Is Afghanistan out of T20 World Cup 2026?

Afghanistan’s campaign in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 is almost over after losing a double super over game against South Africa at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on February 11, 2026. It was one of the most interesting and intense matches of the tournament so far. Afghanistan played exceptionally against South Africa, but the result didn’t go their way.

The Afghanistan Men’s National Cricket Team has already lost two games in the T20 World Cup 2026 Group D, and they are now on the edge of elimination. However, mathematically, Afghanistan are not out of the tournament, but the odds are low, especially when two quality sides, New Zealand and South Africa, are there in the group.

What happened in the South Africa vs Afghanistan match?

While batting first, South Africa scored 187/6 in 20 overs. Ryan Rickelton and Quinton de Kock played an exceptional knock of 61 and 59 runs, respectively and led their team to a competitive score against Afghanistan in Ahmedabad. Afghanistan bowlers made a strong comeback in the middle overs, and Rashid Khan took two crucial wickets.

Azmatullah Omarzai also did an excellent job in the death overs and got some crucial wickets of the Proteas. But Afghanistan had to chase 188 against a strong bowling lineup, and Rahmanullah Gurbaz played an extraordinary inning of 84 runs off 42 balls. Gurbaz didn’t get support from any other player; otherwise, they could have easily won the match.

Somehow, the match ended in a tie after a run-out on the last ball of the second inning. In the first over, Afghanistan put up 17 runs, and South Africa made 17 runs on the last ball with a six from Tristan Stubbs. In the second super over, South Africa set a massive target of 24 runs.

Again, Gurbaz played well and smashed three consecutive sixes to keep Afghanistan in the race. But with five runs needed on the final ball, he got out while hitting a six, and Afghanistan lost the thrilling game against South Africa by 4 runs.

T20 World Cup 2026 Group D Points Table

Is Afghanistan Out of the T20 World Cup 2026?

To qualify for the Super 8 stage, Afghanistan needs to win both their remaining matches against the UAE and Canada. Either South Africa or New Zealand should lose both of their remaining group stage matches. Apart from this, Afghanistan need to win with a good margin to improve their net run rate.

​The other two teams are the UAE and Canada, both of which are not as strong as Afghanistan to defeat quality sides like South Africa and New Zealand. But, we have seen in the past that low-profile teams have defeated quality sides, but the chances are very low, so Afghanistan’s chances depend on hope only.

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