In what will go down as one of the greatest T20 World Cup matches ever played, South Africa edged past Afghanistan after an unprecedented double Super Over at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Wednesday.
The Proteas won the second Super Over by four runs to claim a crucial Group D victory, extending their perfect head-to-head record against Afghanistan in T20I cricket.
De Kock & Rickelton Set the Stage
Batting first after Afghanistan won the toss and elected to bowl, South Africa lost captain Aiden Markram early to Fazalhaq Farooqi's swing bowling.
But what followed was a masterclass from the left-handed duo of Quinton de Kock and Ryan Rickelton, who put together a blistering 114-run partnership in just over 10 overs.
Rickelton was devastating, smashing 61 off just 28 balls with five fours and four sixes, while de Kock brought up his fifty with a pull for four, finishing with 59 off 41 balls.
During the course of the partnership, de Kock surpassed AB de Villiers to become South Africa's all-time leading run-scorer in T20 World Cup history — a fitting moment on a day that would demand every ounce of Proteas resilience.
At 126/1 in the 13th over, South Africa looked set for a total well north of 200.
Rashid Khan Turns the Tide
Enter Rashid Khan. The Afghan captain, initially taken apart in his first two overs, produced a stunning 13th over — dismissing both de Kock and Rickelton in the space of three deliveries to reach 699 T20 career wickets.
The momentum shifted dramatically. Afghanistan's spinners strangled the run flow, and Azmatullah Omarzai chipped in with key wickets of Dewald Brevis (23) and Tristan Stubbs (1) in the 18th over. A late Marco Jansen cameo of 16 off 7 balls helped South Africa limp to 187/6 — a total that felt 20 runs below par after the explosive start.
The Gurbaz Show
What followed was the Rahmanullah Gurbaz show. The Afghan wicketkeeper-batter played one of the innings of the tournament, blazing 84 off just 42 balls with seven sixes and four fours. He backed away and ramped Jansen's short ball for six.
He upper-cut Rabada over deep third for an even bigger maximum. George Linde, the tall left-arm spinner brought in specifically for this match, was dispatched over long-off first ball.
With Gurbaz in full flight, Afghanistan were well ahead of the rate at 93/3 at the halfway mark. Though his partners fell around him, Darwish Rasooli (contributing to a 69-run fourth-wicket stand), Omarzai (22 off 17), and Rashid Khan (20 off 12) all played their parts in keeping Afghanistan on track.
The Final Over Drama
Afghanistan needed 13 off the final over with one wicket in hand. Kagiso Rabada, South Africa's death-overs specialist, was entrusted with the ball — and crumbled. He bowled two no-balls and a wide, gifting Afghanistan freebies they hadn't earned.
Noor Ahmad smashed a massive six straight down the ground to bring the equation down to near-impossible-turned-gettable.
With two needed off three legitimate deliveries, Fazalhaq Farooqi was run out attempting a winning run — the throw from Jansen hitting the stumps with Farooqi a millimetre short of the crease.
The scores were tied at 187, sending the match into the T20 World Cup's first Super Over of the 2026 edition.
Super Over I: Stubbs Forces a Second
Afghanistan batted first in the Super Over. Omarzai attacked Lungi Ngidi with a four, a six, and another four to post 17 — a daunting target. South Africa sent in Stubbs, who found himself needing a six off the final ball of Farooqi's over. He connected. Six. Tied again. 17-17. The crowd erupted. A second Super Over — just the second in T20 World Cup history.
Super Over II: Heartbreak for Gurbaz
David Miller and Stubbs combined to blast 23/0 in the second Super Over. Afghanistan needed 24 to win. Keshav Maharaj dismissed Mohammad Nabi on the second ball, but Gurbaz — who else — stepped up once more, launching three consecutive sixes to bring the equation down to four needed off one ball.
A wide from Maharaj meant Gurbaz only needed a boundary. The entire stadium held its breath. Maharaj fired in a yorker-length delivery, Gurbaz tried to shovel it over the infield, but picked out David Miller at point. South Africa had won by four runs.
Gurbaz stood frozen, hands on his head, unable to look up — a devastating end to an innings that deserved to be on the winning side.
South Africa move to two wins from two in Group D and are firmly on track for the Super Eights. Their unbeaten record against Afghanistan in T20Is remains intact. Lungi Ngidi, whose three-wicket haul during regulation time proved decisive, was named Player of the Match.
Afghanistan now face an uphill battle. After losses to both New Zealand and South Africa, they must win their remaining matches against Canada and UAE — and hope other results fall their way — to have any chance of progressing.
For Rashid Khan's men, this was a match that will haunt them: a couple of metres either side on Gurbaz's final shot, and they'd have had another crack at history.
Brief Scores: South Africa 187/6 in 20 overs (Ryan Rickleton 61, Quinton de Kock 59; Azmatullah Omarzai 3-41, Rashid Khan 2-28) tied with Afghanistan 187 in 19.4 overs (Rahmanullah Gurbaz 84, Azmatullah Omarzai 22; Lungi Ngidi 3-26, Keshav Maharaj 1-27)
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