Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: South Africa entered its first-ever men’s World Cup final, hammering Afghanistan by nine wickets in the first semifinal of the 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup in Tarouba on Thursday morning.
Batting first after winning the toss, Afghanistan experienced a batting collapse and was bowled out for just 56 runs in 11.5 overs. South Africa chased down the target in 8.5 overs with the loss of only one wicket.
Marco Jansen took the wicket of the in-form batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz for a duck in the very first over of the game, putting immediate pressure on Afghanistan. Jansen also claimed the wicket of Gulbadin Naib in his second over. Kagiso Rabada then bowled Ibrahim Zadran and Mohammad Nabi within the space of four balls in the fourth over. Azmatullah Omarzai top-scored for Afghanistan with 10 runs off 12 balls. No other Afghan batter reached double figures, with two getting out for a duck.
Marco Jansen and Tabraiz Shamsi took three wickets each for South Africa, while Rabada and Anrich Nortje claimed two wickets each.
Chasing 56 to secure its spot in the maiden World Cup final, South Africa lost opener Quinton de Kock with five runs on the board. However, Reeza Hendricks and captain Aiden Markram batted sensibly to avoid any setbacks. Hendricks remained unbeaten with 29 off 25 balls, while Markram scored a not-out 23 from 21 balls.
South Africa will face the winner of the second semifinal between India and England in the final.
