Ahmedabad: In a T20 World Cup game for the ages, South Africa somehow managed to get past a plucky Afghanistan after two wildly oscillating Super Overs here on Wednesday.
Ryan Rickelton (61 off 28) and Quinton de Kock (59 off 41) put together a brilliant century stand with quickfire fifties to power South Africa to 187 for six.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz (84 off 42) then singlehandedly kept Afghanistan in the run chase before some lusty hitting from the lower-order helped them tie the game in regulation time.
What followed was an incredible sequence of two Super Overs with fortunes swinging either way after every ball.
In the first Super Over, Azmatullah Omarzai struck Lungi Ngidi for two fours and a six to help Afghanistan post 17 runs, but Tristan Stubbs hit two sixes off Fazalhaq Farooqi including off the last ball to force another Super Over.
Coming in to bat in the second Super Over, Davis Miller and Tristan Stubbs struck three sixes to notch up 23 runs, a steep target which was made to look very gettable by Rahmanullah Gurbaz. The opening batter smashed seasoned left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj for three consecutive sixes before getting out to complete a sensational finish.
In regulation time, the Afghans started aggressively in the run chase before losing the plot, but some brilliant hitting from Omarzai, Rashid and Noor Ahmad, coupled with a disastrous final over from Kagiso Rabada, in which he gave away two no-balls, cost South Africa dearly.
Afghanistan made a bright start to their chase, with Gurbaz (84 off 42; 4x4s, 7x6s) smashing Ngidi for two fours in the opening over.
Gurbaz continued with his attacking approach, ramping Marco Jansen over the slips for a maximum and then hitting Rabada over the third man fence.
George Linde gave away 17 runs in his opening over as Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran took the attack to the opposition to race to 50 in just four overs.
But Ngidi put brakes on the scoring, scalping two wickets in the fifth over in the form of Zadran, who was cleaned up, and then accounting for Gulbadin Naib a ball later with the pacer taking a brilliant return catch.
Gurbaz, however, was in ominous form as he dispatched Linde for two sixes in the eight over to bring up his fifty in 26 balls, lifting Afghanistan to 93 for 3 in 10 overs.
Gurbaz was going great guns before twin blows in the 13th over changed the complexion of the match.
Omarzai (22 off 17) and Rashid (20 off 12) kept Afghanistan in the hunt before Noor Ahmed (15 not out off 9) struck two big sixes to bring down the bring the equation to 13 off the last six balls.
South Africa looked to have pocked the match in the first ball of the last over dismissing Ahmad, only for a ill-timed no ball from Rabada, and the batter punished the Proteas clearing the bowler for a maximum.
Rabada bowled another no ball in the fourth delivery before Ahmad was run out going for the winning run as the match finished on level scores, forcing Super Over.
Earlier, South Africa were dealt an early blow in the form off skipper Aiden Markram (5).
De Kock broke the shackles in the fourth over, clearing Mujeeb ur Rahman over the fence and then followed it up with a four.
Rickelton then joined the party, hitting Omarzai (3/41) for two boundaries as South Africa managed just 43 for 1 in the powerplay.
Both De Kock and Rickelton pressed the accelerator button thereafter, taking on the spin duo of Mohammad Nabi and Rashid (2/28) with some lusty hits.
Ahmad was taken to task by the duo as the spinner gave away 23 runs in his first over.
The onslaught continued as De Kock brought up his fifth T20 World Cup fifty with a boundary off Mujeeb and then Rickelton added salt to the bowler’s wound with a maximum to score a quality fifty of just 23 balls.
It took some brilliance from Rashid and poor shot selection to break the dangerous-looking partnership with both de Kock and Rickelton departing in the 13th over.
Rashid first accounted for De Kock, caught at deep midwicket by Ibrahim Zadran and then a ball later the Afghan skipper trapped Rickelton plumb in front of the wicket with a quicker delivery that skidded on after pitching.
