing to the success of seamers and spinners in this “great learning experience”. The big match inexperience of Afghanistan was visible as their batting line-up folded for just 56 runs thanks to fiery spells from pacers Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen in the powerplay and Tabraiz Shamsi’s spin. Proteas, on the other hand, have overcome a seven-game winless streak in the semifinals of any ICC Cricket World Cup and are set to play either India or England in a historic final.

Following the game, skipper Rashid said during the post-match presentation, “It was tough, tough for us as a team. We might have done better but the conditions did not allow us to do what we wanted. That is 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.”

The skipper also said that there is some work to be done in their middle-order batting line-up but the team is carrying a lot of belief after this landmark first-ever semifinal finish.

“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 going. This has been a great learning experience for us. What we take from the competition is our belief. We know we have the skills, it is just about managing tough situations, pressure situations. There is some work to be done, especially in the middle, in 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 come back doing more hard work, especially in the batting department,” he added.

Afghanistan won the toss and opted to bat first. However, pacers Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen made the Asian side regret their decision, reducing them to 28/6. Though Karim Janat (8) and skipper Rashid Khan (8) tried to launch a counterattack with some boundaries, Proteas folded Afghanistan for just 56 runs in 11.5 overs.

Tabraiz Shamsi (3/6) and Marco Jansen (3/16) were the top bowlers for Proteas. Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje also took two wickets each.

In the run-chase, Proteas lost de Kock early. However, Reeza Hendricks (29* in 25 balls, with three fours and a six) and skipper Aiden Markram (23* in 21 balls, with four boundaries) took SA to the winning score in 8.5 overs.

With this win, Proteas overcame a winless streak in seven World Cup semifinals across both ODIs and T20I formats and reached their first-ever final. Afghanistan’s inspirational and dream run ended in the semifinals.

Jansen was given the ‘Player of the Match’ award.

South Africa vs Afghanistan Live Streaming T20 World Cup 2024 Live Telecast: Afghanistan take on South Africa on Thursday at Port of Spain, Trinidad with a place in the T20 World Cup 2024 up for grabs. While Afghanistan will make their first appearance at the semi-final of a major ICC event, South Africa have played semi-finals of the T20 World Cup in 2009 and 2014, respectively. It will be a chance for both teams to create history as a first-ever final in any Cricket World Cup across both white-ball formats is within touching distance. While South Africa have been unbeaten so far, Afghanistan’s only blip came against the West Indies in the group stage.

Their dream run has been buoyed by wins over New Zealand and Australia, and Afghanistan side will fancy themselves for causing another upset, this time against perfect Proteas.

Notably, Afghanistan and South Africa have only played against each other twice at T20 World Cups. The Proteas recorded comfortable wins on both occasions in 2010 and 2016.

When will the South Africa vs Afghanistan, T20 World Cup Semi-Final match be played?

The South Africa vs Afghanistan, T20 World Cup Semi-Final match will be played on Thursday, June 27.

Where will the South Africa vs Afghanistan, T20 World Cup Semi-Final match be played?

The South Africa vs Afghanistan, T20 World Cup Semi-Final match will be played at the Kensington Oval in Port of Spain, Trinidad.

What time will the South Africa vs Afghanistan, T20 World Cup Semi-Final match start?

The South Africa vs Afghanistan, T20 World Cup Semi-Final match will start at 6 AM IST.

Which TV channels will telecast the South Africa vs Afghanistan, T20 World Cup Semi-Final match?

The South Africa vs Afghanistan, T20 World Cup Semi-Final will be telecasted on the Star Sports Network.

Where to follow the live streaming of the South Africa vs Afghanistan, T20 World Cup Semi-Final match?

The South Africa vs Afghanistan, T20 World Cup Semi-Final will be streamed on Disney+Hotstar (Free for mobile users).

(All the details are as per the information provided by the broadcaster)

Rashid Khan-led Afghanistan defeated Bangladesh in a thrilling match to qualify in the historic first-ever T20 World Cup semi-finals. Afghanistan defeated Najmul Shanto’s Bangladesh by 8 runs using the DLS system, eliminating one of the favourites, Australia, from the race for the semi-final. After impressive triumphs over T20I cricket giants such as New Zealand and Australia during the same T20 World Cup run, Rashid’s Afghanistan made it to the last four. The Afghan spin maestro Rashid played a significant role in this victory by not only confusing the Australian hitters with his deliveries but also engaging in some fun banter with Indian captain Rohit Sharma.

Afghanistan captain took to social media on Tuesday to share a photo with his Indian opponent Rohit after both teams advanced to the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 semifinals.

Following the match, Rashid posted a message on Instagram that read: “Bambai se aaya mera dost [My friend from Mumbai has arrived],” a clever allusion to Rohit Sharma, who is from Mumbai, and how India and Afghanistan collaborated to remove Australia.

Afghanistan defeated Bangladesh by 8 runs in their final Super 8s match to eliminate Australia and become the second team, after India, to reach the elimination stage from Group 1. This is the first time Afghanistan has reached the semifinals of a global tournament.

India had made Australia’s qualification more difficult by defeating them just hours earlier in Saint Lucia. Afghanistan was placed second following their surprising victory over Australia a few days previously.

Coming to the match that Afghanistan will always remember, Rashid Khan and Naveen-ul-Haq led the Afghan bowling attack and helped their side defend the given target of 115. The second inning of the match was reduced to 19 overs, and the target was 114 runs after Rain played a spoilsport in the second inning.

After the defeat, Mitchell Marsh-led Australia are also out of the tournament. The Aussies ended up in third place in the Group 1 table of the Super Eights with just two points.

Afghanistan booked their place in the final four when they overcame Bangladesh’s fight in the final game of the Super Eights in St Vincent. After scoring 115/5 in the first innings, Afghanistan bowled out Bangladesh for 105 in a rain-affected game, securing an 8-run win (DLS method).

Rashid Khan throws his bat in frustration at Karim Janat during Afghanistan’s T20 World Cup match.© Twitter

Rashid Khan is the captain of Afghanistan in the T20 World Cup 2024.© X (Twitter)

Semi-Final 1 of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, 2024 will be played between South Africa and Afghanistan (SA vs AFG). The match will be played at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Tarouba, Trinidad and Tobago on Thursday (IST). In the last match played by South Africa, they beat West Indies by three wickets (DLS method). The top fantasy player for South Africa was Tabraiz Shamsi who scored 85 fantasy points. In Afghanistan’s last match in the tournament, they beat Bangladesh by eight runs (DLS method). The top fantasy player for Afghanistan was Rashid Khan who scored 157 fantasy points.

Pitch Report and Weather Conditions

The pitch at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Tarouba, Trinidad and Tobago is balanced. The average 1st innings score at this venue in the last 20 matches is 117 runs. The team winning the toss should look to bowl first as the majority of the games played on this ground have been won by the chasing side.

Pace or Spin?

The venue is suited for both Pacers and Spinners alike.

Weather Report

Temperature will hover around 23.56 degree C and humidity is expected to be around 91%. Winds at a speed of 1.89 m/s are expected.

Head-to-Head

In the two matches played between these two teams, South Africa has won all their matches. Protea wicket-keepers have earned the most fantasy points for their team, while all-rounders have earned the most fantasy points for Afghanistan.

Fantasy Top Captain and Vice-Captain Picks

Fazalhaq Farooqi

Fazalhaq Farooqi is a good-to-have player for your Fantasy Team. He has an average of 61 match fantasy points in the last 10 games and a fantasy rating of 9.3. Farooqi has picked up 16 wickets in the recent seven matches at an impressive economy rate of 6.38.

Quinton de Kock

Quinton de Kock can be a good pick for your Fantasy Team. He has an average of 48 match fantasy points in the last 10 games and a fantasy rating of 7.8. The left-handed opener has scored 199 runs in the recent seven matches at a strike rate of 148.50.

Naveen-ul-Haq

Naveen-ul-Haq can be a good pick for your Fantasy Team. He has an average of 60 match fantasy points in the last 10 games and a fantasy rating of 9. The right-arm medium pacer has taken 13 wickets in the recent seven matches at an excellent economy rate of 6.12.

Tristan Stubbs

Tristan Stubbs is a good-to-have player for your Fantasy Team. He has an average of 41 match fantasy points in the last 10 games and a fantasy rating of 7.7. The explosive right-handed batter has scored 134 runs in the recent seven matches at an average of 33.50.

Rashid Khan

Rashid Khan is a spin bowler with an average of 75 match fantasy points in the last 10 games, a fantasy rating of 8.2 and is a fairly consistent player in terms of fantasy points. The leg-break bowler has scalped 14 wickets in the recent seven matches at an economy rate of 6.10.

SA vs AFG Possible Playing XI

South Africa (SA) Possible Playing XI: Quinton de Kock, Tristan Stubbs, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Reeza Hendricks, Aiden Markram, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Tabraiz Shamsi, Keshav Maharaj and Marco Jansen

Afghanistan (AFG) Possible Playing XI: Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Rashid Khan, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Naveen-ul-Haq, Noor Ahmad, Nangeyalia Kharote, Gulbadin Naib, Karim Janat, Azmatullah Omarzai and Mohammad Nabi

SA vs AFG Fantasy Team

Wicket-Keeper: Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Quinton de Kock

Batters: Ibrahim Zadran and Tristan Stubbs

All-Rounders: Marco Jansen, Gulbadin Naib and Mohammad Nabi

Bowlers: Fazalhaq Farooqi, Naveen-ul-Haq, Rashid Khan and Keshav Maharaj

Captain: Fazalhaq Farooqi

Vice-Captain: Quinton de Kock

South Africa will take on Afghanistan in the Semi-Final 1 of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, 2024 at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Tarouba, Trinidad and Tobago on Wednesday. South Africa comes into this match with momentum, having defeated West Indies by three wickets (DLS method). Tabraiz Shamsi was the standout performer for South Africa, amassing 85 fantasy points. On the other hand, Afghanistan defeated Bangladesh by eight runs (DLS method) to qualify for the T20 World Cup Semi-Final for the first time. Rashid Khan was the top fantasy performer for Afghanistan, scoring 157 points.

Head-to-Head

Historically, South Africa have dominated Afghanistan in two T20Is both the teams have played each other.

South African wicket-keepers have earned the most fantasy points for their team, while all-rounders have earned the most fantasy points for Afghanistan.

The last meeting between these teams was in Match 20l of the Men’s T20 World Cup, 2016, where AB de Villiers and Mohammad Shahzad scored the highest fantasy points for their respective teams.

Key Players to Watch

Fazalhaq Farooqi (AFG)

Afghanistan’s Fazalhaq Farooqi, a left-arm medium-fast bowler, has been in stellar form, taking 16 wickets in his last seven matches.

Rahmanullah Gurbaz (AFG)

Afghanistan’s explosive top-order batter, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, has been having a dream run in the ongoing T20 World Cup. Gurbaz has smashed 281 runs in the recent seven matches at an average of 40.14.

Quinton de Kock (SA)

Quinton de Kock, South Africa’s star wicketkeeper-batter, has been one of the leading run-scorers in the tournament. The southpaw has amassed 199 runs in the recent seven matches at a strike rate of 148.50.

Anrich Nortje (SA)

South Africa’s fast bowler, Anrich Nortje, has been playing a vital role in their bowling unit since the last two T20 World Cups. Nortje has scalped 11 wickets in the recent seven matches at an economy of 6.0.

Rashid Khan (AFG)

Afghanistan skipper Rashid Khan has been leading his side from the front in the ongoing T20 World Cup. The leg spinner has scalped 14 wickets in the recent seven matches at an impressive economy rate of 6.10.

Tristan Stubbs (SA)

South Africa’s explosive middle-order batter, Tristan Stubbs, has been playing an X-factor in the Proteas’ playing XI. The explosive right-handed batter has smashed 134 runs in the recent seven matches at an average of 33.50.

Afghanistan will look keep their heartbeats in check on Thursday as they take on South Africa in the semi-final of the T20 World Cup 2024 in Port of Spain, Trinidad. The clash is being deemed as the battle of giant killers and perennial chokers since Afghanistan will be making their first semi-final appearance at a major ICC event after beating the likes of New Zealand and Australia. South Africa, on the other hand, are pretty familiar with such platforms, but often seem to crumble in games of this magnitude.

While fans eagerly wait for this clash, rain might have the final say. As per Accuweather, there is a possibility that rain might arrive at some point.

While the weather forecast suggests that the possibility of rain is around 1 per cent during the start of the match, there is high chance figure could rise up to 44 per cent. Even if there is rain on Thursday, ICC has alotted a reserve day for this match.

But, if no play is possible on both Thursday and Friday, Afghanistan will be knocked out. For the unversed, South Africa will be given a direct passage to the final due to their higher ranking during the Super 8 stage.

The Proteas had topped their groups in both the league stage, as well as the Super 8 stage. Afghanistan, on the other hand, finished second behind West Indies in the league phase, and India in Super 8s.

Afghanistan have been the revelation of this ICC showpiece. They found life and fighting spirit to rise above the ravages of war back in their country, best exemplified by an astounding win over 2021 winners Australia, whom they had never beaten before.

There were multiple heroes — skipper Rashid Khan has been immense throughout, pacers Fazalhaq Farooqi and Naveen-ul-Haq have given early breakthroughs, Gulbadin Naib conjured a miraculous spell against the Aussies while Mohammad Nabi remained perseverant.

Opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz leads the batting chart with 281 runs, while Farooqi is on top of the bowling list with 16 scalps.

It is a story in itself as how two Afghanistan players have raced past some marquee names to the top of the stats table.

(With PTI Inputs)