Aiden Markram

Australia’s Mitchell Starc was looking forward to “a great spectacle of cricket” after his side book their spot in the World Cup final against hosts India.

Starc helped Australia conquer South Africa in the semi-final at Eden Gardens, claiming three for 34 and holding up his end in a vital partnership with captain Pat Cummins during the closing moments of a tense chase.

In the end Australia squeaked home by three wickets in a low-scoring encounter, with Starc’s new-ball burst doing a huge amount of heavy lifting.

He set the tone for the day by removing Proteas skipper Temba Bavuma in the first over, then dismissed Aiden Markram as he and Josh Hazlewood reduced their opponents to 24 for four.

The intensity is only going to be dialled up when they take on undefeated home favourites India in Ahmedabad on Sunday, with up to 100,000 locals ready to roar their nation on at the Narendra Modi Stadium.

And it is a prospect Starc is ready to embrace.

“It’s certainly going to be a big occasion, a World Cup Final in India. It’s going to be loud,” he said.

“I think it’s just going to be a great spectacle of cricket, no doubt. There’s going to be a lot of passion there. Certainly, everyone in our changing room is looking forward to it.

“I don’t think either changing room is new to big occasions. You want to take on the best and that’s why we play the game. They’ve been the best team in the tournament so far and we both find ourselves in the final. That’s what World Cups are about.”

Starc’s skipper, Cummins, was equally enthused about the prospect having been part of Australia’s last ODI world champion squad on home soil eight years ago.

“The stadium is going to be packed, pretty one-sided, but we’ve got to embrace it,” he said.

“The 2015 World Cup was a career highlight, so to be out there in a final in India, I can’t wait.”

Starc agreed with the idea that over the course of a hard-fought contest against South Africa, Australia’s victory lay in their aggression during the powerplay overs. While he and Hazlewood established a stranglehold over the batters, Travis Head and David Warner went on the attack as they raided 60 runs off the first six.

On both occasions, damage was done that could not be clawed back by the Proteas.

“We’ve seen throughout the tournament how tough the first 10 overs can be at certain times…when you’re willing to take the game on like that, sometimes you take a little bit of luck with you,” he said.

“It certainly went to plan with the ball today and the way we set up with the bat is to really be aggressive, take the game on and the freedom to give those guys to go out and play the way they like to.”

Losing coach Rob Walter gave South Africa credit for battling back into contention after their early collapse, making 212 on the back of David Miller’s 101, and insisted the age-old tag of ‘chokers’ was no longer fitting.

“It’s obviously gutting to lose a semi-final but beyond that, I’m incredibly proud of the fight shown by the lads,” he said.

“I guess you need to define what a ‘choke’ is. For me, a choke is losing a game that you’re in a position to win. In this instance, we were behind the eight ball right from the word go and we actually fought our way back into the competition and put up a score that gave us a chance.

“For me there’s nothing even remotely close to a choke that happened out there today. It’s a serious contest between two good teams, number two and three in the tournament.”

Needing to win both matches against the Dutch and hope Ireland lose at least one of their three matches against Bangladesh in May in order to qualify automatically for the World Cup, which will be held in India later this year, the Proteas eased to victory on Friday.

This ODI was the second of a three-match series that was supposed to take place in late 2021, but was postponed because of concerns over a COVID-19 variant. The first match ended with no result.

The importance of the match was reflected in the strong squad chosen by South Africa, with Anrich Nortje and Kagiso Rabada included despite their imminent IPL commitments.

Nortje played a key role in restricting the Netherlands to 189 all out despite scores of 45 and 48 from Vikramijit Singh and Teja Nidamanuru respectively, taking 2/24 off his eight overs while Sisanda Magala and Tabraiz Shamsi picked up three wickets each.

It was the Netherlands' second-highest ODI score against South Africa, but the Proteas cruised to the winning total regardless as Bavuma's sublime innings (90 not out from 79 balls) helped them to victory.

Aiden Markram chipped in with a half-century off just 37 balls, though it was his captain who finished the job as Bavuma smashed the ball back past bowler Ryan Klein for four to seal the win.

Opener De Kock smashed 74 runs from just 40 balls and captain Aiden Markram added 46 for the Proteas as their top order finally fired after enduring a difficult start to the tournament.

Even though Harmeet Singh (2-24) removed De Kock and David Miller (0) in consecutive balls in the 13th over, Heinrich Klaasen (36 not out) and Tristan Stubbs (20no) helped South Africa to a healthy 194-4 in Antigua.

USA fell to 76-5 just after the midway point of their innings as it looked like a chase of 195 would fall flat, but a magnificent partnership of 91 from 43 balls between Andries Gous and Harmeet took USA to within 28 of their target with two overs to spare.

However, Rabada took the crucial wicket of Harmeet for 38 and killed the contest as his 19th over went for that wicket and just two runs, capping a fine bowling display that saw him finish with figures of 3-18 from four overs.

Gous batted on and finished with an impressive unbeaten 80 off 47 balls, but USA fell short as South Africa maintained their 100 per cent record in the competition so far.

Data Debrief: De Kock and Gous impress

After USA won the toss and elected to field before removing Reeza Hendricks (11) in the third over, they sensed an opportunity to seize control.

But De Kock had other ideas, smashing three successive sixes as South Africa scored a huge 28 off the fourth over to seize momentum they did not relinquish from there.

De Kock’s superb innings included five maximums and seven fours until he was finally removed by Harmeet in the 13th over.

As the South Africa star left the field, only three players had recorded a better innings than him in this year's tournament – West Indies' Nicholas Pooran (98), USA's Aaron Jones (94 not out) and Afghanistan batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz (who has had scores of 80 and 76).

But Gous then immediately topped him with an excellent knock of his own, and the American now has the most runs in the tournament with 182, putting him 15 ahead Gurbaz, who is back in action against India on Thursday.

India coach Dravid stated before the limited-overs tournament that this competition would be his last in charge of the national team.

Rohit Sharma's men have responded by going unbeaten throughout the entire 20-over tournament, dispatching England in the semi-finals to reach Saturday's showpiece.

Much has been made of Dravid's exit, with many India supporters desperate for their veteran coach to leave with silverware, though he just wants his side to grab this opportunity.

"You know, I don't really believe in this 'Do it for somebody'," Dravid said. 

"I love that quote about somebody asking somebody else, 'Why do you want to climb Mount Everest?' and he says 'I want to climb Mount Everest because it's there'.

"I want to win this World Cup because it's there. It's not for anyone, it's not for anybody, it's just there to win."

Opponents South Africa are unbeaten also throughout the 2024 edition of this global white-ball tournament.

They obliterated Afghanistan in the last four to breeze into the final at ease, too, with the best two teams deservedly making the showpiece.

Never has this tournament yielded an unbeaten champion, but of course, that will change come close of play in Bridgetown.

South Africa have history to deal with, too, after becoming somewhat perennial underachievers in the final of global competitions.

Captain Aiden Markram believes his team can put the past behind them, however.

Markram said: "It's a game of cricket. Someone has to win, and someone has to lose ultimately. That's the name of the game. You take it in your stride.

"You do get belief, though, from winning close games and potentially winning games that you thought you weren't going to win.

"It does a lot for your changing room and the vibe in the changing room."

Seamer Hasan took 5-60 as the Proteas collapsed to 274 all out Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Monday, losing by 95 runs after looking poised to level the series.

Hasan finished with magnificent match figures of 10-114, inspiring Pakistan to a first series triumph over South Africa since 2003.

South Africa had been going along nicely on 241-3 chasing 370 to win, but the tourists fell apart after Markram was dismissed for a superb 108.

Markram's fifth Test hundred – and his first since March 2018 – proved to be in vain as Hasan was once again the star of the show on the final day.

Temba Bavuma made 61 and Rassie van der Dussen 48, but South Africa lost seven wickets for only 33 runs, Shaheen Shah Afridi also doing damage, taking 4-51.

Quinton de Kock fell for a golden duck, while Keshav Maharaj and Kagiso Rabada also failed to trouble the scorers.

Victory for Pakistan moved them up to fifth in the Test rankings and was their first series win since beating Bangladesh 12 months ago, bringing the Proteas back down to earth after their 2-0 defeat of Sri Lanka.

South Africa have now lost four of their past five series and are unable to respond with a victory over Australia on home soil after the series was postponed.

Hasan's Test-best stuns Proteas

South Africa could not contend with Hasan in the first innings and it was the same story on the final day of the series.

He saw the back of Van der Dussen and Faf du Plessis (five) in the morning session, then came to the party again with the second new ball

Hasan claimed the big wicket of Markram, who was caught by Imran Butt, then dismissed captain De Kock first ball before sending George Linde packing. Afridi also delivered for Pakistan, with Yasir Shah sealing victory by bowling Wiaan Mulder when he charged down the track.

Markam stakes captaincy claim

It proved to be a day to forget for the tourists, but Markram's knock was a major positive.

The opener showed his class, batting for over five and a half hours – hitting three sixes and finding the rope 13 times – as he staked his claim for the captaincy.

A partnership of 112 between Hendricks (74) and Aiden Markram (56) helped the Proteas to a total of 211-5 from their 20 overs.

Gareth Delany (2-31) dismissed both in consecutive deliveries, but additional help from Tristan Stubbs (24 from 11 balls) and Dwaine Pretorius (21 from 7) at the end of the innings ultimately made all the difference.

Ireland's reply got off to a steady start, but a middle order collapse left them on 84-5 after 9.2 overs.

Lorcan Tucker and George Dockrell stepped up to mount a comeback, with Tucker hitting 78 from just 38 balls, including seven fours and five sixes, while Dockrell ably supported with 43 from 28 deliveries.

However, like Hendricks and Markram, both were out to consecutive balls to Tabraiz Shamsi (2-37) and Pretorius (1-44), with Ireland's tail unable to produce the same support that South Africa's middle order had as they closed on 190-9.

Holder, who hit an unbeaten 54 from 88 deliveries, watched on as the Proteas built a commanding advantage and were left 223-5 in their second innings. 

Opener Aiden Markram (51) and Kyle Verreynne (50) starred for South Africa, with no repeat of the opening day carnage that saw 17 wickets fall for either side. 

The Proteas were bowled out for 160 in their first innings, with Holder's half-century steadying the ship after the Windies had wobbled to just 97-7 in the 28th over. 

With a 16-run advantage heading into the second innings, Markram and Tony de Zorzi put together a 79-run opening partnership before the latter was caught for 39. 

The dismissal of Markram saw the visitors lose three wickets for 19 runs, but Verreynne and Wiaan Mulder (34 not out) were able to put together an 84-run sixth-wicket stand.

South Africa will resume with Verreynne and Mulder on day three, but Holder remains positive that his side can produce a comeback. 

“I was just trying to eke out as many runs as we could,” said Holder at the end of the day. “First session tomorrow is obviously crucial for us.

"The most important thing is not to let the runs get too far away, let them sweat a little bit more for their runs, and I believe, with the amount of time left in the game, that we can chase anything they give us.”

Six countries are represented in the men's side, with three each from South Africa and Pakistan, two from Australia and one from England, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

The three Pakistan players to make the team are Babar, Mohammad Rizwan and Shaheen Shah Afridi. Babar was the top scorer in the T20 World Cup and amassed 939 runs in 29 matches in 2021 overall. Rizwan managed 1,326 runs in the same number of matches at a strike rate of 134.89, while Afridi took 23 wickets in 21 matches at an economy of just 7.86.

Aiden Markram, David Miller and Tabraiz Shamsi are the chosen trio from South Africa. Markram scored 570 runs in 18 matches, Miller 377 runs at a strike rate of 149.60, and wrist spinner Shamsi took 36 wickets at an impressive economy rate of 5.72.

Australia duo Mitchell Marsh and Josh Hazlewood are also chosen, with the former making 627 runs in 21 matches and starring in the T20 World Cup final win over New Zealand.

Hazlewood also played a huge partl in his team's World Cup success, taking 23 wickets in 15 matches at an average of 16.34.

England's Jos Buttler makes the team after scoring 589 runs in 14 matches at 65.44 apiece, with one century. He was England's leading run-scorer in the World Cup with 269, which included a stunning century against Sri Lanka, who themselves are represented by Wanindu Hasaranga.

The spinner was another standout performer at the World Cup with 16 wickets to his name, more than anyone else in the United Arab Emirates and Oman. Hasaranga took 36 wickets in 20 matches last year.

The final selection is Bangladesh's Mustafizur Rahman, who claimed 28 wickets in 20 matches at an average of 17.39, as well as keeping things tight with an economy of 7.00.

The women's team sees five English selections, including Sciver as captain, along with Tammy Beaumont, Danni Wyatt, Amy Jones and Sophie Ecclestone.

They are joined by Smriti Mandhana (India), Gaby Lewis (Ireland), Laura Wolvaardt, Marizanne Kapp, Shabnim Ismail (all South Africa) and Loryn Phiri (Zimbabwe).

The tourists chased down a fourth innings total of 79 in just 12 overs at Newlands to wrap up the entire game, scheduled to end on Sunday evening, in just 642 balls.

That made it the shortest Test win ever recorded in terms of deliveries bowled, shaving 14 off a record that has stood since 1932, when South Africa were also on the losing side against Australia in Melbourne.

Over the course of little more than four sessions of cricket, a wicket fell less than every 20 balls on average.

The Proteas, who won well in a hard-fought opening Test in Centurion, were dismissed for 55 on the first morning and improved to 176 only because of a solo effort from Aiden Markram, who made a backs-to-the-wall 106.

The opener’s effort was easily the standout knock of a breakneck encounter, as he occupied the crease for 164 minutes and faced 103 balls.

But with no other resistance as Jasprit Bumrah completed a haul of six for 61, it only delayed the inevitable.

India began their pursuit after lunch and wasted no time getting over the line.

They lost three wickets along the way, Yashavi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli all keeping the revolving door to the pavilion moving, but picked up 52 in boundaries as they ensured an unprecedentedly-swift conclusion.

Questions are sure to be asked over the state of the pitch, with the match officials to decide if the freakish brevity of the match was down to batting error or a poor surface.

Seales, who finished with nine wickets in a 40-run loss that helped South Africa win the ICC World Test Championship series 1-0, achieved the milestone move, which now makes him the top-ranked Test bowler from the West Indies.

The 22-year-old Trinidadian, who has enjoyed fairly good form since his return from injury, surpassed Barbadian seamer Kemar Roach, who slipped one place down to 18th, as his journey to fitness continues.

Spinners Jomel Warrican (52nd) and Gudakesh Motie (64th), both moved two spots up, while fast bowler Shamar Joseph also progressed 11 spots to 54th in other significant movements for the West Indies players in the bowling rankings.

South Africa’s Player of the Match Wiaan Mulder advanced 27 places to 65th position after finishing with six wickets, while off-spinner Dane Piedt is up nine places to 66th after claiming two West Indies wickets in the second innings of the match.

In the Test batting rankings, former West Indies captain Jason Holder is up seven places to 60th position following his unbeaten knock of 54 in the first innings. He is also up two places to fifth in the list of all-rounders.

South Africa opener Aiden Markram and wicketkeeper Kyle Verreynne have gained after notching half-centuries in the second innings. Markram inched up two places to 21st, while Verreynne has progressed from 62nd to 46th.

In the ICC World Test Championship, West Indies are last in the nine-team championship with 18.52 after nine matches, while South Africa are in fifth place with 38.89 percentage points after six matches.

India lead the table with 68.52 percentage points after nine matches, with Australia in second on 62.50 after 12 outings. New Zealand and Sri Lanka are the other teams ahead of South Africa.

Meanwhile, in the ICC Men’s ODI Batting Rankings, Scott Edwards of the Netherlands has moved up six places to 26th position after scores of 72 and 65 against Canada and the United States, respectively, in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup League 2.

Aaron Jones of the United States (up 11 places to 56th) and Vikramjit Singh of the Netherlands (up nine places to 79th) are others to move up the batting rankings, while Aryan Dutt of the Netherlands is up five places to 33rd.

The hosts won the toss and decided to bat first, a decision that was proven to be the right one as Markram and Dean Elgar put on 141 for the first wicket before Elgar was dismissed for 71 by Joseph in the 36^th over.

That brought debutant Tony de Zorzi to the crease to join Markram and the pair brought the score up to 221-1 in the 57^th over before de Zorzi was run out for 28.

Before that partnership was ended, Markram, making his return to the Test side after being dropped last year. Brought up his fifth Test hundred off 150 balls.

Two balls after de Zorzi’s wicket, Temba Bavuma, in his first innings as South Africa’s Test Captain, was dismissed for a duck.

Four overs later, Markram’s knock finally came to an end when he was bowled by Joseph for a classy 115. His innings came off 174 balls and included 18 fours.

Markram’s wicket started a collapse for South Africa as they lost their next four wickets for 64 runs as Heinrich Klaasen (20), Senuran Muthusamy (3), Keegan Petersen (14) and Kagiso Rabada (8) all fell in quick succession.

South Africa ended the day 314-8 off 82 overs with Marco Jansen and Gerald Coetzee on 17 and 11, respectively.

Alzarri Joseph has, so far, taken 3-60 off 16 overs for the Windies.

Scores: South Africa 314-8 off 82 overs (Aiden Markram 115, Dean Elgar 71, Alzarri Joseph 3-60)

South Africa, after winning the toss and batting first, were bowled out for 160 in 54 overs while the West Indies were 97-7 after 28.2 overs in reply, trailing by 63 runs at stumps on day one.

South Africa were made to rue their decision to bat first very quickly as Tony de Zorzi (1), Aiden Markram (14), Temba Bavuma (0) and Tristan Stubbs (26) all fell before the 25^th over to leave them reeling at 57-4.

That quickly became 97-9 when Kyle Verreynne, their last recognized batsman, became Shamar Joseph’s fifth victim of the innings with just 36.1 overs on the board.

With the West indies seemingly on the brink of restricting South Africa to less than 100, Dane Piedt and Nandre Burger showed grit, fighting off some quality West Indian bowling on the way to a final wicket partnership of 63 before Burger finally fell off the bowling of Gudakesh Motie for 23 in the 54^th over.

David Bedingham was South Africa’s top scorer in the first innings with 28.

Joseph finished with figures of 5-33 off 14 overs and was supported well by Jayden Seales who took 3-45, also from 14 overs.

The West Indian reply got off to a disappointing start when Mikyle Louis was bowled by Burger for a duck in the second over.

The hosts then continued to lose wickets at regular intervals as Kraigg Brathwaite (3), Alick Athanaze (1), Kavem Hodge (4), Keacy Carty (26), and Joshua Da Silva (4) all fell within the first 20 overs.

Jason Holder has so far provided the only meaningful resistance to the South African bowling with 33* while Gudakesh Motie’s wicket for 11 in the 29^th over signaled the end of the day’s play.

Wiaan Mulder has dominated the West Indian batting so far with a career best 4-18 off six overs while Burger has taken 2-32 from his seven overs.

Full Scores:

South Africa 160 off 54 overs (David Bedingham 28, Tristan Stubbs 26, Shamar Joseph 5-33, Jayden Seales 3-45)

West Indies 97-7 off 28.2 overs (Jason Holder 33*, Keacy Carty 26, Wiaan Mulder 4-18, Nandre Burger 2-32)

The Proteas earned a three-wicket victory over co-hosts West Indies at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium on the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method. 

South Africa restricted their opponents to 135-8, but lost Reeza Hendricks (1) and Quinton de Kock (7) in the second over before Tristan Stubbs and Heinrich Klaasen steadied the ship. 

Marco Jansen was the man to get them over the line, holding his his nerve and hitting a six to secure the triumph with five balls of the contest remaining.

"A lot of relief to get through to the semi-final," captain Markram, who scored 18 runs from 22 balls, said after the encounter. 

"But I'm not going to be brainwashed by that, we'd have liked to be a lot more convincing in getting the job done.

"It's been the story of our competition to get ourselves into tricky situations then by hook or by crook, get over the line."

For the West Indies, the defeat ended their hopes of claiming a third T20 World Cup title, having lost to England and overcoming fellow co-hosts the United States in their Super 8 fixtures. 

"Credit to the boys, they fought to the very end. As a batting group, best to forget, the middle overs especially," Windies captain Rovman Powell said. 

"When you look on a large scale, we haven't reached the semis. But the cricket we've played in the last 12 months is commendable. To move from number nine to number three in the world, there's a lot of buzz in West Indies cricket.

"When we hear the anthem play we hear something, we're heading in the right direction."

The Proteas looked to be heading for their first loss in Group D when they toiled to 113-6 in Long Island, but some slow scoring from Bangladesh left the match in the balance late on.

Requiring seven runs from the final three balls for victory, Bangladesh saw both Jaker Ali and Mahmudullah caught by Markram, who was in the right place at the right time on the boundary as South Africa's opponents went in search of a maximum.

The result keeps South Africa top of Group D and on course for a Super-8 berth with six points, four clear of Bangladesh, but Markram acknowledged they had been lucky.

"You're always pretty nervous in the final over in a game like that. It was always on a knife's edge, it can make you mentally tired," he said after the match.

"It's always nice to be in them though. Sometimes you get on the right side of it, sometimes not, but it's very entertaining. 

"That 19.5 full toss could've gone anywhere, it could've gone two more metres further and we'd have had a different conversation. 

"A few things went our way today, we were very fortunate to get on the right side.

"Today was one of those days where the seamers were bowling well, we wanted to drag it to the end where anything could happen in the last over."

Heinrich Klaasen hit a vital 46 to drag South Africa to 113 after they had been teetering on 23-4, putting up a 79-run partnership with David Miller, who hit 29.

"We're putting Klaasen and Miller under pressure but they've been exceptional," Markram added.

"They've gone back-to-back with crucial partnerships, got us to a score that was luckily enough to win but still one we could defend. It's fantastic for Klaasy to get back in form."

Markram this month replaced Temba Bavuma as captain, with the Test and one-day international skipper axed from the T20I squad.

The opener at SuperSport Park will also be the first T20I since Rob Walter took over as white-ball head coach and comes on the back of a 1-1 ODI series draw with the Windies.

Markram was given the honour of captaining his country in only his third ODI back in 2018, when Faf du Plessis was absent along with other senior players.

The batter felt that opportunity came too soon and believes the experience he has gained since then should stand him in good stead.

He said: "I was quite fresh back then. I was very hard on myself, and always wanted to do well and we know this sport, it doesn't always work out that way."

Markram added: "Being with the legendary team the Proteas had at the time, I paid attention to how Faf managed to marshal his troops.

"That is something I looked up to and strived for probably without him knowing, it was just through me observing from the side."

It will also be a special weekend for Powell in Centurion, where there will be a double-header before the series ends with a contest at JB Marks Oval Potchefstroom on Tuesday.

Powell was selected as the man to replace Nicholas Pooran, who stepped down after the T20 World Cup in Australia last November.

South Africa will be looking to take the momentum from a record-breaking series-levelling ODI win over the Windies in which Heinrich Klaasen was the star of the show.

Klaasen struck 119 off 61 balls as the Proteas chased down their victory target of 261 in just 29.3 overs in Potchefstroom, becoming the first team to score 250 or more to win in under 30 overs.

De Kock set to move level with De Villiers

Wicketkeeper-batter Quinton de Kock is set to go joint-third on the list of the highest appearance-makers for the Proteas in T20Is, as he is currently one behind AB de Villiers' tally of 78.

De Kock has enjoyed facing West Indies in the shortest format, scoring half-centuries in each of his past three knocks.

Windies away form must be addressed

West Indies have won only one of their past 15 T20Is on tour, that coming against Zimbabwe last October. 

Facing South Africa could present a good opportunity to address that poor record, as the Proteas have lost four multi-game bilateral T20I series at home – that is their longest losing run in this format.

The Proteas began a new era at Centurion Park with Temba Bavuma as captain and Shukri Conrad as head coach, and it initially looked to be starting in style as Markram and former skipper Dean Elgar combined impressively.

But after that pair helped the hosts to 221-2, South Africa endured a difficult third session, eventually reaching 314-8 at stumps.

Elgar paid the price for the crushing defeat by Australia but benefited from early luck on Tuesday when his outside edge was dropped by Roston Chase.

He eventually fell to Alzarri Joseph (3-60), caught by Jermaine Blackwood – who did well to readjust himself – after ramping it too short.

Markram then took over.

He survived a scare on 99, the ball only hitting his shoulder before being caught and slapped the next delivery for four to bring up his century.

Yet Markram was also sent packing by Joseph, a devastating yorker at the base of off stump indicative of the Windies' gradual improvement.

Markram departed with South Africa on 236-4 – Tony de Zorzi's (28) inconspicuous run out began something of a collapse a little earlier, before Bavuma went for a duck thanks to another excellent Joseph delivery snaring him lbw.

Keegan Petersen (14), Heinrich Klaasen (20), Senuran Muthusamy (3) and Kagiso Rabada (8) all went back to the pavilion without making much of an impact.

Marco Jansen (17 not out) and Gerald Coetzee (11 not out) at least ensured South Africa passed 300.

Markram back from the wilderness

Markram was left out of the series with Australia in December and January amid what interim coach Malibongwe Maketa at the time called a "dip" in form.

It is fair to say he responded emphatically here, with 115 off 174 to give South Africa a real foothold. Ultimately, most of the rest of the team did not do his efforts justice, but either way this was a big moment for Markram, who looked quite emotional when confirming his sixth Test ton.

Joseph the Windies' inspiration

It took a while for the tourists to get to grips with South Africa, but there is little doubt Joseph played a vital role in turning the tide somewhat.

He claimed the scalps of both Elgar and Markram, as well as captain Bavuma, who barely knew what hit him when Joseph's ferocious delivery slapped straight into his shin.

The Proteas were forced to bowl first, having lost the toss, but reduced their opponents to 28-6 in 6.3 overs as Marco Jansen and Kagiso Rabada starred.

Afghanistan were bowled out for 56 after just 11.5 overs, and despite the early loss of Quinton de Kock, Reeza Hendricks and Markram steered South Africa into their maiden men's world cup final. 

"(We were) fortunate to have lost the toss, I guess. We also would have batted, so we got a bit of luck with regards to that," Markram said at the presentation ceremony. "But the bowlers still had to get it in the right areas.

"They got enough balls in the right areas and made life really tough for the Afghanistan batters. So, credit to them.

"They've been incredible throughout this whole competition for us. They've kept things really simple and sort of assessed conditions and adapted their plans accordingly. And they've been incredible for us so far."

It proved to be third time lucky for South Africa, having lost both of their previous semi-final appearances at the tournament. 

"Chuffed to have got it over the line. A lot of our games have been really close," Markram said on his side's narrow wins during this year's tournament. 

"And I know there (have been) a lot of people back at home in the early hours of the morning, waking up, and we (have been) giving them a lot of grey hairs.

"So, hopefully, this evening was a little bit more comforting for them."

Led by Aiden Markram's excellent 48 from 33 balls, the Proteas were on dominant form in Colombo, successfully defending their 163-5 total.

Making his T20I debut, South Africa captain Keshav Maharaj won the toss and chose to bat, with his openers swiftly proving that decision correct.

Quinton de Kock (36) set the tone with a boundary off the second ball and Reeza Hendricks soon skittled off 12 runs in the space of three deliveries to get South Africa up and running.

Both openers had moved into the 30s by the ninth over, though De Kock was the first to fall when he sliced a sweep to deep midwicket.

Wanindu Hasaranga picked up his and Sri Lanka's second wicket in his next over, dismissing Hendricks for 38, but Markram – with support from David Miller (26) – put South Africa back on the front foot.

Markram fell just short of a half-century in the penultimate over, though the damage was done as South Africa set a challenging target of 164.

Sri Lanka started their chase confidently, and had 34 runs in the bank by the time Avishka Fernando succumbed in the sixth over.

Yet Maharaj's first ball in a T20I brought up the Proteas' second wicket – Bhanuka Rajapaksa going for a duck – and the hosts failed to keep up the run rate.

That was despite the best efforts of Dinesh Chandimal, who top-scored with 66 not out, but Chamika Karunaratne (22no) was his only team-mate to make it above 20 as Sri Lanka were limited to 135-6.

Memorable debut for Maharaj

Installed as captain on his maiden T20I appearance, the spinner took a wicket with his very first ball, after South Africa's batsmen had shown just why the 31-year-old was right to bat first.

Maharaj has plenty of international experience, with 36 Tests and 14 ODIs under his belt, and in total he has now taken 149 wickets for his country.

Chandimal cannot carry Sri Lanka

It was a valiant effort from Chandimal, whose unbeaten 66 included five fours and two sixes. However, he did not have the necessary support from the rest of Sri Lanka's batsmen, with two going for ducks and Dhananjaya de Silva only scoring one.

Chandimal did bring up his highest score in his T20I career, though, with the wicketkeeper's previous best having been 58, a score he made twice in 2016, against Pakistan and Australia.

The Proteas are in the midst of their all-formats tour of England, and after beating Jos Buttler's team in a three-match T20I series, they face an Ireland side that is still winless in a T20I series under new coach Heinrich Malan, who goes up against his home nation.

Ireland came close to famous wins against both India and New Zealand, but they have lost their last six T20Is, which is tied for their longest losing run in the format, while they have already suffered defeat in eight T20Is in total this year.

South Africa played Ireland in 2021, drawing an ODI series but comfortably winning the three T20Is.

Markram, however, is not taking anything for granted ahead of Wednesday's opener in Bristol, as South Africa look to gear up for this year's World Cup, with the Proteas only playing India in the shortest format in between this series and heading to Australia.

"It will definitely be a new, exciting challenge for us," he told reporters. "We played them quite recently in Ireland and we saw exactly what they could do.

"They are improving series by series, we saw them against India, and they are a team you can't take for granted."

South Africa do not go into this with their first-choice squad, with injuries to captain Temba Bavuma and paceman Kagiso Rabada.

Markram though is among the players eager to stake a claim ahead of the World Cup.

"The communication has been really good from coach, management team and captain," said Markram, who has been the top scorer for South Africa in eight T20Is since the beginning of 2020.

"It makes it easier to understand why they are [rotating players]. Building up to World Cups you want to pick your best squad and it's important to give guys fair opportunities before you select the team."

Tector tipped to flourish

Harry Tector is likely to be key for Ireland. He is reportedly drawing interest for Cricket South Africa's new T20 league, meaning he has a real chance to impress any would-be suitors, having scored 384 runs across 14 ODIs at an average of 76.40 this year, and 249 in nine T20Is.

Tector said: "We've shown that when we stand up to these teams, we are capable of going blow-for-blow with them, and it feels that way within the group. The belief is there that we can beat these big teams, and not get nervous about any team we play."

Catching practice required

Since the beginning of 2021, no team has dropped more catches in men's T20Is than South Africa (40), who have managed a catch success rate of 79 per cent during this period

Quinton de Kock does not buck that trend, as since the start of 2020, he has dropped more catches than any other wicketkeeper. 

Bavuma was dropped from the T20I squad altogether for the upcoming three-match series against West Indies later this month after he was named Test captain in February.

The batter will continue to lead the ODI team, but Markram will captain his country in the shortest format having averaged 38.21 runs in 27 innings since making his debut in 2019.

South Africa director of cricket Enoch Nkwe said: "I would like to congratulate Aiden on his appointment as captain of the Proteas T20I team.

"Leadership is extremely familiar to him having successfully led on so many levels. He is a player that inspires confidence and he has all the qualities to succeed in the role. We have no doubt will help take South Africa to the next level.

"At the same time, we would like to thank Temba for filling the position so aptly over the past two years. He has done a commendable job during this period and now has a new role to fulfil within the national set-up."

The squad did not include Faf du Plessis, who was reportedly keen on making a return to the team under new white-ball coach Rob Walter after retiring from Test cricket early in 2021.

Meanwhile, fast bowlers Anrich Nortje and Kagiso Rabada have been left out of the squad for the three upcoming ODIs, though they will return for the following T20I series.

Nortje was on Monday ruled out of the second Test against the Windies this week due to a groin issue.

Cricket South Africa also confirmed JP Duminy has been appointed as permanent white-ball batting coach.