T20 World Cup 2026: South Africa gave Afghanistan a target of 188 runs, de Kock and Rickleton’s storm

News India Live, Digital Desk: In the 13th match of T20 World Cup 2026, South Africa has made a challenging score of 187/6 in the stipulated 20 overs. After winning the toss and electing to bowl first, the Proteas batsmen initially pushed the Afghanistan team on the back foot, however, the Afghan bowlers made a good comeback in the last overs. The highlight of South Africa’s innings was De Kock-Rickleton’s century partnership: After the early dismissal of captain Aiden Markram (5), Quinton De Kock (59) and Ryan Rickleton (61) took charge. There was an aggressive partnership of 114 runs between the two for the second wicket. Middle order struggle: At one time South Africa was moving towards the score of 200+, but Rashid Khan turned the match by dismissing both the set batsmen in the same over. Finishing touch: Thanks to the innings of David Miller (20*) and Marco Johnson (16) in the last overs, the team could reach a respectable score of 187. Afghanistan Bowling: Rashid Khan’s magic: Captain Rashid Khan bowled brilliantly and took 2 wickets for 28 runs in 4 overs. Azmatullah Omarzai: Omarzai took the maximum of 3 wickets, although they proved to be a bit expensive (41 runs). Live Chase: Afghanistan’s explosive start. Chasing the target of 188 runs, the Afghanistan team has also adopted an aggressive stance. Score (5 overs): 51/2 Rahmanullah Gurbaz is looking in great form and is present at the crease after scoring 33 runs. Lungi Ndi has sent Ibrahim Zadran (12) and Gulbadin Naib (0) to the pavilion, giving success to South Africa. Importance of the match (Group D Scenario) This match is like ‘do or die’ for Afghanistan. If they lose today, they will almost be out of the race for the Super-8. At the same time, South Africa would like to strengthen its position further with this victory.