| Both South Africa and Afghanistan lost their opening | | | | Villiers, Kallis and Boucher back in the pavilion. |
| group games to India. India, with four points, was | | | | However, JP Duminy and Albie Morkel rescued South |
| already through to the Super Eights. This left only | | | | Africa. Duminy (25) and Morkel (21) took South Africa |
| one spot up for grabs. It was a winner-takes-all | | | | to 133/6 in the 19th over. With ten balls to go, |
| situation, where the Net Run Rate counted for little. | | | | Afghanistan did well to restrict the Proteas to seven |
| Afghanistan, as qualifiers from the Associate | | | | runs off the last ten balls of the innings. S.A. finished |
| competition, was the rank outsider in this group and | | | | on 139/7, barely managing to post a competitive |
| in this match. South Africa was expected to coast to | | | | score after such an aggressive start. Hamid Hassan |
| victory, but remained wary of Afghanistan's threat - | | | | was the most effective for Afghanistan, taking 3/21 |
| particularly the bowling of Hamid Hassan, who had a | | | | off four overs. |
| fine match against India. | | | | In their reply, the Afghans were inept against the |
| South Africa batted first at Kensington Oval, | | | | pace of Dale Steyn and Charl Langeveldt. Noor Ali, |
| Barbados, with Loots Bosman and Graeme Smith | | | | Afghanistan's top-scorer with 50 against India, fell for |
| opening the batting. Smith took to the bowling of | | | | nought off the third ball of the first over. South |
| Shapoor Zadran as Afghanistan conceded 13 off the | | | | Africa reduced Afghanistan to 8/4, then 12/5. Things |
| first over. However, Bosman perished for nought off | | | | got even worse when Morne Morkel nabbed |
| the first ball he faced. Jacques Kallis joined Smith and | | | | Mohammad Nabi for nought - Afghanistan was 14/6. |
| the carnage continued. Smith blazed 27 off 14 balls | | | | The procession to the pavilion was steady as |
| before he fell to Mohammad Nabi in the fifth over; | | | | Afghanistan boiled down to 32/8. They were in |
| South Africa was 45/2. S.A. continued piling on the | | | | danger of making the lowest ever total in the brief |
| runs, reaching 77 in the 11th over. | | | | history of T20 Internationals. |
| From 77/2, the "Proteas" subsided to 90/5, with de | | | | |