World Twenty20: Afghanistan give South Africa a scare before losing by 37 runs
Wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Shahzad blasted his way to 44 off just 19 deliveries, of which 42 runs came in boundaries, in their chase of 210.
South Africa beat Afghanistan by 37 runs on Sunday in Mumbai in their World Twenty20 Group 1 encounter. However, this wasn't before the Afghanis gave Faf du Plessis' cricketing giants a proper scare in their chase of 210 at the Wankhede Stadium. For the second time in the tournament, the South Africans posted a 200-plus total on the board, but unlike the game against England, they managed to defend it this time around.
Despite his team not being able to defend 230 on this ground two days ago, du Plessis chose to bat again after winning the toss. The Proteas left out Dale Steyn from the team that lost to England, after the pacer conceded 35 runs and went wicketless in the two overs that he bowled on Friday. The previous two games on this ground were won by the chasing side, but du Plessis backed his bowling attack, which featured seamer David Wiese in place of Steyn.
The Proteas put up 209/5 on the board in their 20 overs. AB de Villiers was the top-scorer, bludgeoning his way to a 29-ball 64 that included four fours and five sixes. He was supported by Quinton de Kock (45 off 31 balls) and du Plessis (41 off 27 balls), along with late cameos from JP Duminy (29 not out off 20 balls) and David Miller (19 off eight balls).
The target of 210 seemed way out of reach for Asghar Stanikzai's cricketing minnows, but the ninth-ranked T20I team gave the mighty Proteas a few jitters at the start of their chase. Mohammad Shahzad blasted his way to 44 off just 19 deliveries, of which 42 runs came in boundaries, before being castled by Chris Morris. By the halfway mark, Afghanistan were at 103/2 in 10 overs and well on their way to achieving what would be a historic victory.
Unfortunately for Afghanistan, their batsmen lost the way in the second half, losing wickets at regular intervals and letting their inexperience show. In the end, they were bowled out off the last ball of the match for 172, 38 runs short of their target. The loss left Afghanistan at the bottom of Group 1, while South Africa were buoyed to the second spot, behind West Indies.