Cricket: South Africa cruise into T20 World Cup final, as Afghanistan crumble at Trinidad

South Africa complete their run chase with a six and four. Credits: Image - Getty, video - Sky Sport

Marco Jansen and Tabraiz Shamsi have taken three wickets apiece, as South Africa skittled Afghanistan for 56 on their way to a comprehensive nine-wicket victory in the first Twenty20 World Cup semi-final at Trinidad.

The Proteas enjoyed their first victory in eight short-format World Cup semi-finals, going back to 1992, and will play the winners of the second semi between India and holders England in their first final.

The perennial underachievers looked anything but, as they ripped through the Afghan batting in less than 12 overs at Brian Lara Stadium to restrict their shellshocked opponents to their lowest-ever score in T20 internationals.

South Africa's batting has stuttered at times during the tournament and Fazalhaq Farooqi bowled Quinton de Kock early, but Reeza Hendricks and skipper Aiden Markram got the Proteas to their target without further losses inside nine overs.

"Really chuffed for us to have one more crack at lifting a trophy," said Markram. "A lot of our games have been really close, and I know there's a lot of people back at home in the early hours of the morning waking up and we've given them a lot of grey hairs.

"Hopefully, this evening was a little bit more comforting for them."

Playing their first semi-final after a thrilling victory over Bangladesh in their last 'Super Eight' match at St Vincent, Afghanistan won the toss and chose to bat.

Rahmanullah Gurbaz, the highest runscorer at the tournament, and Ibrahim Zadran had been the mainstay of the Afghan batting, with three century opening partnerships on their fairytale run to the last four.

Left-arm quick Jansen (3/16) removed Gurbaz for a duck with just four runs on the board in the opening over and returned in the third over to bowl Gulbadin Naib for nine.

There was no respite from the other end, as paceman Kagiso Rabada (2/14) found a nice line and length to bowl Zadran and Mohammad Nabi for a couple of runs apiece in the fourth over.

Third quick Anrich Nortje (2/7) chipped in with a couple of wickets and left-arm wrist spinner Shamsi (3/6) mopped up the tail, as Afghanistan became the first team to score fewer than 100 runs in a T20 World Cup semi-final.

Afghanistan have been rewarded at this tournament for never giving up, however bleak their prospects, and their bowlers made it clear that the South African batsmen would have to earn their place in the final.

The tournament's leading wicket-taker, left-arm seamer Fazalhaq Farooqi, made de Kock his 17th victim by swinging a ball in at the opener and shattering his stumps in the second over.

Hendricks (29 not out) and Markram (23 not out) were happy to play through dot balls, and await their chances to score, as they inched towards their modest target.

Opener Hendricks got them across the line with a six off a free hit and a four in successive balls to extend South Africa's winning streak at the tournament to eight matches.

Reuters