After two successful tournaments in 2023 and 2024, Afghanistan are poised to make waves at this year’s Champions Trophy. Their opening match at Karachi National Stadium against Temba Bavuma’s South Africa should provide plenty of momentum.
Rahmat Shah was playing well and exploiting gaps, scoring 78 off 52 balls before Kagiso Rabada came back out with his short delivery around his ribcage area and sent Rahmat packing.
In this article, we will discuss the main points or high lights of Afghanistan National Cricket Team vs South Africa National Cricket Team Timeline.
| Player | Team | Performance |
|---|---|---|
| Rahmanullah Gurbaz | Afghanistan | 194 runs in 3 innings; including a century (105 off 110 balls) |
| Azmatullah Omarzai | Afghanistan | 113 runs in 3 innings; notable unbeaten 86 in 2nd ODI |
| Rashid Khan | Afghanistan | 5 wickets for 19 runs in 2nd ODI |
| Aiden Markram | South Africa | 92 runs in 3 innings; unbeaten 69 in 3rd ODI |
| Tristan Stubbs | South Africa | 26* in 3rd ODI; part of a 90-run partnership with Markram |
Afghanistan vs South Africa 1st ODI
South Africa made no attempt at sparing Afghanistan from their first One-Day International (ODI), yet were punished by an emphatic victory from their opponents in Sharjah. After opting to play in extreme heat conditions in Sharjah, South African batsmen struggled against an organised Afghan attack while Mohammad Nabi and Rashid Khan’s bowlers put in an impressive performance to help their side seize control.
At the outset of their match against South Africa, Aiden Markram was bowled by Lungi Ngidi. Nqaba Peter and Nandre Burger provided some resistance but the rest of South African batting line-up struggled to get hold of the ball.
Mohammad Nabi and Rashid Khan did their best in their remaining innings to prevent collapse; however, their innings was eventually reduced to 88/6 by Wiaan Muldur’s late fightback before leg-spinner AM Ghazanfar completed his maiden ODI five-wicket haul and ended the innings for good.
Afghan run-chasing had an inauspicious start as Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Rahmat Shah both were dismissed for ducks early on. However, Azmatullah Omarzai and Gulbadin Naib ensured Afghanistan dominated South African bowlers as they scored quickly to keep scoring momentum moving along.
The Proteas have resting several key players such as David Miller, Henrick Klaasen and Marco Jansen for this match against Afghanistan – this will make defending this total even harder for South Africa and make rebound unlikely against an Afghanistan team that appears determined. National anthems from both teams will soon be played during build-up for first ball; follow our live coverage here as Afghanistan take on South Africa for their inaugural one day International match starting at 12 pm GMT!
Afghanistan vs South Africa 2nd ODI
Afghanistan earned their inaugural bilateral One-Day International series win at Sharjah with an emphatic 177-run victory against South Africa in the second ODI, bowling them out for just 134 and taking five wickets during an innings, thanks to Rashid Khan’s spellbinding performances, to move 2-0 up in this three-match series.
Afghanistan made their mark from the outset, winning the toss and opting to bat on a surface prone to spin and bounce. Although initially there were some early nerves amongst Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Riaz Hassan’s opening partnership, they slowly built on it before Azmatullah Omarzai unleashed his explosive fifty off just 50 balls – catalyzing an exciting innings by Afghanistan.
Spinners caused havoc for South Africa’s middle and lower order. Nangeyalia Kharote took an early scalp when the Proteas lost their bearings in the field – Reeza Hendricks was caught at short third man by Ikram Alikhil via an outside edge when caught lbw from her leg-before-wicket delivery; Kharote then got another wicket when Temba Bavuma was bowled lbw off a fuller ball delivered by Kharote.
Before Bavuma was dismissed and Rashid entered their attack, South Africa were off to a steady start with their run chase, but his dismissal and Rashid’s entry caused a swift collapse of their chase. Tony de Zorzi skied a pull shot right to Mohammad Nabi while Bavuma high-edged off Ikram Alikhil which ultimately resulted in him collecting it safely for Ikram Alikhil.
Young Kharote and Ghazanfar Ali continued to shine for the visitors, both claiming a wicket within one over. Rashid was full of pride as he praised his teammates’ willingness to improve in both practice and on the field – “These guys have been playing with me for some time and they’ve shown real progress. They understand the game well and want to learn from me by working hard in training sessions and matches.”
Afghanistan vs South Africa 3rd ODI
South Africa rebounded from their initial two defeats against Afghanistan to complete a stunning series victory with an emphatic win in this third and final match. Their bowlers showed exceptional control, consistently applying pressure against Afghan batsmen for the entire match, which led to remarkable bowling performances from South Africa; thus cementing their status as one of the favorite teams to take home the Champions Trophy title this year.
South Africa comfortably won this series and can take heart from their improved batting against spin in Afghanistan. Furthermore, Ireland provided them with an opportunity to familiarise themselves with conditions and pitches prior to taking on England in their next match. Afghanistan may be disappointed with their batting display – they must improve if they want to be considered serious contenders at World Cup 2019.
This series was an impressive display of class between these teams. Each side utilized different playing styles, yet South Africa clearly emerged victorious overall with their superior bowling limiting Afghanistan to just 134 runs in 34.2 overs.
South African bowlers provided an impressive display, led by Kagiso Rabada who took an outstanding 3-36 from eight overs – easily the best bowler on the day! However, other South African bowlers supported him well with regular wickets being collected throughout.
Even so, Afghanistan batsmen struggled against South African bowling attack and Rahmat Shah scored 90 runs while no other batter managed 18 scores or more. Afghanistan’s middle order’s lack of penetration was particularly worrisome.
Afghanistan’s young players have shown enough promise for Afghanistan’s citizens to look forward with optimism for its future. Their team boasts considerable batting talent that could change things around in their next game against Ireland; nevertheless, they must step up their performances if they wish to compete at international levels with big nations such as Australia or England.
Afghanistan vs South Africa 4th ODI
Afghanistan have a lot to prove this time around – just qualifying for the Champions Trophy was no small feat but now is their opportunity to prove they can compete on a global stage. Their side boasts some promising young spinners like Allah Ghanzafar and Kharote who could keep opponents guessing while Rahmanullah Gurbaz is another formidable batsman who can play both patiently and aggressively when necessary, making him a threat against all teams competing in this game.
But, the Proteas have proven themselves capable of winning large matches. Their firepower propelled them all the way into the semi-finals of this tournament and they have defeated all teams within their pool – they will look to start strong against an opponent who has yet to score any points this competition.
South Africa began their innings confidently but faltered due to a few mishits with bat and ball, losing wickets frequently and not benefitting from an ideal pitch for their fast bowlers.
Bjorn Fortuin and Wiaan Mulder put up a strong fight with their partnership of 59 runs for the eighth wicket to give the visitors some stability in the middle. Unfortunately, Mulder missed his maiden ODI fifty after being dismissed off 84 balls by Rashid Khan for 52 off just 52 balls.
Rahmanullah Omarzai fell prey to Kagiso Rabada’s delivery, edged into Hendricks and caught easily at slip leg for an easy catch by Hendricks. Azmatullah Omarzai came in and promptly holed out to Rickelton off Rabada as he looked for single runs; thus leaving his team struggling at 93/6 after 21 overs.
Farooqi claimed the first wicket of the innings when he caught Bavuma at gully off a slowish delivery that Bavuma could not handle, leading to Hendricks being caught at slip from that same bowler in subsequent over. Farooqi then secured another key scalp when Hendricks was caught at slip by him in over 7.
