Afghanistan out to snatch semi-final berth in clash with bruised South Africa
Cricket
South Africa present a daunting challenge for an Afghanistan side needing a win
(Web Desk) - Afghanistan need a victory and a significant boost to their net run rate to keep their semi-final hopes alive when they face a South Africa outfit looking to bounce back from a crushing defeat at the hands of India.
Date and venue
Friday 10 November, Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
Summary
Afghanistan have been one of the surprise packets of the tournament with four stirring triumphs so far at the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023, but now have arguably the most important match in their cricket history to come with a spot in the knockout stages on the line.
Hashmatullah Shahidi's side looked on track to clinch a critical fifth win in their last encounter until coming across a rampaging Glenn Maxwell who took the game away in Australia's favour.
Victory in that clash, which would have been Afghanistan's fourth on the trot, would have pushed the emerging side into the top four and two points ahead of fellow semi-final contenders New Zealand and Pakistan.
But as it stands, Afghanistan enter this contest sitting in sixth place and crucially well behind those two other teams on net run rate, in the race for the last place in the knockout stages.
South Africa present a daunting challenge for an Afghanistan side needing a win, after the Proteas surged into the semi-finals with big hitting and huge totals that fired a warning shot across the rest of the tournament.
Temba Bavuma's side have little to play for with a semi-final showdown with Australia already assured, but South Africa will want to rediscover their top form before the stakes rise higher especially after a 243-run defeat to India in their last start.
Squads
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.
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.
Key players
South Africa - Marco Jansen
The all-rounder has made an impact with both bat and ball across the Cricket World Cup to play a pivotal role in South Africa securing a spot in the semi-finals with multiple group stage matches still to play.
Jansen is South Africa's leading wicket-taker at the tournament with 17 thus far and has taken at least one scalp in all eight matches, while also adding valuable runs from the middle order highlighted by 75* against England.
But the left-arm pacer will need to bounce back quickly from South Africa's last match when India's top order took Jansen to task and he finished with 1/94 in an unusually disappointing display.
Afghanistan - Ibrahim Zadran
The young opener clubbed Afghanistan's first-ever Cricket World Cup century with 129* against Australia that looked likely to set up a rousing victory before Glenn Maxwell lit fireworks in the chase.
Ibrahim is Afghanistan's top-scorer at the tournament with 361 runs, and is yet to be dismissed for single figures while also reaching 87 against Pakistan.
It might be too much to put Afghanistan's semi-final dream on the shoulders of a 21-year-old rising star, but if Ibrahim can compile another classy innings they will be well on the way to their hopes remaining alive.
