🏏Champions Trophy 2025: Afghanistan vs South Africa, Match-3, Group B

🏏Champions Trophy 2025: Afghanistan vs South Africa, 3rd Match, Group B 🏏

Group B's first match, between Afghanistan and South Africa in Karachi today, could be the biggest game on this side of the Champions Trophy draw. And that despite the fact that Australia and England are also in the mix.

The Australians are depleted and have limped into the tournament having lost their last four ODIs. England staggered over the border from India, where they were beaten in seven of their eight white-ball games.

Not that South Africa have been in the best form: they have gone down in six consecutive ODIs. But that was without several of their first-choice players, who were busy with franchise T20 commitments. They're back to full strength, and they will need to be.

The Afghans have won eight of their last 10 completed ODIs, including a 2-1 series win over South Africa in Sharjah in September.

It isn't often in games between these teams that Afghanistan are considered favourites.

This could be one of those times, although the returning South Africans who missed the Sharjah rubber will even the odds at least.

More certain is that South African cricket has always had a special place in the hearts and minds of Pakistanis, perhaps because of the countries' shared pedigree for producing fine fast bowlers.

Temba Bavuma's team will welcome the locals' support, because the stands are likely to heave with Afghans.

Some 3.1-million people from the perennially strife struck country have taken refuge in Pakistan. That's more than 7% of Afghanistan's current population. As many as 360,000 of them are thought to be in Karachi, where it takes only 30,000 to fill the ground.

Pakistan also has a special relationship with Afghan cricket in that it is where many of the latter's players learnt the game as refugees in the 1990s. They had fled the Taliban, which seized control of Afghanistan in 1996 and banned cricket until 2000.

Because of the political and security situation in their country, Afghanistan have never played an international match at home. Of their 327 games, 202 have been played at neutral venues and the other 125 away.

The Taliban were deposed in 2001 but returned to power in 2021, and have imposed increasingly repressive regulations on women. That has led to calls for Afghanistan's opponents to boycott matches against them. Australia and England have suspended bilateral ties with the Afghans, but no team have yet pulled out of their tournament fixtures.

Asked during his press conference on Thursday whether the boycott narrative had put pressure on his players, Hashmatullah Shahidi said, "As sportsmen our job is to play cricket. We don't care what's going on outside. We can only control the things in the ground so we focus on that. We just do the controllable things."

Format for predictions

*******

-Winning Team -- 5 points -- Name

-Man of the Match -- 15 --

-Hit the most 4s-- 10 Points -

-Hit the most 6s -10 points --

-Taking the majority of wickets --10 --

-Making the most runs --- 10 points --

These teams' last meeting at an ICC event was at last year's T20 World Cup. They clashed in the semifinals after Afghanistan had won five of their seven games, beating New Zealand, Bangladesh and Australia along the way. The South Africans ended their dream by bowling them out for 56 in 11.5 overs on a dreadful Tarouba pitch, and winning by nine wickets with 67 balls to spare.

Karachi's surface won't be anything like Tarouba's, so Friday's game will be a far fairer reflection of the teams' abilities. The South Africans should prevail, but not without a fight.

Since 2019, Afghanistan and South Africa have faced each other only 5 times, in which the Proteas have emerged victorious thrice as compared to the Afghans' twice.

Played 5

Afghanistan won 2

South Africa won 3

Tie --

No Result --
ICC Champions Trophy 2025: Afghanistan vs South Africa prediction

The last ODI series between Afghanistan and South Africa resulted in a series win for Afghanistan. However, South Africa would look to bounce back from their earlier setbacks and register a good win to start off the tournament.

Although it would not be easy to pick either sides as clear winners, the Proteas would be more likely to win the match.

What to expect: A hot, dry day/night. And, of course, around 600 runs on perhaps the flattest pitch in all of cricket. At least, the flattest this side of Lahore and Rawalpindi.

The Karachi pitch turned on Day 1 of the Champions Trophy. Chasing in the second innings, Pakistan found it incredibly difficult to score runs. Without a shadow of a doubt, spinners will bring the main threat in the game.

Maharaj spoke in the press conference before the game and said that South Africa would try to suck the life out of the opposition batting orders by limiting boundary opportunities in this tournament.

"In order to get success, it's about building pressure and just limiting the boundary balls in between," he said. "It's probably more of that holding role that one's accustomed to seeing in South Africa. It's not about changing the way I bowl, it's just about changing the field sets that we have. I'm still trying to bowl my best ball to create opportunity, but with probably a more defensive type of field, maybe not carrying a slip for so long. That's basically the sort of mindset," Keshav Maharaj said.

Team News:

Afghanistan

Ibrahim Zadran is set to play his first international since returning in December from more than three months out with an ankle injury.

Probable XI: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (capt), Azmatullah Omarzai, Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Nabi, Nangyal Kharoti, Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad

South Africa

Tony de Zorzi scored 55 off 51 against Pakistan Shaheens in Karachi on Monday, but that was only his second half-century in 18 innings across all formats and levels. It may not be enough for him to keep his place in the XI.

Probable XI: Temba Bavuma (capt), Ryan Rickelton, Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), Marco Jansen, Wiaan Mulder, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi

-------------

Team batting first to win the match

Scenario 1

• Afghanistan win the toss and opt to bat first.
• Powerplay: 60-70
• AFG: 260-280
• Afghanistan wins the match.

Scenario 2

• South Africa win the toss and opt to bat first.
• Powerplay: 70-90
• SA: 270-290
• South Africa wins the match.

Disclaimer: The prediction is based on the understanding, analysis, and instinct of the author. While making your prediction, consider the points mentioned, and make your own decision.

AFG vs SA probable best performers

Probable best batter:

The last match in Karachi witnessed the spinners getting some grip from the wicket and the player who knows how to counter-attack the spinners is Heinrich Klaasen. Klassen has proved to be one of the most destructive middle-order batters and this is the ground where he can once again showcase his abilities.

Probable best bowler:

Rashid Khan has already established himself as a living legend in the Afghanistan side. The 26-year-old spin-bowling all-rounder has been consistent with his form when it comes to taking wickets and is always a dangerous player in the white-ball format.

The Afghanistan team might be playing their first-ever Champions Trophy but have enjoyed a great run in ODI cricket. Hasmatullah Shahidi-led side has won their last four ODI series going into the tournament which also includes a 2-1 victory against South Africa. This is enough to give them confidence going into the ICC event.

The South African team on the other hand might still be considered favourites but their last few encounters in the format have been underwhelming so far. The side has faced a lot of injuries and ended the Tri-series on a terrible note not losing all their games. It is safe to say that the T20 World Cup 2024 finalists will be under pressure going into the tournament.

Did you know?

- South Africa have lost three of the four ODIs they have played at this ground.

- Only two of Afghanistan's 175 ODIs have been in Pakistan. Both were in Lahore, where they were beaten by Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in the 2023 Asia Cup.

- Teams batting first in ODIs at this ground have won 27 times. Teams fielding first? Twenty-eight times.