In a thrilling encounter at Ahmedabad in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023, Rassie van der Dussen’s remarkable innings played a crucial role in South Africa’s victory over Afghanistan. The match featured intense competition between Afghanistan’s bowlers and South Africa’s batsmen, culminating in a thrilling contest that saw South Africa’s batsmen dominate.
For South Africa, Rassie van der Dussen (76*) displayed an outstanding performance in the second innings, while veteran players Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi shone for Afghanistan.
In the first innings, Afghanistan’s resilient batting, led by Azmatullah Omarzai’s unbeaten 97*, helped them set a formidable target after dominating for most of the innings. However, South Africa’s bowlers, especially Gerald Coetzee (4/44) and Keshav Maharaj (2/25), managed to strike back, restricting Afghanistan.
With this victory, Afghanistan was eliminated from the World Cup.
Match 42: South Africa defeated Afghanistan by five wickets South Africa’s opening batsmen made a strong start, consistently scoring runs. Quinton de Kock, in particular, was aggressive, hitting several boundaries and sixes during the powerplay. Temba Bavuma faced some challenges but managed to hold his ground.
Afghanistan struck back early in the second powerplay when Mujeeb Ur Rahman dismissed Bavuma, while Mohammad Nabi managed to dismiss Quinton de Kock. Though there was some controversy regarding the dismissal, Afghanistan eventually succeeded in taking wickets.
Afterward, Rassie van der Dussen and Aiden Markram steadied South Africa, playing several confident shots. While Afghanistan’s spinners put pressure on the scoring rate, especially Rashid Khan, the South African batsmen continued to inch closer to their target.
As the partnership between van der Dussen and Markram was building, a brilliant catch by David Miller in the outfield gave Afghanistan their much-needed breakthrough, sending Markram back early.
Rassie van der Dussen received excellent support from David Miller, and both played with caution against the challenging deliveries. Even though Proteas’ scoring rate slowed down, van der Dussen gradually moved closer to his century.
However, Afghanistan achieved success in the 38th over when Miller fell to Mohammad Nabi. Afghanistan’s spinners succeeded in keeping the scoring rate under control. South Africa’s fate mainly rested on Rassie van der Dussen, who was still at the crease.
While South Africa’s openers had to deal with the challenge of facing spin, it was Keshav Maharaj who finally brought an end to Proteas’ struggles. On his first ball, he dismissed Rahmat Shah, taking a thin edge that was caught in the slip by Henrich Klaasen.
In the next over, Gerald Coetzee took the wicket of the previous match’s centurion, Ibrahim Zadran, for just 15 runs. The wickets continued to fall for Afghanistan as Gerald Coetzee claimed the scalp of Rahmanullah Gurbaz.
Then, in the midst of building a partnership, Mohammad Nabi played a fantastic catch to dismiss Quinton de Kock, and soon, Afghanistan lost three more wickets without adding any runs after the 41/0 start.
Kagiso Rabada was effective with the ball in hand, as he successfully trapped Nabi leg-before-wicket with a brilliant yorker. Then, Lungi Ngidi dismissed Mohammad Nabi from behind, securing South Africa’s second crucial wicket.
After Mohammad Nabi’s dismissal, South Africa continued to build pressure, and Rassie van der Dussen remained the cornerstone of their innings. The batsmen faced a challenging phase from Afghanistan’s spinners, but they managed to keep their composure and slowly increased the scoring rate.
Despite the wickets falling around him, Rassie van der Dussen received much-needed support from Nor Ahmed (26*), and together, they guided South Africa to a five-wicket victory.
Afghanistan’s opening batsmen had made a solid start and showed their support for their captain’s decision to bat first. Their strategy was centered on the belief that the wicket might become trickier to bat on later.
On the other hand, Temba Bavuma believed that the pitch might skid under the lights, and his assessment proved to be accurate.
To conclude, Rassie van der Dussen’s heroic innings played a pivotal role in South Africa’s victory over Afghanistan in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023. It was a thrilling match that showcased the competitive spirit of both teams. Van der Dussen’s brilliant performance and South Africa’s teamwork secured a significant win, keeping their World Cup campaign alive.
Afghanistan was unchanged, whereas South Africa brought in Gerald Coetzee and Andile Phelukwayo even as Tabraiz Shamsi and Marco Jansen were rested.
