Match Preview: Afghanistan vs South Africa, ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 42nd Match

The grand Narendra Modi Stadium is all set to host an enthralling encounter in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, where the spirited challengers, Afghanistan, will face off against the mighty South Africans. Both teams are set to clash, with Afghanistan seeking an honourable exit and South Africa honing their skills for the upcoming semi-finals - a feast for cricket fans.

Venue Insights

The Narendra Modi Stadium celebrated for its vast expanse and rich cricketing legacy, is set to host an enthralling duel between bat and ball. Historically, the pitches here have been partial to batters, offering a surface that facilitates run-scoring. However, the initial overs might prove testing for the batsmen as the pitch has shown a tendency to aid seam bowlers early in the game.

Form Guide: Afghanistan

Afghanistan's recent One Day International (ODI) performances read LWWWL, with the team coming agonizingly close to a historic win against Australia in pursuit of a World Cup semi-final spot. Unfortunately, they fell short, thanks to a powerful display from Glenn Maxwell. Despite this, their campaign in Ahmedabad marks a significant stride forward from past achievements. They have only ever managed to beat Scotland in the World Cups of 2015 and 2019. However, this tournament has been different; Afghanistan claimed victories over three former World Cup champions—England, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan—and added a win against the Netherlands to their tally.

The team that once struggled in international cricket has demonstrated commendable progress in the 2023 World Cup. Each of the top five Afghan batters has accumulated over 250 runs in the tournament, underscoring a potent and reliable batting lineup. On the bowling front, while Rashid Khan has been the leading wicket-taker for Afghanistan, his performance has seen ups and downs.

Mujeeb Ur Rahman, despite a modest tally of seven wickets in eight games, remains a vital cog in their bowling machinery. Complementing these efforts are emerging talents like Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi, and Naveen-ul-Haq, who have all stepped in to claim important wickets. The collective performance of these players has elevated Afghanistan to a higher competitive level than observed in previous tournaments.

Form Guide: South Africa

The South African team's recent form in ODIs has been impressive, showing LWWWW in their last five matches. The Proteas have already secured a place in the semi-finals and approach their final league game against Afghanistan without the pressure of qualification weighing on them. This match comes after a tough loss to India in Kolkata, where they faced a heavy defeat by 243 runs. Despite this setback, David Miller remains optimistic about the team's ability not to be "horrific chasing," although it's acknowledged that their results have been better when batting first.

South Africa's batting lineup has been formidable throughout the tournament, registering five totals over the 300-run mark, with their highest being a mammoth 428 against Sri Lanka. The question that looms large as they face Afghanistan is whether the Afghan bowlers, who have been effective in keeping scores under 300, can contain the South African batting power. The South African team will look to use this game as a chance to regroup and gain momentum as they head into the knockout stages of the tournament.

Players to Watch

Ibrahim Zadran
Ibrahim Zadran stands as Afghanistan's leading run-scorer and notched their first century in this World Cup during the crucial game against Australia. His formidable average of 57.5 against pacers underscores his key role in facing the South African pace attack. With an impressive start in his ODI tenure, Ibrahim, after playing just 27 matches, is already one century short of equalling the record held by Mohammad Shahzad for Afghanistan.