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

Thanks for the tag and thread, Madz!❤️

All the best to both teams!

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.

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

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 --

Thanks for the tag Madhu.

May the best team win.

Cheers..

The action shifts back to the National Stadium in Karachi and we'll get the first glimpse of Group B with Afghanistan taking on South Africa. On paper, both teams look strong, but Afghanistan do have the advantage of playing in conditions more suitable for their style of cricket. South Africa arrived early and played a couple of games in the recently concluded tri-series, but domestic T20 commitments meant that it wasn't a first-choice XI for either of the matches that they ended up losing. Injuries have forced them into changes, especially in the bowling front, but the batting remains extremely strong and capable of winning matches by themselves. On the other hand, Afghanistan have been more than decent in recent ICC tournaments - they beat Pakistan, England and Sri Lanka during the 2023 ICC World Cup and followed it up by reaching the semi-finals of the 2024 T20 World Cup, their first-ever entry into a knockout game of an ICC event. It's a confident unit led by Hasmatullah Shahidi and they'll be keen to express themselves in yet another big ticket event.

Good afternoon, everyone. How would you like your narrative served today? Spun on a plate with Afghanistan's tweakers? In a velvety dessert layered as richly as South Africa's middle order? Rest assured, either way, that you'll be able to dig in heartily as we, at Cricinfo, plating up to you what Karachi serves.

The Champions Trophy caravan keeps rolling on, and for the third match of the tournament heads back to Karachi and the National Stadium. This time, it is for a contest between South Africa, still hunting for an ICC title even as the team inches closer and closer to one, and Afghanistan, whose debut in the ICC Champions Trophy signals another big step in the rise of a nation attempting to establish itself as one of the world’s best.

Afghanistan’s debut is going to be an exciting one to watch, a country that seems to improve at cricket with every passing year, spearheaded by a couple of superstars but with plenty of quality players and firepower throughout now. Three massive victories in the 2023 ODI World Cup, notably over England and Pakistan, helped the team qualify for their first tilt in the Champions Trophy, where they will be captained by Hashmatullah Shahidi.

Afghanistan have enjoyed a fairly strong run since the World Cup as well, winning 8 and losing only five of the ODIs they have played since, giving them some sort of momentum heading into the tournament. Notably, this includes a 2-1 series win over today’s opponents South Africa, when they hosted the Proteas for a three-match series in Sharjah last year. This was no weakened South African unit either: it was their star players, most of the team involved in this tournament, who were simply outclassed in one of the more significant bilateral performances in recent memory.

All eyes will be on Rashid Khan, but Afghanistan also boast of ICC’s ODI Player of the Year for 2024, with all-rounder Azmatullah Omarzai having averaged 52 with the bat and 20 with the ball to establish himself as one of the premier pace bowling all-rounders in Asia. Nothing to scoff at, given the rarity of his kind, and another big boost as Afghanistan try and shed the tag of the plucky underdog, and try to become recognised as true dark-horse contenders in their own right. They won’t consider their semifinal appearance at last year’s T20 World Cup to be an aberration.

Khan Agha Ahmad: "first ever appearance for Afghanistan in CT. best of luck team blue."