Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan blamed Fazalhaq Farooqi for their heartbreaking loss against South Africa in Match 13 of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 on Wednesday, February 11, at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Afghanistan produced a lion-hearted effort against South Africa and had as many as three opportunities to close out the heart-throbbing fixture, which eventually went down to two Super Overs.
However, South Africa held their nerve in the end and emerged victorious in the second Super Over, as Keshav Maharaj dismissed Rahmanullah Gurbaz with five runs needed off the final delivery. Following their soul-crushing defeat, Rashid rued his team’s missed chances and admitted that they could have been smarter in the middle, suggesting that a dive from Farooqi might have finished the game within the stipulated 20 overs.
T20 World Cup: South Africa vs Afghanistan Highlights
“We had our opportunities. In the last Super Over as well, one ball and five runs can go either way. We could’ve been smarter. One dive, one ball could’ve finished it. We worked hard for the last one-and-a-half years for this game to go to the next round. Very disappointing. Any time you’re representing your country, it’s a proud moment. I’ll try my best to keep the boys as upbeat as possible,” Rashid said during the post-match presentation.
Despite the crushing defeat, Rashid hailed the entire team for its lion-hearted effort and reserved special praise for Rahmanullah Gurbaz’s constant fight with the bat until the very end.
“The boys did an amazing job, especially with the way they started with the bat. To restrict them to under 190 was amazing. So unlucky to be on the losing side after giving everything on the ground. This wicket is good — I’ve played a lot on it during the IPL. The discussion within the team was that yes, they had a good start, but we needed to restrict them in the last 10 overs. It was an amazing innings from Rahmanullah — that’s what he’s famous for. Losing quick wickets in the powerplay put him under pressure, but overall he played brilliantly,” he added.
How the drama unfolded in last over?
Afghanistan needed 13 runs to win off the final over, with one wicket in hand and Noor Ahmad and Fazalhaq Farooqi at the crease. Ahmad was given a reprieve on the very first ball of the over as Kagiso Rabada dismissed him off a no-ball. Ahmad made full use of the opportunity by whacking the speedster for a maximum on the second legal delivery, bringing the equation down to two needed off the final three balls following another no-ball.
However, sloppy running from Farooqi on the fourth ball found him short of the crease at the non-striker’s end while attempting to complete the second run. The tailender failed to put in a dive, and it eventually cost Afghanistan the game, as South Africa sealed the contest in the second Super Over after successfully defending 23 runs.
Meanwhile, following their victory, South Africa now find themselves in a precarious position with regard to qualification for the Super 8 stage. Their fate now depends on the results of other teams, or they are on the verge of being knocked out in the group stage itself.
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