South Africa will lock horns against Afghanistan in the all-important first semifinal of the ongoing T20 World Cup at the Brian Lara Stadium, Tarouba, Trinidad on Wednesday. It was Brian Lara, who predicted that Afghanistan could make it to the last four, and it will be fitting the Rashid Khan-led will play the semis at a stadium, named after him.
Afghanistan has sent shocking waves in the cricketing world, right from their opening match against New Zealand to their last against Bangladesh. The belief with which they have played is worthy of all the praise and they have reaped rewards for coming up with a collective effort.
The likes of Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Gulbadin Naib, and Rashid Khan have been brilliant with the ball. However, the lack of runs from their middle order remains a concern for the team. Rahmanullah Gurbaz was hit on the knee while keeping against the Tigers and the team will hope that he is fully fit for the big clash as he is the leading run-getter in the tournament with 281 runs in seven games.
On the other hand, South Africa has been unbeaten so far in the tournament. The Proteas have won some close matches, which would have given them a lot of confidence as they have mostly crumbled under pressure in the big matches of the major events.
The Rainbow Nation will want to grab their opportunities and they would want to bring their A-game against high-flying Afghanistan.
Match Prediction: Given the quality of both teams, South Africa will enter the contest as slight favorites against Afghanistan.
Afghanistan: Rashid Khan (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Azmatullah Omarzai, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Ishaq, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Karim Janat, Nangyal Kharoti, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Fareed Ahmad Malik.
South Africa: Aiden Markram (c), Ottniel Baartman, Gerald Coetzee, Quinton de Kock, Bjorn Fortuin, Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, David Miller, Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tabraiz Shamsi, Tristan Stubbs
