When Afghanistan face South Africa in the 42nd match of the ICC World Cup 2023 in Ahmedabad on October 10, they have an impossible objective to accomplish.
The Afghans were hoping that today's match between Sri Lanka and New Zealand in Bengaluru would go their way, but their expectations were further dashed.
Practically speaking, the Afghan campaign appears to have ended as New Zealand defeated Sri Lanka with ease and had almost advanced to the semifinals due to better NRR.
Afghanistan have the lowest net run rate (-0.338) of the three teams contending for the fourth spot in the semifinals (New Zealand and Pakistan are the other two), despite the fact that mathematically there are some hazy prospects.
Afghanistan have won four games, including victories over Pakistan and England. According to captain Hashmatullah Shahidi, the team hopes to create a big impression against South Africa, which has advanced to the semis.
After their terrible loss against Australia, the Afghans must rally and play with determination. The spinners have a lot to do, but the hitters—Ibrahim Zadran, Shahidi, and Rahmanullah Gurbaz—have all performed admirably in the competition. Rashid Khan, who plays for the Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League, is familiar with the stadium and must perform. Rashid has not been in his zone and has had trouble making progress in the competition thus far.
In addition, South Africa is eager to recover after a crushing setback against India. With just 122 runs in six games, captain Temba Bavuma hasn't been able to make a big impact. He needs to get his form together before the knockouts. But in his swansong, Quinton de Kock has piled on the runs, while Heinrich Klaasen and Aiden Markram have also come through.
Head-to-Head in ODI World Cup
In the lone World Cup match between South Africa and Afghanistan, the Proteas won by nine wickets during a curtailed run chase of 126 runs.
Afghanistan was bowled out for 125 by Imran Tahir and Chris Morris, who claimed 4 and 3 wickets respectively. Hashim Amla and Quinton de Kock put up a 104-run partnership to send the Proteas home.
Pitch Report:
The surface at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad is one that is quite batting-friendly in nature. Therefore, a high-scoring encounter is on the cards in the upcoming ODI World Cup fixture. With pacers excelling in the early stages, the batters will look to play big shots and amass some runs early on. Opting to bat first could prove to be a wise decision at this venue.
Probable playing XIs:
South Africa: Quinton de Kock, Temba Bavuma (c), Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Marco Jansen, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, Gerald Coetzee, Lungi Ngidi
Afghanistan: Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Mohammad Nabi, Azmatullah Omarzai, Ikram Alikhil, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Naveen-ul-Haq
