South Africa will face Afghanistan in the 42nd match of the ODI World Cup 2023 on Friday. The SA vs AFG match will be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad from 2 PM IST onwards.
The Proteas will look to fix their chasing troubles before the semifinals while Afghanistan will back themselves to beat another top team when the two sides meet.
South Africa have already made the semifinals alongside India and Australia. Even if they defeat the Proteas, Afghanistan are virtually out of the World Cup as they cannot surpass New Zealand’s Net Run Rate who have almost sealed the fourth and final berth for the semis.
Irrespective of the result on Friday, Afghanistan have earned tremendous respect with their mature play in the tournament, having racked up four wins from eight games.
They now have the belief to beat the best in the business on any given day. After humbling England and Pakistan, the Hasmatullah Shahidi-led side was on the cusp of a famous win over five-time champions Australia before Glenn Maxwell came up with a superhuman knock.
Batting first, South Africa have been the best batting unit in the tournament. Therefore, Shahidi will be hoping to win the toss, put runs on the board and choke South Africa in their chase.
South Africa’s flamboyance has made way for tentativeness while chasing in the competition. Afghanistan’s match-winning spinners will back themselves to exploit that apparent weakness.
While Quinton de Kock has piled on the runs in his swansong, South Africa skipper Temba Bavuma has not led from the front at the top of the order. Bavuma missed two games due to illness and Reeza Hendricks grabbed his opportunity with both hands.
Dropping the skipper in the middle of the tournament is highly unlikely but Bavuma must be feeling the pressure. Before the semifinals, the Afghanistan game is an ideal opportunity for him to get back amongst the runs.
David Miller is among the top finishers in the game but is yet to peak in the World Cup. The southpaw will be looking to get into the groove before the knock-out stage.