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2024 ICC T20 World Cup
Twenty20 International Format
Semi-finals
Thursday, 27 June 2024
South Africa v Afghanistan
South Africa will be looking to reach the final of a World Cup for the first time when they face surprise package Afghanistan in their T20 semi-final at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in San Fernando on the morning of Thursday, June 27.
The Proteas have a poor record in the knockout stages of major tournaments, winning just one of their 10 matches and they've fallen at the penultimate hurdle on seven occasions.
Rob Walter's side have a 100 per cent record at the 2024 T20 World Cup, although they had to dig deep to beat Netherlands, Bangladesh, Nepal, USA, England and West Indies.
None of their players have performed exceptionally in the United States and West Indies, with Quinton de Kock only ranked sixth for most runs scored (199), while Anrich Nortje's 11 wickets places him joint-eighth for the most dismissals.
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Tabraiz Shamsi, who played a starring role with the ball against the Windies in the Super 8 and was named Player of the Match with his figures of 3/27, believes the current squad has stood out because they are working as a unit.
"Most of the games have been a lot closer than we would have personally liked but the amazing thing is that this new Proteas team always seems to get over the line," Shamsi said in the post-match press conference.
"We've been put under huge pressure basically in every single game we've played and the boys have managed to find a way to win no matter what the situation is, no matter how close the game is, so that's really pleasing for us as a unit."
To say that Afghanistan have exceeded expectations is an understatement as they pulled off a famous win over New Zealand in the group stages before stunning Australia in the Super 8 to book a historic semi-final date with the Proteas.
Jonathan Trott's side adapted to the conditions in the West Indies remarkably well and have two batters in the top three for most runs scored in Rahmanullah Gurbaz (281) and Ibrahim Zadran (229), while Fazalhaq Farooqi is the leading wicket taker (16). followed closely behind by Rashid Khan (14).
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The Afghans reached the advanced stage in each of the previous three editions of the T20 World Cup, but this is their first appearance in the last four, and Trott reckons it gives them an edge against the country of his birth.
"We go into the semi-final with no scarring or no history with regards to semi-finals," Trott said. "This is uncharted territory for us. We're just going to go out there and give it our all.
"There's no preconceived ideas on it all, or history of failure or success in semi-finals in past years. For us it's a new challenge, and I think that makes us dangerous in the semi-finals as a side with nothing to lose and obviously a lot of pressure on the opposition."
Head-to-Head (T20)
Matches - 2
South Africa - 2
Afghanistan - 0
Draws - 0
No result - 0
India v England
England will face a stern test of their title credentials when they lock horns with India in the second T20 semi-final at the Providence Stadium in Guyana on the afternoon of Thursday, June 27.
The defending champions have kicked into gear after picking up just one point from their opening two matches - a no result against Scotland due to rain followed by a 36-run defeat to Australia.
Matthew Mott's side qualified for the Super 8 as runners-up to the Aussies in Group B and their only loss in the advanced stage came to South Africa, having come up just seven runs short in the final over.
England's best performers with the bat are Jos Buttler (191) and Phil Salt (183), who are ranked seventh and ninth respectively for most runs scored at the T20 World Cup, while Jofra Archer and Adil Rashid are their joint-best bowlers with nine wickets each.
They thrashed India by 10 wickets at the same stage of the 2022 T20 World Cup and Moeen Ali is hoping his team can draw on that "unbelievable" performance to emerge triumphant once more.
"Getting here was quite tough. But it's nice to be here, when you're two games away from winning the World Cup," Ali said. "They're just a brilliant side. They've got everything covered, so we're going to have to be at our best to beat them.
"I'm looking forward to it, actually: it's a great challenge, similar to the last time we played them in the semi-final in Australia. It's going to be a challenge, and we're going to have to plan and play really well.
"The way we took them on, and we were unbelievable with the bat. We set the game up on that wicket with the ball. Even when they got away from us a little bit at the end, it was a bit late. That was a great day, and a great performance."
The Men in Blue have yet to lose at this year's tournament, but their perfect record was ruined when the Group A clash with Canada was washed out without a ball being bowled.
Rahul Dravid's side made short work of Ireland and United States, although Pakistan took them to the final over before losing by six runs.
Afghanistan and Bangladesh posed no problems in the Super 8 and they held their nerve to beat Australia by 24 runs on June 22 to book a date with England in the last four.
Arshdeep Singh dismissed the dangerous David Warner for just six runs and finished with figures of 3/37, placing him second for the most wickets taken (15), one behind Afghanistan's Fazalhaq Farooqi.
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Singh refused to take all of the credit for his performances in the West Indies and United States, stating that Jasprit Bumrah has played a huge part in that due to applying pressure at the other end with his tight line and length.
"I guess a lot of credit goes to Jassi bhai [Bumrah] because he puts a lot of pressure on the batters - he gives, what, three or four runs in an over - so batters are coming hard against me, and I just have to try and bowl my best ball and there are a lot of chances of getting wickets there," Singh said.
"On the other end they see the runs are not coming and the asking rate is going high, so they take more risks against me. [There's a] chance always of getting a wicket there. So a lot of credit for my wickets goes to Jassi bhai."
Head-to-Head (T20)
Matches - 23
India - 12
England - 11
Draws - 0
No result - 0
T20 World Rankings
1 - India
3 - England
6 - South Africa
10 - Afghanistan
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