SA vs AFG: Rassie van der Dussen steers South Africa to victory as Afghanistan exit World Cup

NEW DELHI: Rassie van der Dussen played an outstanding innings, scoring an unbeaten 76, to guide South Africa to a comfortable five-wicket victory over Afghanistan in their final World Cup group match on Friday. This win secured South Africa’s place in the semi-final, while Afghanistan’s hopes for the semi-final were dashed.
In pursuit of a target of 245, Van der Dussen skillfully led the Proteas to victory with 15 balls to spare, setting the stage for their upcoming semi-final against Australia next week.
AS IT HAPPENED: SA vs AFG
Afghanistan, batting first, posted a total of 244 all out, with Azmatullah Omarzai contributing an unbeaten 97. However, they needed an improbable 438-run win to stay in contention for the semi-finals.

New Zealand appears poised to face hosts India in the other semi-final, unless Pakistan manages a significant victory against England on Saturday.

Playing for pride, Afghanistan’s spinners disrupted South Africa’s solid start of 64-0. Mujeeb Ur Rahman removed skipper Temba Bavuma for 23, and Mohammad Nabi dismissed Quinton de Kock lbw for 41. Bavuma’s hamstring troubles during the match raised concerns ahead of the semi-final.

De Kock, who plans to retire from one-day internationals after this World Cup, reclaimed the top spot in the tournament batting chart with 591 runs, surpassing New Zealand’s Rachin Ravindra (565), including four centuries.
South Africa faced challenges during their chase, losing wickets, but Van der Dussen steadied the ship with partnerships, including an unbeaten 65-run stand with Andile Phehlukwayo, who hit the winning six in his unbeaten 39.

Earlier, Afghanistan found themselves at 116-6 before Azmatullah’s impressive knock lifted them to a competitive total. Gerald Coetzee took four wickets, and Keshav Maharaj returned figures of 2-25 for South Africa.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran had a strong start for Afghanistan, but Maharaj’s first-ball breakthrough and Coetzee’s strikes halted their momentum. Despite losing wickets, Azmatullah anchored the innings, ensuring Afghanistan batted out their full quota of 50 overs.
Led by Hashmatullah Shahidi, Afghanistan concluded a commendable campaign after defeating defending champions England, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and the Netherlands.