South Africa will square off against Afghanistan in the 42nd game of the ongoing World Cup 2023 at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad on Friday. The Proteas had lost their previous match against India by a huge margin of 243 runs and they will look to get back to winning ways before the semifinal against Australia.
Afghanistan had a golden opportunity to stun Australia in the previous game but they squandered it as they could not take their chances in the field. We look at the current form, head-to-head, players to look out for, and squads of both teams in our match preview.
Current form for Afghanistan: L W W L W
Afghanistan had Australia on the mat at 91-7 in the previous match and thus had a big chance to not only beat the five-time champions but also improve their NRR. They could not get the job done as they dropped two catches of Glenn Maxwell, who scored a majestic 201.
Current form for South Africa: L W W W W
South Africa has come up with consistent performances whenever they have batted first. However, they have looked a bit vulnerable when they have batted second. The Proteas were skittled out for a paltry score of 83 runs against India.
Head to Head: Matches: 1, Won by South Africa: 1, Won by Afghanistan: 0.
Players to look out for: Mohammad Nabi, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Naveen-ul-Haq, and Fazalhaq Farooqi will be the crucial players for Afghanistan.
Quinton de Kock, Heinrich Klaasen, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Temba Bavuma, Marco Jansen, Kagiso Rabada, and Keshav Maharaj will be important players for the Proteas.
Afghanistan squad: Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Riaz Hassan, Rahmat Shah, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Ikram Alikhil, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Abdul Rahman, Naveen ul Haq.
South Africa squad: Temba Bavuma (c), Gerald Coetzee, Quinton de Kock, Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Andile Phehlukwayo, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Rassie van der Dussen, Lizaad Williams.
