5 A.M. in Kabul, 2.30 Night in Cape Town, 6 in the morning for Indians and 8:30 local prime time at the Brian Lara cricket stadium in Trinidad. All 24 time zones of the planet will be a witness to the Semifinal bound of 2 nations who have never ever played a World Cup final before.
Everything at stake, whole hearted progress to lose and a mark in History to gain. When South Africa will face Afghanistan, it will be nothing short of a clash of two Phoenix. The brutal, unpredictable and evil nature of the T20 format, coupled with the hard grip spirit of these two teams, can produce a match of a lifetime, something that the title “World Cup Semifinal“ deserves honourably.
EXPECTED PLAYING XIs
AFGHANISTAN: Rahmanullah Gurbaz(wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Azmatullah Omarzai, Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Nabi, Karim Janat, Najibullah Zadran, Rashid Khan(c), Noor Ahmed, Naveen-ul-haq, Fazal Farooqi.
Najibullah Zadran can be brought in for Nangeyalia Kharote to add extra stability to the batting order in case the lineup gets exposed to the pacer-friendly nature of the Tarouba pitch.
SOUTH AFRICA: Quinton de Kock (wk), Reeza Hendricks, Aiden Markram (c), Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Ottniel Baartman.
Ottniel Baartman can replace Tabraiz Shamsi, as they both have been rotated throughout the tournament depending on the pitch’s nature.
Pitch/Venue
The Brian Lara cricket stadium at Tarouba in Trinidad will host the first Semifinal of the ICC men’s T20 World Cup. The stadium’s surface has been low-scoring throughout this tournament, with West Indies’ highest first-innings score being 149/9 against New Zealand.
Although the surface is expected to remain the same throughout the course of the game yet the Toss will play an important role in deciding the flow of the match given the fact that is a World Cup Semifinal.
South Africa has looked uncomfortable every time it has been asked to chase a total in this tournament. They’ll definitely look to bat first and avoid getting ” choked ” by the Afghans’ fighting bowling unit.
Afghanistan, too, has a similar story, having won all games batting first and losing all (2) games batting second except the one against Papua New Guinea.
With the courage and spirit they’ve shown in the last 2 games they will definitely want to bowl second to have an energetic advantage over South Africa on the field during the decisive time of the game
Players to watch out for
David Miller
Cometh the hour, cometh the man. Comes the World Cup semifinal, comes the name of David Miller. The 60 million people of South Africa have never experienced a World Cup semifinal from the winning perspective, but in the past, all the ones they’ve played in have had a period of hope, a hope provided to them by a certain 1.8-meter tall, left-handed big hitter.
The knockout game version of David Miller might very well be one of the most complete batsmen of all. From a 49(18) finish in a rain-affected game at Auckland to a hundred at the minefield of Eden to take his team to a respectable total, this man has done everything in his hands to take his team over the Semifinal curse.
Very high possibility lies in the fact that in their most opportunistic Semifinal bound, South Africa will find themselves relying on the shoulders of David Miller.
Rashid Khan
Rashid Khan is not just a bowler from Afghanistan; he is also the captain of his team. Rashid Khan equals Afghanistan; he is synonymous with Afghanistan. If you’re aware of the word Cricket, then Rashid Khan is the first thing that pops up in your mind when you hear Afghanistan.
The T20 legend, the player who will end his career as the undisputed G.O.A.T of the format, is proving his greatness again. He has already created history by becoming the first captain to take Afghanistan to a World Cup Semifinal, but that just might not be the end. Afghanistan has something more to achieve, and Rashid Khan definitely has something more in his sheath.
The Semifinal willn’t be one-sided for the team with the longer history because a leader named Rashid Khan stands between them.
SA vs AFG Dream11 Team for Semi Final 1 of T20 WC 2024
Wicket Keeper:Â Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Quntion de Kock
Batters:Â Ibrahim Zadran, Tristan Stubbs, David Miller
All-Rounders:Â Marco Jansen, Aiden Markram (vc)
Bowlers:Â Rashid Khan (c), Naveen ul Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Anrich Nortje
Note: This is not our final Dream11 Team, as we are not aware of the Toss Result and Final Playing XI at this moment.
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