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Match Report:

Scorecard

De Villiers helps SA past brave Afghans

Superstar blasts rapid 64 as Proteas survive Shahzad scare to record a 37-run win

The match in a tweet: Proteas survive Afghan scare! Dazzling de Villiers leads SA to 5-209, Shahzad responds with fireworks of his own but qualifiers are beaten by 37 runs.

WATCH: AB show lights up World T20

The hero: There had been some rumblings that he was back in form, but tonight was the night that AB de Villiers officially got his groove back. The South African showed exactly why he's rated by his peers as comfortably the best all-round batsman on the planet, initially warming to his task – and even enjoying a life – before clicking into gear in spectacular fashion. A late sequence in his innings included 35 from seven balls as he went from first gear to sixth in the blink of an eye, and took the Proteas' total to an imposing one for the Afghans.

The moment: Well, it was more 'the over' in this case. Seventeen-year-old spinner Rashid Khan had applied the brakes to South Africa's surge earlier in the innings but the teenage crashed back to earth courtesy of de Villiers in the 17th over. The master batsman went 6, 4, 6, 6, 6 from the first five deliveries, bringing up his 50 from 24 balls in the process before mercifully taking a single from the final ball, presumably in order to retain the strike. Twenty-nine came from the over in total and the Proteas projected total had suddenly rocketed into the realm of just about unreachable for the Afghans – despite their best efforts.

The support cast: Quinton de Kock (45 off 31) and Faf du Plessis (41 off 27) both played important hands at the top of the order for the Proteas, setting the platform for the de Villiers demolition job. Late cameos from JP Duminy (29no off 20) and David Miller (19 off 8) took the score past 200. Chris Morris (4-27) and Imran Tahir (2-24) were both excellent in stemming the run rate after an explosive start by Mohammad Shahzad (see below).

WATCH: Spectacular Shahzad gives Proteas a scare

The consolation effort: Afghanistan's keeper-batsman Shahzad had already snared a good – if a touch fortunate – catch but he took his game to a new level with a stunning performance with the bat. The right-hander was only around for 19 balls but he hit five sixes and three fours in that time in a rapid 44 as South Africa's mammoth total suddenly looked threatened. He was out from the final ball of the fourth over, receiving quite the send-off from Chris Morris, and with him went his country's dreams of a miraculous run chase.

WATCH: Duminy injury sours Proteas win

The talking points: The Proteas left out Dale Steyn - that's either a massive selection call, or he's being carefully managed after a recent run of injuries. Duminy meanwhile, suffered a left hamstring strain and had to leave the field during the Afghan innings - his absence through the remainder of the tournament would be a significant blow for the Proteas. 

The stat: South Africa have now scored two 200-plus totals at this tournament – the first time that's been done in any edition of the ICC World T20.

The wash-up: That's about all she wrote for the Afghans, who are now zero from two after a first-up defeat to Sri Lanka. They've proven they can be competitive in patches against the big boys, but piecing that together through the whole 40 overs remains an issue. Their next match is against England on Wednesday in Delhi. South Africa now have a break until Friday, when they face a crunch match with the unpredictable West Indians.