Synopsis
South Africa has opted to bat first after winning the toss against Afghanistan in the ICC Champions Trophy. This match marks Afghanistan’s debut in the tournament, while South Africa seeks to overcome past disappointments in ICC events.Key Takeaways
- South Africa won the toss and chose to bat first.
- This is Afghanistan's first match in the Champions Trophy.
- South Africa aims to break their streak of near misses in ICC events.
- Afghanistan previously defeated South Africa in an ODI series.
- Both teams have strong bowling attacks.
Karachi, Feb 21 (NationPress) South Africa won the toss and decided to bat first against Afghanistan in the third match of Group B at the ICC Champions Trophy held at National Stadium.
This match signifies Afghanistan's inaugural participation in the Champions Trophy, whereas South Africa aims to break free from their history of close calls in ICC tournaments.
In their previous five ODIs, South Africa leads the head-to-head record 3-2 against Afghanistan. Nonetheless, Afghanistan made headlines last year by achieving their first ODI series victory over South Africa, winning 2-1 in Sharjah.
South Africa's captain Temba Bavuma remarked, “We will bat first. The conditions look different from what we have encountered here; we are uncertain how the pitch will behave. We aim to set a competitive total. I have strong faith in our bowling unit, today we selected a lone spinner, Shamsi, alongside a lineup of seamers.”
Afghanistan's captain Hashmatullah Shahidi stated, “Had we won the toss, we would have batted first. However, the toss is beyond our control, and we must focus on playing good cricket. We exhibited quality performance against them in Sharjah and possess skilled spinners. We hope to excel and secure victory. Starting strong by taking wickets during the powerplay would greatly benefit our bowlers in the middle overs.”
Playing XIs:
Afghanistan: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (w), Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Azmatullah Omarzai, Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Noor Ahmad
South Africa: Ryan Rickelton (w), Tony de Zorzi, Temba Bavuma (c), Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Wiaan Mulder, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi
