Former India star Irfan Pathan is still buzzing from the South Africa-Afghanistan World Cup thriller, hailing it as an all-time classic. The Ahmedabad spectacle on Wednesday redefined high-stakes cricket, earning a spot in Pathan’s elite top-five World Cup games.
During his JioHotstar analysis, Pathan captured the essence: ‘This was peak World Cup entertainment – two super overs, endless drama with no-balls, free hits, run-outs, and those heartbreaking missed yorkers.’ He emphasized it as the tournament’s standout so far.
Bowling under pressure was a focal point. ‘Yorkers failed, pace brought punishment, but cunning slower balls delivered wickets,’ Pathan noted. Keshav Maharaj’s heroics in the second super over stole the show – a pinpoint wide-line delivery to Gurbaz after an early wide, leading to the crucial wicket that clinched victory.
The narrative was set early: South Africa, inserted after losing toss, reached 187. Afghanistan chased brilliantly to 187 in 19.4 overs, triggering super overs. Afghanistan posted 17 in the first; Stubbs’ final six tied it. South Africa upped to 23 next. Nabi fell without score, leaving 24 needed off four. Gurbaz erupted with three massive sixes versus Maharaj. A wide tilted momentum, and on the final ball needing five, Gurbaz’s run-out ended Afghanistan’s dream, securing South Africa’s win by four runs.
As Pathan sums it, this wasn’t just a match; it was cricket at its most exhilarating, a benchmark for future generations.