Rahul NareshDay 25 of the 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup saw both the semi-final fixtures of the competition take place as Afghanistan faced South Africa in the first encounter, while the second game saw India take on England.
Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 Semi-final 1: Afghanistan v South Africa
After Afghanistan’s monumental achievement in reaching the semi-finals of this competition, their performance in this game didn’t quite live up to the expectations.
With the Afghans heavily reliant on their openers, who failed to fire this time out, it was always going to be an uphill task from then on. They consistently lost wickets after some top bowling from the South African quicks. Marco Jansen and Tabraiz Shamsi picked three wickets each as they skittled their opposition to a meagre 56.
The chase was fairly simple, with the Proteas completing the job inside the ninth over.
First innings: Afghanistan 56/10 in 11.5 overs
Second innings: South Africa 60/1 in 8.5 overs
Also watch: Is this Rohit Sharma or Virat Kohli’s final T20 World Cup?
Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 Semi-final 2: India v England
The second semi-final saw India go through to the final of the competition, beating England in comprehensive fashion by 68 runs.
On a tacky wicket, Virat Kohli was unable to get going yet again but saw his opening partner Rohit Sharma score runs for the second consecutive game. Sharma’s 57, along with Suryakumar Yadav’s 47, helped India to a competitive total of 171.
After a strong start to the English innings in the first couple of overs of the chase, the Indians hit back, picking up three wickets before the end of the powerplay. Rahul Dravid’s men continued to dominate with the ball as variable bounce made it incredibly difficult for the English batters to cope. The spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel picked up three wickets each as they bowled England out for just 103.
First innings: India 171/7 in 20 overs
Second innings: England 103/10 in 16.4 overs
