Champions Trophy: Klaasen misses out as South Africa opt to bat first against Afghanistan
South Africa won the toss and elected to bat first against Afghanistan in the third match of the Group B clash of the ICC Champions Trophy at National Stadium.
Karachi: South Africa won the toss and elected to bat first against Afghanistan in the third match of the Group B clash of the ICC Champions Trophy at National Stadium.
This match marks Afghanistan’s debut in the prestigious tournament, while South Africa will look to overcome their history of near-misses in ICC events.
Head-to-Head Stats
Afghanistan and South Africa have faced each other five times in One Day Internationals (ODIs), with the Proteas leading the head-to-head 3-2. However, Afghanistan made history last year by securing their maiden ODI series win over South Africa, clinching a 2-1 victory in Sharjah.
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South Africa’s Decision to Bat First
South Africa captain Temba Bavuma explained the decision to bat first, stating, “We will have a bat first. Looks a bit different than what we have been experiencing here, not sure how it will react.
We will try to post a competitive total on the board. I have a lot of confidence in our bowling attack, today we have gone for a lone spinner in Shamsi, and the rest are seamers.”
Afghanistan’s Approach to the Match
On the other hand, Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi shared his thoughts, saying, “If we had won the toss, we would have batted first, but the toss is not in our hands, and we have to play good cricket. We played some quality cricket against them in Sharjah, and we have quality spinners. Hopefully, we do well and can beat them. I will be happier if we start well, take some wickets in the powerplay, and give momentum to our bowlers in the middle overs.”
Playing XIs:
Afghanistan: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (w), Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Azmatullah Omarzai, Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Noor Ahmad
South Africa: Ryan Rickelton (w), Tony de Zorzi, Temba Bavuma (c), Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Wiaan Mulder, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi
