Explore South Africa’s gripping victory over Afghanistan in ICC CWC 2023, featuring spin dominance, player performances, and a look ahead to the semifinals.
In a thrilling encounter, South Africa secured their spot in the semifinals of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 with a hard-fought victory over Afghanistan. The match showcased some exceptional performances, both with bat and ball, leaving fans on the edge of their seats.
Table of Contents
South Africa Vs Afghanistan Pre-Match Insights:
In the pre-match interviews, cricket pundits Michael Vaughan and Joy Bhattacharjya provided valuable insights into key players and team strategies. Vaughan emphasized the significance of Temba Bavuma’s role and highlighted concerns about the top order’s form. He also underscored the need for Quinton de Kock to prove himself in chases. On the Afghan side, Vaughan expressed his admiration for Azmatullah Omarzai and predicted a bright future for him in franchise cricket.
Joy Bhattacharjya shed light on the impact players like Maharaj and Coetzee could have on the South African team. He also suggested ways in which Bavuma could better utilize Maharaj’s bowling prowess. Vaughan warned that Australia could exploit South Africa’s bowling issues in the semifinals if not addressed.
Match Overview:
South Africa’s campaign in the World Cup had seen convincing wins while batting first, nervy wins while chasing, and two losses in chases. Facing the five-time champions, Australia, in the semifinals, they aimed to break the jinx and reach their first-ever World Cup final. Afghanistan, despite a valiant effort, had to settle for the sixth spot.
South Africa Vs Afghanistan Post-Match Highlights:
The match unfolded with Afghanistan opting to bat first but struggling at 116/6. Azmatullah Omarzai’s resilient knock ensured a competitive total. In response, South Africa faced an early scare with the top order losing form. However, Rassie van der Dussen’s anchoring role, supported by partnerships with Markram and Phehlukwayo, led them to victory with 15 balls to spare.
Player Performances:
Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi showcased their bowling prowess for Afghanistan, with notable statistics from the match. In the chase, Rassie van der Dussen’s composed innings earned him the Player of the Match award.
Key Takeaways from South Africa Vs Afghanistan
South Africa’s decision to chase, testing themselves in difficult situations, paid off as they successfully chased the target. The top order’s form remains a concern, but the team takes confidence and momentum into the semifinals against Australia.
Spin Dominance:
The match witnessed a record 40 overs of spin bowled in a World Cup innings by Afghanistan. They also topped the charts for the most overs of spin bowled by a team in a World Cup edition. Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi’s performances were crucial in this spin-dominated contest.
South Africa Vs Afghanistan Post Match Interview:
Temba Bavuma:
My leg is sore, don’t know to what extent, it’s gonna have to be fine. I had that option of coming off. I wanted to be out there with the guys. Opportunity for me to spend some time out in the middle. That’s what I felt was right at that moment. Winning is a habit, we want to take that momentum through. We batted second and to get over the line in that manner, that’s going to put a lot of confidence. Fantastic knock by Rassie who took ownership of the innings and guys batted around him. The wicket got better. We’ll take the win, take the confidence and the momentum that comes with it. We’d like to be playing here again. We have a big hurdle that we have to get over first that is Australia in Kolkata.
Hashmatullah Shahidi:
As a captain I am quite happy with our performance. We fought till the last moment in each and every game. Good learnings for us in the future. Proud of the way our batters performed in this tournament. We were struggling before this tournament. We sat together and talked about the weak point, so at the end, you saw the result how our batsmen did. That’s a positive thing, looking forward to the future. Everyone knows that we have good spin department. If we go with the same momentum, we’ll be a very good side. We gave a good message to the world in this tournament. We played big teams and we fought till the last moment. Australian game, it was in our hands, but it was shocking for us.
Rassie van der Dussen | Player of the Match:
We were happy with bowling first, we would have chased anyway. We knew they are a quality bowling attack and we wanted to put ourselves in a difficult situation. There are one or two things we can tweak but happy with how the run-chase went. In any chase, there has to be someone who plays the the anchor role. We had a lovely platform with Quinny and Temba giving us a solid platform and that made it easy for me. Happy to play that role tonight and we got some good partnerships in the middle, happy to get across the finish line. It’s funny when you do something so well and the other part is not so good, people say you are doing that badly. We were on the 50-50 mark in terms of chasing so we wanted to put ourselves in a difficult situation and test ourselves going forward. Going into the semi-final, this is what we wanted to do and it worked out well. We have taken a lot of learning from the last two games. Kolkata was a lot drier and a lot lower. We know what to expect going into the semi-final. Hopefully, if we get back here again, we’ll put in a similar performance.
Stats Related to World
| Most Overs of Spin Bowled in a World Cup Innings | Overs | Teams | Venue | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40 – AFG vs SA, Ahmedabad, 2023 | 40 | Afghanistan vs South Africa | Ahmedabad | 2023 |
| 39 – UAE vs NZ, Faisalabad, 1996 | 39 | UAE vs New Zealand | Faisalabad | 1996 |
| 39 – ZIM vs AUS, Ahmedabad, 2011 | 39 | Zimbabwe vs Australia | Ahmedabad | 2011 |
| Most Overs of Spin Bowled by a Team in a World Cup Edition | Overs | Team | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 268.5 – Afghanistan (2023) | 268.5 | Afghanistan | 2023 |
| 251 – India (2011) | 251 | India | 2011 |
| 233.1 – Sri Lanka (2003) | 233.1 | Sri Lanka | 2003 |
| 223.2 – Afghanistan (2019) | 223.2 | Afghanistan | 2019 |
| Bowling Statistics – Rashid Khan at CWC 2023 | Innings | Wickets | Average | Economy Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st innings: 2/165 in 40 overs, Avg: 82.50, ER: 4.12 | 1 | 2 | 82.50 | 4.12 |
| 2nd innings: 9/223 in 46.3 overs, Avg: 24.77, ER: 4.79 | 1 | 9 | 24.77 | 4.79 |
| Bowling Statistics – Mohammad Nabi at CWC 2023 | Against RHB | Against LHB | Wickets | Strike Rate | Economy Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| vs RHB: 3 wickets at 56, SR: 80.33, ER: 4.18 | 3 | – | 56 | 80.33 | 4.18 |
| vs LHB: 5 wickets at 16.6, SR: 25.6, ER: 3.89 | – | 5 | 16.6 | 25.6 | 3.89 |
| Highest Targets Successfully Chased by SA in World Cups | Target | Against | Venue | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 297 vs India, Nagpur, 2011 | 297 | India | Nagpur | 2011 |
| 271 vs Pakistan, Chennai, 2023 | 271 | Pakistan | Chennai | 2023 |
| 254 vs India, Hove, 1999 | 254 | India | Hove | 1999 |
| 245 vs Afghanistan, Ahmedabad, 2023 | 245 | Afghanistan | Ahmedabad | 2023 |
| 243 vs Pakistan, Karachi, 1996 | 243 | Pakistan | Karachi | 1996 |
Looking Ahead:
With eyes set on the semifinals against Australia in Kolkata, South Africa aims to address bowling issues. The analysis indicates that they have learned from the last two games, and the team is prepared for the challenges that lie ahead.
Conclusion:
South Africa’s journey in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 has been filled with ups and downs, and their victory over Afghanistan in the quarterfinals sets the stage for an exciting clash against Australia. As the cricketing world eagerly anticipates the semifinals, fans can expect more nail-biting moments and exceptional performances in this edition of the World Cup.