"Kya yaar Royal Challengers Afghanistan" - Top 10 funny memes after South Africa's crushing win vs Afghanistan in 1st semis of T20 World Cup
South Africa beat Afghanistan by nine wickets in the first semi-final of the 2024 T20 World Cup at the Brian Lara Stadium in Tarouba, Trinidad, on Wednesday, June 26. Courtesy of the thumping win, South Africa reached the finals of a World Cup for the first time after several heartbreaks in knock-out matches over the years.
Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan won the toss and opted to bat first in the contest. Proteas pacers Marco Jansen (3/16), Kagiso Rabada (2/14), and Anrich Nortje (2/7) wreaked havoc with the ball and triggered a massive collapse of the opposition batting line-up, reducing them to 28/6.
Left-arm leg-spinner Tabraiz Shamsi then wrapped up the tail quickly with a three-wicket haul as Afghanistan were skittled out for 56 in 11.5 overs. Azmatullah Omarzai (10) was the only batter to reach double digits for the Asian side.
Leading wicket-taker Fazalhaq Farooqi then dismissed South African opener Quinton de Kock (5) early to give his side a ray of hope. However, Reeza Hendricks (29*) and Aiden Markram (23*) played brisk knocks to quash any Afghan hopes of a miracle, taking their side over the line in just 8.5 overs.
Fans enjoyed the one-sided T20 World Cup semi-final between Afghanistan and South Africa and shared hilarious memes on X and Instagram.
Here are some of the best memes related to the game:
"Special bowling performance" - South Africa captain Aiden Markram after victory vs Afghanistan in 2024 T20 World Cup semi-final
At the post-match presentation, South African skipper Aiden Markram reflected on the memorable win and said:
"It feels good. It's not really the captain that gets you this far. It's the backroom staff and the players on the fringes too. Special bowling performance. We a got a bit of luck because we wanted to bat too. They kept things really simple, assessed the conditions and adapted the plans. It was quite tough. The pitch going up and down does play a role."
Markram added:
"We know we have had a lot of close games. They are people at home waking up early and we have given them a lot of grey hairs. Hopefully this is more comforting. One more step. Nothing to fear, it's an exciting opportunity. There's a lot of belief in this squad. We are tying to see it very simply. There are a lot of external pressures but if we can keep our heads straight, we'll get there."
Team India will square off against England in the second semi-final of the 2024 T20 World Cup on Thursday, June 27 at the Providence Stadium in Guyana.