Semi-Final 1: South Africa Crush Afghanistan, Qualify for First-Ever World Cup Finals

The Proteas registered a crushing victory over Afghanistan in the First Semi Final this morning (as per Indian Time). South Africa chased down Afghanistan's target with 9 wickets and over 11 overs to spare at the Brian Lara Stadium in Trinidad.

Afghanistan won the toss and elected to bat first on a surface that was difficult to bat on. The South Africa pacers were quick to capitalize on the demons in the surface. Marco Jansen was prolific with the ball, picking up 3 wickets in 3 overs, while Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje picked up 2 wickets each. Afghanistan batters had a nightmarish outing, with Azmatullah Omarzai being the highest scorer with 10 runs. They were bowled out with just 56 runs on the board.

South Africa also got off to a rocky start with Quinton de Kock walking back for 5 runs. Reeza Hendricks and Aiden Markram steadied the ship, and got South Africa home comfortably.

The Proteas Captain Aiden Markram said in the post-match interview, "Feels good. It's not only the captain that gets you here, it is a massive squad effort. Plenty of guys behind the scenes as well. Fortunate to have lost the toss, we would have batted too. We were brilliant with the ball, got it in the right areas and kept it really simple. The bowlers have been incredible for us. It was challenging with the bat, no batter is going to lie and tell you it was easy out there. We had a bit of luck and then got a bit of a partnership. We have had a few close games and a few people back home would have woken up early with more grey hairs. Glad today was a bit more comforting."