The Proteas don’t make a run chase look easy, but they just beat Afghanistan by five wickets in Ahmedabad.
Rassie van der Dussen’s unbeaten effort of 76 runs was the glue that held the South African innings together and his partnership with Andile Phehlukwayo (39 runs) finally sealed the game for the Proteas.
This is South Africa’s seventh win of the World Cup tournament and the team has already qualified for the semi-final round where Australia is waiting for them.
Van der Dussen and Phehlukwayo scored 65 runs for the sixth wicket after Afghanistan’s spinners threatened to keep the Protea innings in a stranglehold.
Mohammad Nabi (2/35) and Rashid Khan (2/37) in particular were formidable opponents and they turned the run taps together.
However, Van der Dussen showed that he can be a player for the big moment and he was deservedly named the player of the match.
Earlier, Quinton de Kock took six catches behind the wickets, while Gerald Coetzee made the Afghanistan batsmen stand out with his aggressive bowling.
However, the Protea bowlers once again struggled to land the knockout blow and especially Lungi Ngidi struggled.
- Summary of the scorecard:
Afghanistan 244/10 in 50 overs: Azmatullah Omarzai 97*, Gerald Coetzee 4/44 and Keshav Maharaj 2/25.
South Africa 247/5 in 47.3 overs: Rassie van der Dussen 76*, Quinton de Kock 41 and Mohammad Nabi 2/35.
- World Cup Standings:
- India: 16 points after eight matches
- South Africa: 14 points after nine games
- Australia: 12 points after eight games
- New Zealand: 10 points after nine games
- Pakistan: 8 points after eight matches
- Afghanistan: 8 points after nine matches
- England: 4 points after eight games
- Bangladesh: 4 points after eight matches
- Sri Lanka: 4 points after nine matches
- Netherlands: 4 points after eight games
