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Afghanistan starts with hopes, while South Africa begins with challenges.
Afghanistan starts with hopes, while South Africa begins with challenges.
Afghanistan has won their last four ODI series, while South Africa came into this tournament with six ODI losses in a row.
Group B of the Champions Trophy starts with a match between Afghanistan, who have been the unexpected stars of the last two tournaments, and South Africa, who have repeatedly fallen short of winning the trophy.
Afghanistan enters the Champions Trophy on a high, following strong performances at the 2023 ODI World Cup where they just missed a semi-final spot. They have continued their impressive form, winning four out of five bilateral series (though two of those wins were against Ireland and Zimbabwe, who aren't at this tournament) and reaching the T20 World Cup semi-final. This short, intense tournament gives them a fantastic chance to win a major title.
The match will feature powerful batting line-ups from both teams. Afghanistan's strength lies in their opening pair, Ibrahim Zadran and Rahmanullah Gurbaz, while South Africa's power is in their middle order. The key match-ups to watch are South Africa's fast bowlers against Afghanistan's top order and Afghanistan's spinners against South Africa's middle order.
whereas, South Africa's sports minister, Gayton McKenzie, believes this match should not be happening due to the Taliban regime's treatment of women. He compared it to Apartheid, calling it "hypocritical and immoral" to ignore. Cricket South Africa disagrees, has organized matches against Afghanistan, and argues that shunning Afghanistan won't bring meaningful change.
South Africa (Expected): Temba Bavuma (c), Tony de Zorzi, Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), David Miller, Wiaan Mulder, Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada.
Afghanistan: (Expected): Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Azmatullah Omarzai, Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad/Nangeyalia Kharote, Naveed Zadran, Fazalhaq Farooqi
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