SA captain Aiden Markram – Our bowlers have been incredible in the 2024 T20 World Cup

South Africa captain Aiden Markram praised his bowlers after they beat Afghanistan by 56 runs to secure a nine-wicket victory and reach the final of the men’s World Cup for the first time.

After Afghanistan opted to bat in Tarouba, the South African pace trio of Marco Jansen, Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje reduced their opponents to 28 for 6 in 6.3 overs. Tabraiz Shamsi then contributed with three wickets as Afghanistan were skittled for their lowest T20I total.

“(We were) lucky that we lost the toss, I think. We would have batted as well, so we were a bit lucky in that respect,” Markram said at the awards ceremony. “But the bowlers still had to get the ball in the right places.

“They got enough balls in the right places and really made it difficult for the Afghan batters. So credit to them.

“They’ve been incredible for us throughout this whole competition. They’ve kept it very simple and assessed the circumstances and adjusted their plans accordingly. And they’ve been incredible for us so far.”

In their chase, South Africa lost Quinton de Kock in the second over, but that was their only hiccup. After a series of narrow victories in their race to the semi-final, Reeza Hendricks and Markram ensured South Africa won comfortably at Tarouba, beating the target in 8.5 overs.

However, there were questions about the condition of the pitch, which had been moving and bouncing from the start and bouncing erratically as the game progressed. A new pitch, at Brian Lara Stadium, was used for this game, with patches of grass and noticeable cracks.

“Yeah, it’s pretty tough,” Markram said of the pitch. “I mean, a batter isn’t going to lie to you and say that once you get it up and down, it’s not going to play a role in your mind.

“But we knew it was a matter of a partnership (in the short chase), pushing this forward a bit. We were a bit lucky again (Afghanistan didn’t do a review when Markram wasn’t given zero after nicking behind), which we’re lucky with, and we managed to get a bit of a partnership. And from there it will be a bit easier.”

Markram acknowledged the nervous nature of their previous victories in this World Cup, saying: “Glad we got it over the line. A lot of our games were very close. And I know there were a lot of people at home in the early hours of the morning, waking up, and we gave them a lot of grey hair. So hopefully tonight was a bit more reassuring for them.”