Photograph: Proteas Men/X

Key Points

• South Africa rode on a 114-run stand between Quinton de Kock (59) and Ryan Rickelton (61) to post 187 for 6.
• Afghanistan were bowled out for exactly 187 in 19.4 overs, forcing the match into its first Super Over.
• Afghanistan scored 17 for no loss in the first Super Over, Azmatullah Omarzai striking two fours and a six off Lungi Ngidi.
• South Africa matched the total, Tristan Stubbs hitting a six off the final ball.
• Batting first in the second Super Over, South Africa scored 23, powered by David Miller's 16.
• Rahmanullah Gurbaz clobbered three sixes but Afghanistan fell short of the target, scoring 19-2 to hand South Africa a dramatic victory.

South Africa registered one of the most thrilling victories in T20 Internationals when they edged past Afghanistan in a tense finish in the second Super Over, in the T20 World Cup Group D match in Ahmedabad on Wednesday.

Chasing 188 for victory, Rahmanullah Gurbaz's blistering 84 from 42 balls single-handedly kept Afghanistan in the hunt despite South Africa chipping away at the wickets.

However, his dismissal in the 13th over saw South Africa take control as they looked on course for victory.

Rashid Khan chipped in with a vital 20 from 12 balls but South Africa still held the upper hand with 13 needed from the final over bowled by Kagiso Rabada as they needed just one wicket for victory.

Rabada struck with the first ball of the final over, getting Noor Ahmad caught in the covers but he had overstepped. Noor made most of the reprieve as he smashed the pacer for a six and another no-ball from Rabada left Afghanistan to get two from the last three balls.

But lastman Fazalhaq Farooqi was run out going for a risky second run as the match went into the Super Over with Afghanistan bowled out 187 in 19.4 overs.

In the first Super Over, Azmatullah Omarzai hit Lungi Ngidi for a four and a six to help Afghanistan post 17. With the ball, Farooqi looked to have sealed the deal as he dismissed Dewald Brevis but Tristan Stubbs slammed the last ball for a six to level scores and take the match into a second Super Over.

South Africa left nothing to chance in the second Super Over as two sixes from David Miller and one from Stubbs saw them post a hefty 23 in the second Super Over.

Gurbaz nearly pulled off an astonishing victory as he smashed spinner Keshav Maharaj for three successive sixes but was dismissed off the last ball as South Africa survived a mighty scare.

IMAGE: Rashid Khan celebrates a wicket. Photograph: ANI

Earlier, Ryan Rickelton and Quinton de Kock smashed quickfire half-centuries to put together a century stand, powering South Africa to 187 for six.

Rickelton was the aggressor, scoring 61 off 28 balls, including five fours and four sixes, in a 114-run second-wicket partnership. De Kock contributed 59 off 41 balls with five boundaries and three sixes.

Sent in to bat, South Africa were dealt an early blow in the form off skipper Aiden Markram (5).

Fazalhaq Farooqi (1/32) deceived Markram with an excellent change up, with the Proteas skipper getting only toe-end of his bat as Mohammad Nabi took a simple catch at mid-off in the third over.

De Kock broke the shackles in the fourth over, clearing Mujeeb ur Rahman over the fence and then followed it up with a boundary through backward point in the next ball.

Rickelton then joined the party, hitting Azmatullah Omarzai (3/41) for two boundaries as South Africa managed just 43 for 1 in the powerplay.

Both De Kock and Rickelton pressed the accelerator button thereafter, taking on the spin duo of Mohammad Nabi and skipper Rashid Khan (2/28) with some lusty hits as they picked up boundaries and sixes at will.

IMAGE: Quinton de Kock and Ryan Rickelton. Photograph: Proteas Men/X

Noor Ahmad, who didn't play Afghanistan's opening match against New Zealand, was taken to task by the duo as the spinner gave away 23 runs in his first over.

While de Kock welcomed Ahmad with a six over long-on, Rickelton then swept the spinner over midwicket and followed it up with two fours through covers as South Africa raced to 98 for 1 at the halfway stage.

The onslaught continued as De Kock brought up his fifth T20 World Cup fifty with a boundary off Mujeeb through midwicket and then Rickelton added salt to the bowler's wound with a maximum to score a quality fifty of just 23 balls.

It took some brilliance from Rashid and poor shot selection to break the dangerous-looking partnership with both de Kock and Rickelton departing in the 13th over.

Rashid first accounted for De Kock, caught at deep midwicket by Ibrahim Zadran and then a ball later the Afghan skipper trapped Rickelton plumb in front of the wicket with a quicker delivery that skidded on after pitching.

After the onslaught from Rickelton and de Kock, Afghanistan pulled things back to some extent with the wickets of Dewald Brevis (23 off 19), and Tristan Stubbs (1), but veteran David Miller (20 not out off 15) and Marco Jansen (16 off 7) ensured a formidable total for South Africa.

In reply, the Afghans started aggressively in the run chase before losing the plot, but some brilliant hitting from Omarzai, Rashid and Noor Ahmad coupled with a disastrous final over from Kagiso Rabada, in which he gave away two no balls, cost South Africa dearly.

Afghanistan made a bright start to their chase, with Gurbaz (84 off 42; 4x4s, 7x6s) smashing Ngidi for two fours in the opening over.

Gurbaz continued with his attacking approach, ramping Marco Jansen over the slips for aa maximum and then hitting Rabada over the third man fence.

George Linde gave away 17 runs in his opening over as Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran took the attack to the opposition to race to 50 in just four overs. But Ngidi put brakes on the scoring, scalping two wickets in the fifth over in the form of Zadran, who was cleaned up, and then accounting for Gulbadin Naib a ball later with the pacer taking a brilliant return catch.

Gurbaz, however, was in ominous form as he dispatched Linde for two sixes in the eight over to bring up his fifty in 26 balls, lifting Afghanistan to 93 for 3 in 10 overs.

He was going great guns before twin blows in the 13th over changed the complexion of the match. Omarzai (22 off 17) and Rashid (20 off 12) kept Afghanistan in the hunt before Noor Ahmed (15 not out off 9) struck two big sixes to bring down the bring the equation to 13 off the last six balls.

South Africa looked to have pocked the match off the first ball of the last over by dismissing Ahmad, only for a ill-timed no-ball from Rabada. The batter punished the Proteas, clearing the bowler for a maximum.

Rabada bowled another no-ball off the fourth delivery before Ahmad was run-out going for the winning run as the match finished on level scores, forcing the Super Over.

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