South Africa will take on Afghanistan in match number 42 of the 2023 World Cup at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Friday, November 10. The Proteas are in second position in the points table with 12 points from eight matches. They have qualified for the tournament’s semi-finals and will look to finish the league stage on a high. It’s practically impossible for Afghanistan to finish in the top four, even if they beat the Proteas by a huge margin. But Afghanistan would love another “upset” before signing off from what has been a great World Cup campaign.
South Africa’s previous match against hosts India was billed as the clash between the top two teams in the league stage. However, the Proteas came a cropper at the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Bowling first, they conceded 326/5 in 50 overs. In the chase, the entire team was bundled out for 83 in 27.1 overs, with not a single batter reaching 20. As for Afghanistan, they suffered a heartbreak against Australia. After having the opposition on the mat at 91/7, they got blown away by Glenn Maxwell’s brilliance. Here are five players to watch out for from the South Africa-Afghanistan match.
Quinton de Kock vs Naveen-ul-Haq
It would be an understatement to say that South African opener Quinton de Kock has had an exceptional run with the bat in the 2023 World Cup. His numbers tell the story in itself. In eight innings, he has smashed 550 runs at an average of 68.75 and a strike rate of 111.34. The left-hander has as many as four hundreds to his credit, with a best of 174 off 140 balls against Bangladesh. He also starred with 114 in the triumph over New Zealand. De Kock experienced a rare failure against India. He was bowled for 5 as he played on to a delivery from Mohammed Siraj. The southpaw would want to get back among the runs for sure.
It will be the clash of the ODI retirees when Naveen-ul-Haq bowls to De Kock in Ahmedabad. Without being extraordinary, the right-arm pacer has done a good job with the ball for Afghanistan, claiming crucial wickets at key moments. He picked up two wickets against New Zealand, two against Pakistan, and two in the match against Australia as well. Naveen dismissed Travis Head with a probing delivery. He will look to unsettle De Kock with a similar line and get his scalp cheaply as well.
Ibrahim Zadran vs Marco Jansen
Afghanistan opener Ibrahim Zadran created history for his side in the match against Australia, becoming the first batter from his nation to score a hundred in the Men’s ODI World Cup. The 21-year-old, who has displayed impressive form in the World Cup, struck an unbeaten 129 off 143 balls against a strong Aussie bowling line-up. His knock featured eight fours and three sixes as Afghanistan put up 291/5 on the board batting first. For most of Australia’s chase, it seemed like Ibrahim’s ton would be in a winning cause. Maxwell, though, had other plans.
Left-arm pacer Marco Jansen has been one of the biggest positives for South Africa in the 2023 World Cup. He is presently the third-leading wicket-taker in the tournament, with 17 wickets in eight matches at an average of 24.41. The 23-year-old has constantly struck for South Africa at important junctures. He picked up two wickets each against England and Bangladesh and followed it up with three each versus Pakistan and New Zealand. However, he had an off day against India, registering figures of 1/94. Jansen would want to get back to his best against Afghanistan. He can gain confidence with the early scalp of Ibrahim.
Rassie van der Dussen vs Rashid Khan
Rassie van der Dussen has been among South Africa’s many positives with the bat in the 2023 World Cup, playing a number of crucial knocks. The right-handed batter features 11th on the list of leading run-getters in the competition at the time of writing. In eight innings, he has notched up 366 runs at an average of 45.75 and a strike rate of 90.59. The 34-year-old scored a brilliant 133 against New Zealand but was dismissed for 13 against India. Can he get back among the runs in South Africa’s last league clash?
While Van der Dussen has been impressive against the pacers, he has had his issues against slow bowling. He was dismissed by Adam Zampa against Australia, by Roelof van der Merwe against the Netherlands, and by Adil Rashid against England. These are just a few examples. Thus, he may be in good form, but Rashid Khan might fancy his chances against Rassie. The seasoned Afghan leggie impressed against Australia with figures of 2/44. Will Rassie fall to another Rashid?
Azmatullah Omarzai vs Kagiso Rabada
Azmatullah Omarzai has displayed impressive confidence with his big hitting in the death overs for Afghanistan. He hammered an unbeaten 73 off 63 balls against Sri Lanka and followed it up with 31 not out of 28 versus Netherlands. In the match against Australia as well, he chipped in with 22 off 18. Omarzai has displayed that he is a clean striker of the cricket ball.
At the death, Omarzai could be up against the seasoned skills of Kagiso Rabada. The South African pacer has brought his experience into play and has delivered for the team. He was the best bowler against India, even as most of the others struggled. Taking Rabada on will be a challenge for Omarzai.
Heinrich Klaasen vs Fazalhaq Farooqi
After a brilliant first half in the league stage, Heinrich Klaasen’s World Cup form has taken a bit of a dip. In South Africa’s last three matches, he has registered scores of 12, 15 not out and 1. With the semi-finals coming up, clean-hitting Klaasen would want to get back among the runs.
Afghanistan left-arm pacer Fazalhaq Farooqi has come up with a couple of impressive performances in the World Cup. He stood out with a four-fer in the win over Sri Lanka. The 23-year-old went wicketless in the match against the Netherlands. Can he get the big scalp of Klaasen against South Africa?