SOUTH AFRICA held off Afghanistan in a dramatic double tiebreaker today at the Twenty20 World Cup, with spinner Keshav Maharaj just holding his nerve in the second super over.

It was one of the tightest, most seesawing matches in elite cricket’s shortest international format.

Fazalhaq Farooqi’s runout ended Afghanistan’s chance to win it in regulation with two balls to spare, with his team finishing all out for 187 after 19.4 overs chasing South Africa’s 187 for six.

That meant it had to go to a tiebreaker — the so-called Super Over. Twice.

Afghanistan posted 17 in the first Super Over and Farooqi was in position to win it again, this time with his bowling. He restricted South Africa to 11 runs with one ball remaining until Tristan Stubbs plundered a six to level the scores again.

South Africa batted first in the second tiebreaker, posting 23 with David Miller and Stubbs combining for three sixes off Azmatullah Omarzai.

Maharaj seemingly gave the 2024 T20 World Cup finalists control with a wicket and two dot balls to start the second Super Over, leaving Afghanistan needing 24 runs from four balls. That would usually require clearing the boundary rope four times.

Enter Rahmanullah Gurbaz. With nothing to lose, the big-hitting opener — who earlier blazed 84 from 42 deliveries as Afghanistan chased down South Africa’s target — plundered three consecutive sixes to get the equation down to six runs off one delivery.

A wide from Maharaj lowered the target to 5 from one delivery, and raised the prospect of yet another tiebreaker. But the South African finished it off when he had Gurbaz caught out. It was game over.

Lungi Ngidi, who took 3-26 during the match and then bowled the first of the Super Overs for South Africa, was voted player of the match.

“I’ve lost so much weight today. I’ve never been that stressed in my life in a cricket game,” he said. “Being able to win two Super Overs with our hitters hitting like that … very happy.”

South Africa is 2-0 after winning its opening game over Canada. Afghanistan is now 0-2 after an opening loss to New Zealand and unlikely to progress to the Super Eights from a group containing three highly ranked teams. Only the top two teams in each of the four groups will advance.