The SA vs AFG Super Over thriller was a roller coaster ride the world had never seen before. The ICC T20 World Cup 2026 witnessed a mind-boggling SA vs AFG Super Over clash, which had everyone on the edge of their seats. For the first time ever, we saw two super overs unfold in a single T20 World Cup match. The game turned and twisted to a point where viewers and observers were left speechless.
South Africa had the game under control until the final over. But Kagiso Rabada somehow managed to lose the plot in the final over. As bizarre as it may sound, Rabada did everything possible to give it to Afghanistan on a plate. It all started falling apart for Rabada and for South Africa when two massive no-balls allowed Afghanistan to take the game to the super over. What followed next was an unbelievable SA vs AFG Super Ove showdown like never before, which ultimately ended with a South African victory on the second super over attempt.
Read on as we give you a quick rundown of some of the breathtaking highlights from the SA vs AFG Super Over thriller.
Fan Reactions From Double SA vs AFG Super Over Drama
So How Did We Get To A High-Octane SA vs AFG Super Over Drama?
South Africa started positively after choosing to bat first. Quinton de Kock looked fluent from the start, attacking both pace and spin. He found boundaries early, ensuring South Africa made the most of the fielding restrictions. Afghanistan’s bowlers tried to vary pace, but South Africa finished the powerplay strongly with good momentum. Ryan Rickelton built a steady partnership, rotating strike smartly while punishing loose deliveries. Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan applied pressure with tight overs and key breakthroughs.
South Africa lost a couple of wickets in this period, which slightly slowed their scoring rate. Despite that, the platform remained strong heading into the death overs. South Africa accelerated well at the end. Late cameos from the middle and lower order boosted the total. De Kock completed his half-century, anchoring the innings. Afghanistan bowlers tried yorkers and slower balls, but South Africa managed valuable boundaries in the final overs. They finished at 187/6, a competitive total built on a strong top-order foundation and smart finishing.
Afghanistan came out with aggressive intent despite chasing a big total. Rahmanullah Gurbaz took the attack to the South African pacers early, playing fearless strokes square of the wicket and down the ground. Boundaries flowed in the powerplay, keeping the required rate under control. However, South Africa managed an early breakthrough at the other end, preventing a perfect start. Then in the middle phase, Gurbaz shifted gears brilliantly, attacking both pace and spin. He mixed powerful pulls with clean lofted shots over long-on and long-off. He brought up a stunning half-century and continued to dominate, scoring 84 off 42 balls, which became the backbone of the chase.
South Africa tried to squeeze with spin and slower balls, picking up a couple of key wickets to create pressure. When Gurbaz was eventually dismissed, the momentum briefly shifted back to South Africa. With the required rate climbing, Afghanistan needed composure. The middle order contributed crucial cameos to keep the chase alive, but none of them could occupy the crease for too long. As a consequence, South Africa were able to put the brakes on and leave Afghanistan with an improbable task of chasing down 13 off the final over. But in a dramatic turn of events, Rabada’s wayward final over gave rise to an epic SA vs AFG Super Over showdown, which we are about to discuss shortly in the upcoming section.
Main Scorecard Highlights From SA cs AFG Super Over Show
| South Africa 187/6 (20 Overs) | Afghanistan 187/10 (19.4 Overs) |
| Ryan Rickelton (61 off 28) | Rahmanullah Gurbaz (84 off 42) |
| Quinton de Kock (59 off 41) | Azmatullah Omarzai (22 off 17) |
| Lungi Ngidi (3/26 in 4 overs) | Azmatullah Omarzai (3/41 in 4 overs) |
| Keshav Maharaj (1/27 in 4 overs) | Rashid Khan (2/28 in 4 overs) |
Super Over Scorecard Highlights From SA cs AFG Super Over Show
| Super Over 1 | Super Over 2 |
| Afghanistan – 17/0 | South Africa – 23/0 |
| Azmatullah Omarzai (16 off 5) | Tristan Stubbs (7 off 2) |
| Rahmanullah Gurbaz (1 off 1) | David Miller (16 off 3) |
| South Africa – 17/1 | Afghanistan – 19/2 |
| Dewald Brevis (6 off 2) | Mohammad Nabi (0 off 2) |
| Tristian Stubbs (10 off 3) | Rahmanullah Gurbaz (18 off 4) |
Match Result: South Africa won the second super over by 4 runs
Player of the Match: Lungi Ngidi (3/26 with ball)
Major Highlights & Key Talking Points From SA vs AFG Super Over Showdown
Rabada’s Flop Show At The Death
We must offer credit where it’s due. The insane SA vs AFG Super Over thriller wouldn’t have been possible without Kagiso Rabada’s horrendous bowling in the death. South Africa began celebrating when Rabada presumably thought that he ended the match by picking up the final wicket. But South Africa’s joy was shattered when a front-foot no-ball check from the TV umpire revealed Rabada had overstepped. This was not the first time Rabada had conceded a no-ball in a clutch moment.
From that point onwards, the game wildly swung in Afghanistan’s favor. The following ball was a wide which further exacerbated the pressure on South Africa. After a few missed attempts, Noor Ahmad was finally able to middle one and launch a massive six out of the ground. That blow got the equation down to 5 off 4. But the SA AFG Super Over drama was about to intensify further. Rabada once again missed his mark and delivered another costly no-ball, this time taking Afghanistan marginally close to their maiden T20I win against South Africa.
With 2 needed of 3, the chips were down for South Africa. Afghanistan were just one hit away and had 3 legal deliveries to do it. But that’s when the SA vs AFG Super Over thriller took an unexpected turn. Despite being alarmingly off-target, Rabada managed to hold his nerve in this tense moment. The free-hit delivery was drilled down to long off. If at all South Africa wanted to salvage something out of the game, it had to be in the form of a run out. Rabada didn’t miss his mark on the field. Jansen delivered a reasonably accurate throw on the bounce to Rabada, who then stretched back to break the bails at the bowler’s end. The timing of the runout was very critical, which left Farooqi barely inches away from the crease. Rabada’s vital last-minute fielding brilliance in the dying moments of the run chase allowed the game to progress to a SA vs AFG Super Over thriller.
Tristian Stubbs Saves The Day For South Africa In Super Over 1
Tristian Stubbs stood tall at a time when the game was slipping away from South Africa’s control in the first SA vs AFG Super Over. South Africa needed to go aggressive in an effort to chase down 18. Brevis’s dismissal transferred the pressure back on South Africa. With three balls to go, Stubbs made every single opportunity count. His first ball resulted in a fortunate boundary off the bottom edge. He missed scoring on the next delivery but managed to finish it off with a flat six over long off to drag South Africa to another super over. His vital contribution of 10 (3) allowed South Africa to breathe and fight another day.
So Close But Yet Yet So Far For Rahmanullah Gurbaz
Rahmanullah Gurbaz was the lone wolf for Afghanistan, who took them deep into the run chase. He batted aggressively from the start and was the main force keeping Afghanistan in the chase. In his 42-ball onslaught, Gurbaz went on to add 84 runs at a scintillating strike rate of 200. His blistering knock featured 4 fours and 7 sixes. Gurbaz’s 84 was the backbone of Afghanistan’s chase, which kept South African bowlers on the edge throughout the entirety of the run chase.
Afghanistan desperately needed his exploits during the SA vs AFG super over. Gurbaz made a one last-ditch effort to propel Afghanistan over the finishing line. After being one wicket down inside the second powerplay, Gurbaz made one final push, slamming three sixes on the bounce to give Afghanistan a glimmer of hope. With just 5 needed in the final ball, the game could have gone either way, but Gurbaz was able to find some late flourish, which was concerning from SA’s point of view. But sadly, Gurbaz ran out of luck as he looked to slice the ball over point, only to find Miller inside the infield, who completed a simple regulation catch. South Africa jumped in ecstasy and were over the moon, but the double SA vs AFG Super Over drama transpired into an abject heartbreak for Gurbaz and for Afghanistan.
Have Their Been Any Super Overs Outside SA vs AFG Super Over In The T20 World Cup?
Super Overs are no longer a rairity any more. Cut-throat rivalries and close finishes between two sides have made super over thrillers a common occurrence. But if truth be told, the SA vs AFG super over thriller is the first of it’s kind, involving a double super over. The first-ever instance of a World Super Over was recorded during the 2012 T20 World Cup match between New Zealand and Sri Lanka.
Since then, the game has seen four super overs in T20 World Cups. The most recent occurrence of a Super Over thriller was in the 2024 T20 World Cup edition. The 2024 edition witnessed two dramatic super overs unfold, involving teams like Oman vs Namibia & Pakistan vs USA.
