South Africa defeated Afghanistan in one of the most dramatic matches of the T20 World Cup 2026, clinching a thrilling victory in a double Super Over contest at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Batting first, South Africa posted 187/6 in their 20 overs. After losing Aiden Markram early, Quinton de Kock (59 off 41) and Ryan Rickelton (61 off 28) stitched together a 114-run stand that took them to a strong total. Afghanistan fought back through Rashid Khan (2/28) and Azmatullah Omarzai (3/41), restricting the Proteas from crossing the 200-mark despite late contributions from David Miller and Marco Jansen.

In reply, Afghanistan matched South Africa run for run, finishing on 187 in 19.4 overs. Rahmanullah Gurbaz led the innings with an 84 off 42 balls, while Noor Ahmad smashed two sixes late in the innings. Lungi Ngidi (3/26) pulled things back in the middle overs, but Afghanistan forced the game into a Super Over in dramatic fashion.

The first Super Over ended in a tie as both teams scored 17. Afghanistan smashed 17 off Ngidi, and despite a wicket from Fazalhaq Farooqi, South Africa levelled the score thanks to a last-ball six from Tristan Stubbs.

In the second Super Over, South Africa batted first with Stubbs and Miller taking their team to 23/0, with Miller hitting two huge sixes off Omarzai. Chasing 24, Afghanistan seemed down and out after Mohammad Nabi fell early to Keshav Maharaj. Gurbaz reignited hope with three consecutive sixes, but Maharaj held his nerve on the final ball, dismissing Gurbaz to seal a 19-run Super Over total.

Top Batting performance of the match - Ryan Rickelton

Ryan Rickelton's 61-run knock in the first innings played a crucial role in South Africa's narrow win over Afghanistan. The southpaw stitched a crucial stand with Quinton de Kock. While his knock took the Proteas to a good score, the match ultimately went down to the wire, as the South Africans won the game in the second Super Over.

Top Bowling performance of the match - Lungi Ngidi

South African pacer Lungi Ngidi was the difference maker in the game with his four-over spell. The right-armer finished with figures of 3/26 at an economy of 6.50. Ngidi's victims included Ibrahim Zadran, Gulbadin Naib, and Azmatullah Omarzai, all of whom came via slower bowls. Furthermore, his two-wicket over got the Proteas back in the hunt after a 50 run-stand between the Afghan openers.  

Records Broken and Major Milestones Achieved

• This was only the second instance in T20I history that a match went into a second Super Over and the first-ever occurrence in a T20 World Cup game.
• Mohammad Nabi brought up his 150th T20I appearance, joining the elite list led by Paul Stirling (162), Rohit Sharma (159), and George Dockrell (155).
• Rahmanullah Gurbaz smashed a 26-ball fifty, the second-fastest for Afghanistan in T20 World Cup history after Shafiqullah Shinwari’s 24-ball fifty in 2014.
• Quinton de Kock became South Africa’s highest run-scorer in Men’s T20 World Cups with 737 runs, surpassing AB de Villiers’ 717.
• De Kock and Ryan Rickelton stitched a 114-run stand, now the third-highest partnership for South Africa in T20 World Cups and the highest against Afghanistan.
• The 114-run partnership between De Kock and Rickelton is South Africa’s highest-ever stand against Afghanistan in T20Is.
• De Kock equalled AB de Villiers for the most 50-plus scores (5) by a South African in T20 World Cup history.
• Noor Ahmad conceded 23 runs in an over, the most expensive over of his T20I career.
• Rahmanullah Gurbaz hit seven sixes in his innings, the most by an Afghan batter in a Men’s T20 World Cup match, breaking Mohammad Shahzad’s previous record of five.
• Gurbaz’s 84 is now the highest individual score for Afghanistan in Men’s T20 World Cup history, surpassing his own previous best of 80.
• Gurbaz scored 58 runs in boundaries, the most in an innings for Afghanistan in Men’s T20 World Cup history.
• The 69-run partnership between Gurbaz and Darwish Rasooli is Afghanistan’s highest fourth-wicket stand in Men’s T20 World Cup history, breaking the previous record of 68.
• South Africa’s middle overs surge (81/0 from overs 7–12 at 13.5 RPO) marked their most dominant six-over phase of the tournament.
• The dramatic two Super Overs made this encounter one of the most extraordinary knockout matches in T20 World Cup history.

Who was the Player of the Match?

Star pacer Lungi Ngidi was rightly named the Player of the Match Award for his brilliant performance with the ball against the Afghan team. His slower ball variations played a decisive role, as he bagged all three of his wickets via slower balls.

What is the next match?

South Africa's next big challenge is against New Zealand on February 14 in Ahmedabad, while Afghanistan is set to face the UAE on February 16 in New Delhi.