South Africa defeats Afghanistan in T20 World Cup super overs after 187-187 tie

South Africa defeated Afghanistan by four runs in the second super over of a T20 World Cup group stage match on Wednesday after both teams tied at 187 runs at the end of 20 overs.

South Africa batted first and scored 187 for six wickets. Ryan Rickelton top-scored with 61 runs off 28 balls, while Quinton de Kock made 59 off 41. David Miller was not out on 20, and Marco Jansen hit 16 off seven balls in the closing overs. Afghanistan's bowlers Rashid Khan and Azmatullah Omarzai took key wickets despite the hosts' high scoring rate.

In reply, Afghanistan reached 187 all out in 19.4 overs. Rahmanullah Gurbaz smashed 84 off 42 balls, including seven sixes and four fours. Azmatullah Omarzai added 22, Rashid Khan 20 and Noor Ahmad 15 not out, but regular wickets in the middle overs hampered momentum. South Africa's Lungi Ngidi claimed three for 26, with Marco Jansen, Kagiso Rabada, George Linde and Keshav Maharaj taking one wicket each.

In the first super over, both sides scored 17 runs, leading to a second super over where South Africa prevailed. The result strengthened South Africa's position at the top of Group D and improved their net run rate ahead of the Super Eight stage.

Afghanistan must now win their remaining matches against the United Arab Emirates on February 16 and Canada on February 19 to keep Super Eight hopes alive, with net run rate also a factor as only two teams advance from the group.

The match highlighted Afghanistan's progress in T20 cricket, as they pushed a leading contender to two super overs during a critical phase of the group stage.