Super Over Bonanza At T20 World Cup: Revisiting All Instances Of Tied Matches In Tournament's History

As if one Super Over wasn't thrilling and rare enough, the South Africa vs Afghanistan clash on Wednesday (February 11) in the ongoing T20 World Cup offered a double bonanza, by way of back-to-back Super Overs. The Proteas eventually emerged victors to break Afghan hearts.

Super Overs, given their extremely low frequency, are akin to hidden gems of T20 World Cup history. What remains more popular and etched in public memory is the India vs Pakistan bowl out of 2007, which the MS Dhoni-led side famously won before going on to defeat their arch-rivals again in the final and lift the trophy.

Coming back to present day, the match between South Africa and Afghanistan was tied in Ahmedabad after both teams ended up scoring 187-run totals. In the first Super Over, Rashid Khan's men scored 17 without loss as Azmatullah Omarzai hit two fours and a six off Lungi Ngidi.

South Africa then levelled the total, with Tristan Stubbs smacking a six off the final ball to take the match into a second Super Over. This time Aiden Markram's side batted first and put a daunting 23 runs on the board, powered by David Miller's 16.

In response, Rahmanullah Gurbaz clobbered three sixes, yet the Afghans fell short by four runs, finishing with 19 for two to hand the Proteas a dramatic victory.

ALSO READ: South Africa Vs Afghanistan, As It Happened

Prior to this game, there have only been four instances of Super Overs in the 20-over showpiece's history. Let us recollect each of those instances:

Sri Lanka Vs New Zealand, ICC T20 World Cup 2012

This was the first-ever Super Over in a T20 World Cup, and only the second tie after the 2007 bowl out. Both teams scored 174 runs, with Tillakaratne Dilshan hitting 76 off 53 to help the Lankans equal New Zealand's total.

In the subsequent Super Over, Sri Lanka scored 13 runs and the Kiwis could only muster seven, with yorker specialist Lasith Malinga rising to the occasion.

West Indies Vs New Zealand, ICC T20 World Cup 2012

Remarkably, just four days after the previous tied match, there was another one. It was the same venue: Pallekele, and New Zealand were in the thick of it again.

Once again, the Black Caps ended up on the wrong side of the Super Over. After both teams scored 139 runs, the one-over eliminator saw the Kiwis fetching 17 runs, and the Windies chasing it down thanks to Chris Gayle and Marlon Samuels' big-hitting ability. What's more, the result knocked New Zealand out of the competition.

Oman Vs Namibia, ICC T20 World Cup 2024

A whole 12 years passed before the next tied game in the marquee tournament. Oman and Namibia both tallied 109 runs, and the Namibians smashed 21 runs in the Super Over before limiting Oman to 10 runs. David Wiese was the star for the victors, first snaring three wickets in regulation time and then starring with the bat in the Super Over.

Pakistan Vs USA, ICC T20 World Cup 2024

This was one of the most stunning upsets ever recorded in the tournament. The Monank Patel-led USA restricted Pakistan to 159 to force a Super Over, with Saurabh Netravalkar returning figures of 2 for 18.

Netravalkar then returned to deliver the goods in the Super Over, limiting the Men In Green to 13 runs after United States had garnered 18.