On Thursday, at the  Brian Lara Stadium, in Trinidad, South Africa played their first-ever T20 World Cup semi-final and defeated Afghanistan by 9 wickets. Aiden Markram became the first-ever captain of SA to lead the team into the World Cup final. After struggling in seven World Cup semifinals, SA finally made it to the final of the T20 World Cup in 2024.

The bowlers of SA did a magnificent job by restricting Afghanistan to just 56 runs, the lowest-ever total in any World Cup semi-final. Afghanistan's top order was broken down by Marco Jansen, Kagiso Rabada, and Anrich Nortje in a row, but Tabraiz Shamsi raced through the lower order and bowled them all out for just 56 in 11.5 overs.

In the second innings, the captain Aiden Markram and Reeza Hendricks swiftly took the team to the finals by making 60 in just 8.5 overs. Afghanistan appeared to be unable to handle playing a critical semi-final barely 48 hours after a momentous night at St. Vincent by defeating Australia. They didn't get a chance to have a practice session to even get a feel for the circumstances at this new stadium because they only got in Trinidad the night before the game, following a four-hour flight delay.

Afghanistan skipper and captain Rashid Khan said that this is one of the best tournaments for the team in the last 20 years of their international cricket journey. He also added that he wants to build the team to this success and make them stronger for the next World Cup. In his opinion, a lot of work has to be done in the team, especially in the middle order.

South Africa will play the T20 World Cup final against India, which will take place in Barbados on Saturday.