South Africa defeated Afghanistan by four runs in the second Super Over in the 13th match of the ICC Men's T20 Cricket World Cup 2026 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Afghanistan invited South Africa to bat first, and South Africa scored 187/6 in 20 overs. In reply, Afghanistan were all out for 187 with two balls to spare. The match went into a Super Over, and when the first Super Over also ended in a tie, it moved to a second Super Over. Keshav Maharaj took the wicket of Rahmanullah Gurbaz on the last ball when Afghanistan needed a six to win, and South Africa finally secured victory by four runs.
South Africa’s Strong Batting Display
Fazalhaq Farooqi gave South Africa an early blow in the third over. He sent Markram back to the pavilion. Then Ryan Rickelton and Quinton de Kock built a blazing 114-run partnership for the second wicket. Rickelton played a quick knock of 61 runs off 28 balls.
De Kock scored 59 runs off 41 balls. Rashid Khan (2/28 in 4 overs) dismissed both Rickelton and de Kock in the 13th over. Dewald Brevis, David Miller, and Marco Jansen added quick runs in the death overs. They helped South Africa cross the 180-run mark. Azmatullah Omarzai (3/41 in 4 overs) was the most successful bowler for Afghanistan.
Afghanistan’s Solid Start in Chase
Afghanistan got a strong start. Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran added 51 runs for the first wicket. Lungi Ngidi removed Ibrahim Zadran and Gulbadin Naib in the fifth over. Soon after, Rabada sent Sediqullah Atal back to the pavilion. Darwish Rasooli then built a 59-run partnership with Gurbaz.
South Africa Fights Back in Middle Overs
South Africa got a big breakthrough in the 13th over. Keshav Maharaj dismissed Gurbaz, and Rasooli got run out in the same over. South Africa looked in control at that stage. A quick cameo from Azmatullah Omarzai and Rashid Khan brought Afghanistan back into the game. However, Afghanistan kept losing wickets.
Dramatic Finish Pushes Match to Super Over
The match turned tense when Afghanistan needed 13 runs from the last six balls with one wicket left. Rabada bowled the final over. Noor Ahmed came in to rescue his team. Rabada started with a no-ball and then bowled a wide. Noor Ahmed hit a six on the second ball. He took a double on the fourth ball, which was also a no-ball. Afghanistan then needed two runs from three balls. A dramatic run-out of Fazalhaq Farooqi pushed the match into a Super Over.
First Super Over Ends in Tie
Afghanistan batted first in the Super Over and scored 17 runs off Lungi Ngidi. South Africa replied strongly. Fazalhaq Farooqi dismissed Dewald Brevis on the third ball. Tristan Stubbs then leveled the score. The match moved into a second Super Over.
Second Super Over Decides the Winner
South Africa batted first again. David Miller and Tristan Stubbs scored 23 runs off Azmatullah Omarzai. South Africa then needed to defend 23 runs. Keshav Maharaj dismissed Mohammad Nabi on the second ball. Rahmanullah Gurbaz then took charge. He smashed three sixes in a row and made the match very tense. Maharaj got his wicket on the last delivery. South Africa finally won the match by four runs in the second Super Over.
With this victory, South Africa now have two wins from two matches in the tournament.
Brief Scorecard
