Three sixes in three balls. Rahmanullah Gurbaz took Afghanistan in front of the finish line in the second Super Over against South Africa. In the very last ball, they needed six runs to win the match and a four to level the contest again.
Gurbaz was on strike; Keshav Maharaj was the bowler. The right-handed batter smashed the ball on the off side but did not find the gap. The ball went straight into the safe hands of David Miller. South Africa won by 4 runs in the second Super Over. Afghanistan camp left devastated.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz was the star performer for Afghanistan
Afghanistan, especially Rahmanullah Gurbaz, put everything possible into the match to snatch a much-needed win. But the game called cricket can be rude sometimes. After the match, when cricketers went back to their respective dugouts, Gurbaz sat in disbelief, holding his head on his left palm.
Your daily dose of cricket!
Hours after the match, the batter, who could be the hero for an entire nation, expressed how difficult the situation is for him and for the team, as they went out of their skin with the hope to pull off a victory. With a broken heart, he thanked all the people who supported the Afghanistan cricket team throughout the match.
Gurbaz expressed himself in an instgram post
“Every match teaches us something. Today, we gave everything we had and fought till the very last moment, but it wasn’t our day. Still, your love and support mean more to us than words can say,” Gurbaz wrote in his recent Instagram post.
“We’re grateful for each one of you who stands with us through every high and low. We’ll learn, improve, and come back stronger than ever. Together, always,” he added.
Summary of Afghanistan vs South Africa match
Batting first, South Africa scored 187 for 6 in 20 overs. Afghanistan also claimed the same before losing their last batter. In the run chase, Rahmanullah Gurbaz played an astonishing 84-run innings against 42 balls with seven 6s and four 4s.
He carried the same flair during the second Super Over when Afghanistan needed 24 runs to win the contest. With Gurbaz on strike, Afghans started to believe they could write history in Ahmedabad.
The right-handed batter smashed three sixes in three balls; they were right away back into the equation again. But, as Gurbaz said, it was not their day.
The combination of Keshav Maharaj and David Miller got the all-important wicket for South Africa. Afghanistan scored 19 runs in the second Super Over against South Africa’s 23.
Two back-to-back defeats for Rashid Khan and his team. First against New Zealand, then against South Africa. Their chances for qualification in the next round have started to fade away.
Afghanistan will next play against the United Arab Emirates on February 16 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.
Read More: How Can Afghanistan Still Qualify for Super 8 After Back-to-Back Defeats in T20 World Cup 2026?