They came for De Kock, they stayed for the drama

Quinton de Kock's cult following was out in force in Ahmedabad on Wednesday. At least a half-dozen fans, all men and seemingly all Indian, were aglow in yellow No. 12 Proteas shirts outside gate No. 1 at the Narendra Modi stadium an hour before South Africa's T20 World Cup match against Afghanistan.

It must seem odd to be Indian and support a South African player when the opposition wears blue. This is a country where, when India play, the stands are filled with people in the same colour.

There was no such conflict on Wednesday. This was about cricket, not patriotism.

A smattering of spectators saw quite some cricket match.

South Africa squandered a second-wicket stand of 114 off 61 between de Kock and Ryan Rickelton to total 187/6. De Kock scored 59 off 41 and Rickelton made 61 off 28—44 of them in fours and sixes. It was an authoritative partnership. Yet no other stand reached 30 and no-one else scored more than Dewald Brevis' 23.

South Africa's supporters would have thought that was enough. The highest successful chase in the 10 previous T20Is at this venue was India's 166/3 against England in March 2021. But that was under lights, with dew. Wednesday was the first T20I played entirely here in the daytime, when bigger totals are needed.

South Africa's wasn't big enough. Not that it was apparent when Kagiso Rabada stood ready to bowl what would have been the last over. Afghanistan's last pair were at the crease with 13 needed. It was South Africa's game to lose.

Rabada overstepped with his first ball, which Noor Ahmad clobbered to cover. Then he bowled a leg-side wide. The free hit remained. Noor launched it to long-off, where Marco Jansen dropped what wouldn't have been a catch.

No run. A good thing for the Afghans, because Noor put the next delivery over square leg for six. He muscled the following ball to long-on, but waved the onrushing No. 11, Fazalhaq Farooqi, back.

Noor took two to long-off off what was another no-ball, leaving two needed off three with a free hit to come. But the next ball would be the last—Noor hit it to long-off, and Farooqi was run out by Jansen's throw and Rabada's smart work. Match tied.

Super Overs are a better way to decide matches than bowl-outs. So how about two of them?

Lungi Ngidi bowled the first. Azmatullah Omarzai and Rahmanullah Gurbaz faced. Seventeen runs resulted. Then David Miller and Dewald Brevis emerged to face Farooqi. Another 17 runs resulted, at the cost of Brevis' wicket—pulling a slower ball to short fine leg. Forcing another Super Over.

The Afghans' minds must have gone back to the Chinnaswamy in January 2024, when their match against India also went to a second Super Over. The teams each scored 16 off the first. India's second lasted only five balls. Afghanistan needed 11 to win. But Ravi Bishnoi had Mohammad Nabi caught at long-off with the first ball and Gurbaz taken on the same boundary with the third. All for a single.

Would things be different this time?

Out came Tristan Stubbs and Miller to face Azmatullah, who flew for 23 runs. Stubbs hit one six and Miller two.

Suddenly Keshav Maharaj appeared to bowl. Not Ngidi. Not Jansen. Not even Rabada. Nabi took a mighty swing at the first ball and missed. He slashed the next to point, where Miller held the catch. In walked Gurbaz with a menacing roll of the shoulders. The Afghans needed sixes off each of the remaining four deliveries. South Africa had enough, surely.

They still did after Gurbaz hit a straight six down the ground. And when he sent another screaming over long-on. But when he sent a third six arching over mid-wicket, South Africa could no longer be sure. One ball left. Six to get.

Maharaj went quicker and flatter. And wider. Wide enough to be called wide. One ball left. Five to get.

Spinners don't often bowl yorkers. Then again, matches don't often go to two Super Overs. Maharaj fired at the base of the stumps. Gurbaz dug it out, but only as far as point, where Miller clung to another catch.

The game was over. The South Africans whooped and wheeled about the place. Gurbaz hammered his bat into the turf and stalked off furious.

The QdK cultists must have gone home happy. Not only had they seen their man bat well, they had seen his team all but win, then all but lose, then tie, then tie again, then, finally, win.