Afghanistan witness another heartbreak with double super over loss to SA | T20 World Cup 2026

Afghanistan’s narrow loss to South Africa in the double Super Over thriller of the 2026 T20 World Cup has added yet another heart-wrenching chapter to their history of near misses. It feels almost like a recurring theme for Rashid Khan and his team, consistently on the verge of triumph, only to fall short in the most dramatic fashion.

Their journey in cricket has often been defined by moments where the finest margins have made all the difference. First, in the 2023 ODI World Cup, where Afghanistan were crushed by Glenn Maxwell’s double-century, which took the win away from their grasps. Then, during their narrow two-run defeat to Sri Lanka in 2023, which saw them miss out on the Asia Cup Super Four stage, a heartbreaking loss that highlighted just how much they had given, yet still came up agonizingly short.

Time and again, Afghanistan’s resilience has been tested in these high-stakes situations, where victory slips through their fingers at the very last moment, leaving them to pick up the pieces and reflect on what might have been.

Coming out to chase 188, Afghanistan despite losing out wickets at regular intervals, somehow managed to take the game into the last with only 2 runs required from the final 3 balls at one stage with Afghans left with only one wicket to win the tie. However, as fate would have it, an attempt to steal a double costed them their final wicket and took the game to a super over with the scores tied.

The Afghans are no stranger to a super over, having played two super over ties earlier, winning one against Ireland in the T20 WC 2017 qualifier while the other one being a dramatic double super over tie against India in 2024 which they eventually lost on the night. 

What went in the first super over?

In the 1st Super Over, Afghanistan set a target of 17 against South Africa. Lungi Ngidi bowled for South Africa, and Azmatullah Omarzai started with a boundary, a low full-toss that he drove through the gap between backward point and third man for four. He followed it up with a massive six, lofting a slower off-cutter over long-off, clearing Jansen’s leap. Ngidi then restricted Afghanistan to singles, with Azmat digging out a pinpoint yorker and Gurbaz mis-timing a drive. Despite a fantastic effort from Rabada at sweeper cover, who nearly stopped a four, Afghanistan ended with 17 runs. South Africa now needed 18 to win in the chase.

With Brevis and Miller coming down to bat for South Africa, it was Farooqi who bowled for Afghanistan, and South Africa started with a single from Miller, who mistimed a full-toss to long-on. Brevis then unleashed a massive 97-meter six over deep mid-wicket, pulling off a stunning shot. However, Farooqi responded with a breakthrough, dismissing Brevis caught by Gurbaz after a well-executed slower bouncer. Stubbs then capitalized on a lucky thick bottom-edge to drive a yorker past Gurbaz for a four. He followed it up with an incredible six, launching a low full-toss over Nabi’s leap to tie the Super Over and force a third.

What happened in second super over?

The Second super over also saw some drama with South Africa’s duo of Miller and Stubbs giving a mammoth 24-run target to Afghanistan with Stubbs (1 six) and Miller (2 sixes) hitting 3 sixes in total . While Rashid Khan’s men started slow and lost a wicket in the form of Nabi on the second ball , it was Gurbaz who had his hitting gloves and went on to hit 3 back-to-back sixes to take the match to the last ball again. With 5 runs needed off the last ball, it was heartbreak for the Afghans as Gurbaz got caught out while trying to hit a four and lost 2 more points in the tournament.

Rashid Khan on ‘unlucky’ defeat

“The boys did an amazing job, especially after the way they started with the batting. 100 runs in 10 overs, one wicket. And then we restrict them under 190 was a huge effort. And then the way we started with the bat. So so unlucky at the end to be a part of losing team. But I think overall we have given all the efforts in the ground. And just a matter of the result, we haven’t got the right result.”

There have been multiple super overs in the T20 World Cup over the years as well, giving some thrilling displays of nerves to the fans all around the world.

The 2019 World Cup Final Super Over Drama

In the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup Final, New Zealand and England found themselves in a nail-biting finish that led to a Super Over. New Zealand, after batting first, posted a total of 241/8 in their 50 overs. England, in reply, matched that total, scoring 241/10, thus sending the game into a Super Over.

A Super Over Standoff

The drama continued in the Super Over, with both teams finishing with 15 runs each. As a result, the match could not be decided on runs alone, leading to a controversial decision: the match was decided based on the boundary count. England, with more boundaries in the regular innings and Super Over combined, was declared the World Cup champions for the first time.

This decision, however, sparked debates in the cricket community, leading to changes in the Super Over rules.

New Rules for Super Over introduced

Following the controversial conclusion of the 2019 World Cup Final, the International Cricket Council (ICC) revised the rules regarding Super Overs in T20 matches.

Multiple Super Overs:

If a match remains tied after the first Super Over, additional Super Overs will be played until a winner is determined.

Batting and Bowling Orders:

The team that fields second in the regular match will bat first in the first Super Over. If another Super Over follows, the batting order will be reversed, continuing this way until the match is resolved.

Once a bowler has bowled in one Super Over, they cannot bowl again in subsequent Super Overs.

Similarly, if a batter is dismissed during a Super Over, they cannot bat again in any following Super Overs.

These adjustments were made to ensure fair play and a more decisive conclusion to matches, preventing situations like the one witnessed in the 2019 World Cup Final.