South Africa crush Afghanistan to reach maiden T20 WC final

South Africa players celebrate a dismissal 

The first T20 World Cup semi-final between Afghanistan and South Africa at the Brian Lara stadium in Tarouba, Trinidad, yesterday laid bare the fickle beauty and cruelty of sport. 
Having gained Full Member status in 2017, Afghanistan were now competing for a chance to feature in its first final against a South African side, whose cricketing history is replete with World Cup heartbreaks.
In the end, Aiden Markram’s team inflicted upon its opponent a nine-wicket defeat and with it, the kind of pain that will linger. 
On a mildly overcast evening, on a tough grassy pitch with a cracked look, the Proteas blew Afghanistan to smithereens in front of a noisy crowd, skittling it for 56, the lowest total in a T20 World Cup knock-out game.
In response, South Africa lost opener Quinton de Kock early, leaving Reeza Hendricks and Aiden Markram to negotiate a tricky half hour of play, where the Afghan new-ball bowlers used the variable bounce and seam movement to keep them quiet. 
But the paltry nature of the target meant the batters could bide their time without doing anything foolish. Hendricks remained unbeaten on 29 off 25 and Markram on 23 off 21 as they got past the finish line with more than 11 overs to spare.
Earlier, Afghanistan’s collapse after choosing to bat was slightly surprising but not shocking. The surprise lay not in how it collapsed but where it collapsed. 
That it happened in Tarouba, a venue not known for housing a batting minefield, should raise eyebrows. Was this an Afghan collapse or a tribute to South Africa’s top-drawer bowling? 
Both teams wanted to bat, but bowling first might not have been a bad option, as the South African quicks, Marco Jansen (3/16), Kagiso Rabada (2/14) and Anrich Nortje (2/7) soon demonstrated.
As heart-wrenching as this defeat was, Afghanistan will take pride in its inspiring run this edition while South Africa will get down to preparing for its date with destiny.
Chief scores: 
Afghanistan: 56 in 11.5 overs (Tabraiz Shamsi 3/6, Marco Jansen 3/16, Anrich Nortje 2/7, Kagiso Rabada 2/14) 
South Africa: 60/1 in 8.5 overs (Reeza Hendricks 29 n.o, Aiden Markram 23 n.o). Agencies