Rashid Khan registered 2/28.
Afghanistan’s painful loss to South Africa in the SA vs AFG T20 World Cup 2026 clash in Ahmedabad will be remembered for its first-ever double Super Over. While the game ended in one of the most exciting finishes in tournament history, with South Africa eventually finishing on top. But this led to a question: Did Afghanistan miss a chance by not using captain Rashid Khan in either Super Over?
Afghanistan performed exceptionally well to push South Africa to the Super Over. They restricted South Africa to 187/6 and levelled that score largely thanks to Rahmanullah Gurbaz’s explosive 84 off just 42 balls. A dramatic final over from Kagiso Rabada, which included two no-balls and a wide, allowed Afghanistan to tie the main match, forcing a Super Over to decide a winner.
In the first Super Over, Afghanistan batted first and hammered 17 runs, with Azmatullah Omarzai sending Lungi Ngidi, the most successful bowler for SA in the main game. However, when it was time to defend their total, Afghanistan chose to hand the ball to left-arm pacer Fazalhaq Farooqi instead of captain Rashid Khan, who currently holds the record for most wickets in T20I cricket. Thanks to Tristan Stubbs, South Africa matched the score, leading to a second Super Over.
Instead of backing himself to deliver, Rashid Khan (28/2 off 4 overs) went with another pace bowling all-rounder in Azmatullah Omarzai to bowl the potential of their tournament fate deciding over, who had conceded 41 runs off his four overs, though he took 3 wickets. This decision turned out to be costly, as David Miller and Tristan Stubbs together hit 23 runs, giving South Africa a strong advantage. Afghanistan didn’t get an expected start, playing two dot balls, and it included Mohammad Nabi’s wicket, before Gurbaz hit three consecutive sixes to make it interesting. Needing five on the final ball, Keshav Maharaj dismissed him on the last ball, sealing a four-run win for South Africa.
Rashid, one of the most experienced T20 bowlers in the world, did not bowl in either Super Over despite boasting a vast experience of bowling in such crunch situations and his familiarity with the Ahmedabad pitch from years in the IPL. Him being a leader of the pack not taking the responsibility during these critical moments raised questions, especially when South Africa backed their spinner to do the job.
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After the match, Rashid reflected on the narrow margins that shaped the game. “So, so unlucky to be part of the losing team. We gave everything on the ground. One ball, one dive could have finished it,” he said.
However, Afghanistan did not lose the match because of just one decision, but the Super Overs showed how small tactical choices can have a big impact. With their hopes for qualification now hanging by a thread, this defeat will make Afghanistan rethink their decision-making under pressure as the tournament progresses. But for now, their fate to advance to the Super 8 stage now depends on other teams’ results.
Despite two losses in as many games, Afghanistan sits third in the points table due to a better run rate than the UAE and Canada. Afghanistan now needs to achieve two significant wins against the UAE and Canada while hoping that either New Zealand or South Africa loses their games, which seems unlikely right now. So far in Group D, New Zealand leads the table with two wins from two games, while South Africa has the same points but a slightly worse net run rate.
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