One team has qualified for the semis, and one’s hope is still alive with a thin thread, Afghanistan and South Africa will battle it out in their last league match of the tournament.
South Africa got humbled by India in their last league game, but they will try to forget that game and focus on getting their momentum back and being in a good state of mind before the semis.
Afghanistan got blown away by the Big Show Maxwell, an innings to remember for ages. They would try to regroup as soon as possible and do their best to defeat the mighty Proteas.
Team Preview
South Africa
South Africa has dominated the opponents’ batting first and got dominated by the opponents while batting second. They need to figure out the correct approach while chasing targets, not every player should attack, and one should be the anchor. Temba Bavuma has been off-colour in this tournament, he would be looking to get his form back before the important knockout matches. South African bowlers easily get rid of the top order but fail to remove the lower-order batters. There are some areas of issues which the Proteas need to fix before the big name against Australia.
Afghanistan
Afghanistan has done exceptionally well, but has choked in some matches either be it against Bangladesh or Australia, they have failed to show the killing instinct. Despite chasing 200+ against Pakistan and Sri Lanka, they have lacked the aggressive intent which is a must in modern-era cricket. Captain Hashmatullah has to be the main culprit of this slowish approach of the Afghani batters. He has failed to rotate the strike or strike the ball out of the park at regular intervals. He plays too many dot balls building pressure on the other batter.
Probable Playing XI
South Africa: Temba Bavuma(c), Quinton De Kock(wk), Rassie Van Der Dussen, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klassen, David Miller, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Gerald Cotezee, Lizard Williams, Kagiso Rabada.
Considering Lungi Ngidi’s injury, South Africa can rest him and keep him fresh for the semis.
Afghanistan: Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi(c), Azmatullah Omarzai, Ikram Alkhil(wk), Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Noor Ahmad.
Fazalhaq Farooqi is a must for Afghanistan as they are powerless in their pace department.
Pitch Report
Previously the pitch used to be an assistance to spin bowlers, but since the ICC demerits point given to the pitch in the Third test match against India vs England 2021, it has changed and has become a batting paradise. High Scores are a must on his pitch.
- Average first innings score in Ahmedabad – 241
- Matches won after batting first – 15
- Matches won by chasing team- 14
Players To Watch Out For
Quinton De Kock
Quinton De Kock, the highest run scorer of the tournament, would like to continue his flow and keep on scoring runs and tons. He has been a star in the first innings but failed to score in the second innings. In the three innings in which he played batting second, he has failed to cross even 30 runs, he would be hoping to change this soon, otherwise, South Africa would be in deep problem in the semis.
Azmatullah Omarzai
Azmatullah Omarzai has been the find of the tournament for Afghanistan. He plays at a high strike rate and an aggressive intent, which is not visible in the middle order of the Afghani batting. He needs to bat up the order, if Afghanistan want to make a score between 300-350. His bowling is a bonus for Afghanistan, surprisingly he has the same number of wickets as Mujeeb Ur Rahman, despite bowling fewer overs.
Marco Jansen
Marco Jansen is an upgrade over Omarzai, he bowls at a much higher pace and strikes the ball at a much higher rate. Marco Jansen has taken 14 wickets in the powerplay and 17 wickets in all. His ball-striking ability makes him more valuable. He has also shown his resilience to stay in the crease for a long time in the match against the Netherlands. Marco Jansen can win any match for South Africa on his given day.
SA vs AFG Dream11 Team for Match 42 of 2023 WC
Note: This is not our final Dream11 Team as we are not aware of the Toss Result/Final Playing XI of both teams at this moment.
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