ODI World Cup 2023, Match 42: South Africa vs Afghanistan Match Preview

South Africa (SA) lock horns with Afghanistan (AFG) in the ODI World Cup 2023 on Friday, November 10, at the gigantic Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

South Africa and Afghanistan are coming off contrasting defeats, but they would have been equally shocked by what transpired in their respective matches. The Proteas faced an unbeaten Indian side in a clash of the table-toppers on Sunday, November 5. It was expected to be a closely contested affair, with two in-form teams squaring off in front of a packed Eden Gardens in Kolkata. However, it was all one-way traffic as the Men in Blue decimated Temba Bavuma and Co. as they won by a comprehensive 243-run margin.

Afghanistan, on the other hand, faced Australia on Tuesday, November 7 in Mumbai. The Blue Tigers had Australia on the mat at 91/7 as the five-time champions were chasing 292 runs for victory. Glenn Maxwell went on to play arguably the best ODI knock of all time as his 201* off 128 balls took Australia across the line with three wickets and 19 balls to spare. Afghanistan would have had a great chance to progress to the semi-finals if they had won that game. Now, they are still in with a shout, but they will have to win against South Africa by a huge margin and hope some other results go their way.

South Africa have already qualified for the semi-finals and will take on Australia. No other team has scored more runs than the Proteas in the ongoing edition of the marquee event. The likes of Quinton de Kock, Aiden Markram, Rassie van der Dussen, and Heinrich Klaasen have been in scintillating form. However, skipper Bavuma has not been able to find his feet. In six matches, he has just scored 122 runs at a paltry average of 20.33. The diminutive batter would love to get some runs under his belt before the knockout stage of the competition.

Marco Jansen tops the list for the highest wicket-takers for South Africa. In eight games, he has picked up 17 wickets. However, he has proved to be expensive in certain matches, and his economy rate of 6.42 accentuates the same. Keshav Maharaj has played an exceptional role for South Africa as he has picked up 12 wickets in eight games at an average of 26.75, and he has been hard to put away, something that is evident from his miserly economy rate of 4.65.

Also Check: Most Wickets in ODI World Cup 2023

Afghanistan have found a new hero in Ibrahim Zadran. He became the first Afghan batter to score a century in the World Cup in the previous game against Australia. The 21-year-old is also Afghanistan's highest run-getter in the tournament, with 361 runs in eight games at 51.57. The likes of Rahmat Shah and Hashmatullah Shahidi have also done well at various stages in the tournament. Rahmanullah Gurbaz has blown hot and cold but has shown glimpses of his talent in certain matches.

The bowling unit has also done relatively well. Afghanistan have always been known for being a spin-dominant side, but the performances of pacers like Fazalhaq Farooqi and Naveen-ul-Haq will give them a lot of satisfaction.

Narendra Modi Stadium Pitch Report

The Narendra Modi Stadium has hosted three games in ODI World Cup 2023. Two games have been won by the chasing teams, while only one has been won by the team batting first. The pitches on offer have been quite good for batting, but there is also something in it for the bowlers. There is enough movement with the new ball, especially under the lights. The spinners can also extract, turn and bounce once the ball gets older.

ODI World Cup 2023: SA vs AFG Probable Playing XI, Match 41

South Africa (SA):

Tabraiz Shamsi replaced Gerald Coetzee in the game against India. The young right-arm pacer, who has picked up 14 wickets in six games at 21.79, might be brought back into the side in place of Shamsi. Lungi Ngidi suffered an ankle injury in the last game, and if he doesn't get fit in time, Coetzee can replace him as well.

Predicted XI: Quinton de Kock (WK), Temba Bavuma (C), Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi/Gerald Coetzee, Tabraiz Shamsi

Afghanistan (AFG):

Afghanistan played four spinners in the game against Australia. They might look to bring back Fazalhaq Farooqi in place of Noor Ahmad, as the left-arm seamer has bowled some impressive spells with the new ball.

Predicted XI: Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (C), Azmatullah Omarzai, Ikram Alikhil (WK), Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Naveen-ul-Haq

SA vs AFG ODIs Head-to-Head Records: