South Africa have notched up their seventh victory of the league phase with a clinical performance with the bat. There were moments of tension, but a rock-solid, unbeaten 76 from Rassie van der Dussen spearheaded the fruitful chase.
Afghanistan opted to bowl first, but the start was far from ideal. The openers put on a promising 41-run stand, but Keshav Maharaj cut it short when Rahmanullah Gurbaz edged to slip.
Gerald Coetzee struck in the very next over to remove Ibrahim Zadran, and the woes for the Afghans would continue. Skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi went cheaply, while Coetzee and Ngidi continued to rip apart the middle order. Amid all the chaos, Azmatullah Omarzai stood tall and weathered the storm.
Afghanistan were in serious trouble at 160/7, but a priceless cameo from Noor Ahmed at No. 9 was the much-needed support for Omarzai. The young allrounder would shift gears at the back end, with Ngidi being his favoured target. He’d end up not out on 97, with Afghanistan batting their entire 50 overs.
SA had 245 to chase – one fewer than their target against the Netherlands. However, Quinton de Kock wasted no time early on, and captain Temba Bavuma managed to chip in with a few good shots as well. But the introduction of spin did the trick, as both openers were dismissed in successive overs.
It was down to Rassie van der Dussen and Aiden Markram to rebuild, but yet another burgeoning partnership was broken by the talismanic Rashid Khan. He would strike again, to remove the big-hitting Heinrich Klaasen. All of a sudden, what appeared to be very straightforward started to become concerning.
David Miller added 43 alongside van der Dussen, but Mohammad Nabi had the last laugh when he took a calm caught-and-bowled. Andile Phehlukwayo came in at No. 7 in his very first game of this WC, and he had to help van der Dussen navigate the remainder of the chase.
Phehlukwayo looked jittery in his first few deliveries, but van der Dussen regularly rotated strike. Dot balls were putting more pressure on the Proteas in the final 10 overs, but a maximum off Naveen-ul-Haq was the telling below.
To close things out, Phehlukwayo went 6 + 4 + 6 in the 48th over, finishing on 39 not out. Completing a chase with authority was a pleasant and opportune surprise for SA, as the semifinal against Australia beckons.
Temba Bavuma is nursing a hamstring injury, and he will be on the road to recovery. But more importantly, it was a more convincing all-round show, and a confidence builder at the right time.
AFG 244 in 50 overs (Omarzai 97* – Coetzee 10-1-44-4, Maharaj 10-1-25-2)
SA 247/5 in 47.3 overs (van der Dussen 76* – Nabi 10-1-35-2, Rashid 10-1-37-2)
