That didn’t happen at the men’s T20 World Cup in the United States and the Caribbean in June, when Afghanistan beat New Zealand, Australia and Bangladesh to seal a semifinal berth – where they came unstuck against South Africa on an awful Tarouba pitch.
So there is ready-made context in the Afghanistan‘s and the South Africans meeting again in three ODIs in Sharjah from Wednesday to Sunday. The teams have clashed five times in the past, and South Africa have won five times. But each of those instances was subject to the artificiality of a World Cup. This will be their inaugural bilateral series.
No cricket happens without context, real or contrived. World Cups are the best example of the latter. The winners are not, as they are erroneously called, world champions. They are not even necessarily the best team in a particular tournament. Sometimes they are the best team at avoiding the best teams.
AFG vs SA : Previous Performances
Afghanistan and South Africa are to play a three-match ODI series in Sharjah, starting September 18. The Proteas has given rest to several of their players including Heinrich Klaasen, Rassie van der Dussen, Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje among others. On the other hand, Afghanistan have named a full-strength squad and will be hoping to capitalize on their brilliant run in the T20 World Cup 2024.
South Africa’s focus will mainly be on grooming younger talents as the team management aims to identify players for the ODI World Cup 2027 at home. Therefore, the series against Afghanistan holds massive importance for the Proteas. The focus will also be on captain Temba Bavuma, who has struggled in ODI cricket and failed to hit a half-century in the last nine matches.
AFG vs SA : Head to Head
| Matches Played | 02 |
| Won by Afghanistan | 00 |
| Won by South Africa | 02 |
| No Result | 00 |
| First-ever Fixture | 15/06/19 |
| Most-recent Fixture | 10/11/23 |
AFG vs SA : Pitch Report
The AFG vs SA 1st ODI takes place at Sharjah Cricket Stadium in UAE. The pitch is spin-friendly and spinners enjoy a lot of support. It is a good-scoring ground and teams often pile up totals more than 250. It has hosted more than 200 ODI games. Sharjah offers a good batting surface but the spinners usually dominate in the middle overs. Bowling first will be the ideal choice for the captain who wins the toss. A score above 320 runs can be considered a good total on the board.
It’s common knowledge that Sharjah has the slowest pitch among the four international venues in the United Arab Emirates. But there’s more: of the 219 grounds that have hosted men’s ODIs worldwide, only at 56 have the runs flowed slower than Sharjah’s 4.58. Temperatures have been forecast in the high 30s for all three days, and not a drop of rain has been predicted.
The pitch at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium is known to be a good batting pitch. The new ball will move around a bit, particularly under lights, but once the pitch settles down, batters can milk the runs comfortably. Spinners will have their say in the middle overs. Under lights, batting might become easier as the ball will come on slightly better to the bat. Three of the last five ODI matches at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium have been won by the team batting first. Moreover, the conditions will be too hot, and neither team is likely to put their bowlers out in the heat.
The UAE is one of Afghanistan’s adopted homes, and they have played 25 ODIs in Sharjah, dating back to 2010. Their most recent matches in the format, against Ireland, were also there. Of those, they’ve won 16 and lost nine, mostly to Zimbabwe and Ireland. Mohammad Nabi has played in all those matches and is Afghanistan’s second-leading runs-scorer at the ground with 557 runs, including two fifties and also their highest wicket-taker at the venue with 35 at an average of 22.02.
On the other hand, South Africa have played 12 ODIs in Sharjah and won 10, but have not been to the venue since 2013. None of the current squad were at the series against Pakistan 11 years ago and David Miller, who is not involved in this series as he competes in the CPL, is the only player from that time who is still nationally contracted.
AFG vs SA : Big Picture : South Africa takes on Afghanistan amidst criticism from Human Right Organizations.
South Africa play Afghanistan for the first time in a bilateral series against the backdrop of severe criticism from one of the country’s top human rights organizations, Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR). On Tuesday, LHR released a statement calling the three-match series a “tacit endorsement of the Taliban’s repressive regime”.
Cricket South Africa (CSA) has chosen not to respond but earlier in the week, the South African Cricketers Association (SACA) issued a statement in support of Afghan women, which was echoed by ODI captain Temba Bavuma (who, incidentally, will miss the first ODI because of illness, with Aiden Markram taking the reins).
Not for the first time, Bavuma finds himself in the awkward position of having to discuss off-field issues while preparing for on-field ones. It was in the UAE in 2021 that Bavuma fronted the media when Quinton de Kock opted to sit out a T20 World Cup match against West Indies rather than follow a CSA directive to take a knee in support of the Black Lives Matter campaign.
Now, CSA’s only instruction is to focus preparations on ODI cricket with the Champions Trophy looming. But the backlash at home is fierce as LHR has accused them of undermining the country’s “own values and human rights obligations”, and SACA asked CSA to use its leverage to highlight the situation facing Afghan women, who are banned from public life. It is understood there are internal discussions on whether and how CSA can speak out for women, but no decisions have been made yet.
Instead, the focus will shift to three matches that will be played in Sharjah this week, with conditions, team combinations and tactics up for discussion.
AFG vs SA : Team News
Afghanistan : Rashid Khan, who missed six ODIs to recover from back surgery, is back in the squad. Ibrahim Zadran and Mujeeb Ur Rahman are out with ankle and hand problems. Abdul Malik, who has played two Tests but no white-ball internationals, replaces Zadran in the squad. Darwish Rasooli, who has seven T20I caps, is also in the mix.
Hashmatullah Shahidi will captain the Afghanistan cricket team in the three-match ODI series in the UAE, with Rahmat Shah as his deputy. The team is excited about the return of star leg-spinner Rashid Khan. However, they will miss top-order batter Ibrahim Zadran, who is out with an ankle injury, and spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman, who is still recovering from a hand injury. Young batters Abdul Malik and Darwish Rasooli have been added to the squad.
Afghanistan Playing XI : Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Abdul Malik, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (capt), Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Ikram Alikhil, Nangyal Kharoti, AM Ghazanfar, Naveed Zadran, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Rashid Khan
South Africa : David Miller, Keshav Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi have been rested, but all are playing in the CPL. So is Anrich Nortje, who is focused on franchise T20 leagues. Kagiso Rabada is actually resting. Marco Jansen has a shoulder injury. Gerald Coetzee is nursing a hip issue. Heinrich Klaasen is attending to family matters. Kwena Maphaka is preparing to write his final high school examinations. Temba Bavuma has been ruled out of Wednesday’s game by illness.
Temba Bavuma will lead the Proteas in the ODI series in Sharjah. Amdile Simelane, Jason Smith, and spinner Nqaba Peter will make their ODI debuts. Pacer Lungi Ngidi returns from injury and, alongside Nandre Burger, will likely spearhead the bowling attack. Tristan Stubbs is expected to play a key role as a finisher in the batting lineup.
South Africa Playing XI : Reeza Hendricks, Tony de Zorzi, Aiden Markram , Tristan Stubbs, Jason Smith, Kyle Verreynne, Wiaan Mulder, Bjorn Fortuin, Ottniel Baartman, Nandre Burger, Lungi Ngidi, Temba Bavuma(capt)
AFG vs SA Fantasy XI : Reeza Hendricks, Tony de Zorzi, Aiden Markram , Tristan Stubbs, Nandre Burger, Lungi Ngidi, Bjorn Fortuin, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Azmatullah Omarzai, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Mohammad Nabi
AFG vs SA : Top Batters and Top Bowlers for South Africa and Afghanistan
Azmatullah Omarzai to be the top batter for Afghanistan
Azmatullah Omarzai is a terrific batting option from Afghanistan. He averages 34.23 in his ODI career. He smashed an unbeaten 97 runs in the last clash with South Africa. He scored 50 & 69* runs in his last two ODIs against Ireland.
Tony de Zorzi to be the top batter for South Africa
Tony de Zorzi has been a terrific addition to the South African squad. He has scored 276 runs in his 5 ODI innings. He averages at 69.00 in his career. He scored 28, 119* and 81 runs in his last three ODI innings against India. De Zorzi will be looking to score high in the next game.
Lungi Ngidi to be the top bowler for South Africa
Lungi Ngidi is a terrific bowler from South Africa. He has 88 wickets in his 55 ODI career games. He will step in as the best bowling pick from South Africa.
Rashid Khan to be the top bowler for Afghanistan
Rashid Khan is the captain of Afghanistan and a top-class spinner from the team. He will be back in the squad after an injury. He picked 2 wickets in the last clash against South Africa. Khan will be the best bowling prospect from the team.
AFG vs SA : Match Prediction
South Africa and Afghanistan have previously met twice in World Cup encounters, with South Africa winning both matches. In this series, South Africa brings a more experienced pedigree, though their current squad is missing key players like Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, and Kagiso Rabada. Many of the players are unfamiliar with the conditions. Despite their inexperience, South Africa remains a formidable side and is expected to come out on top.
- Afghanistan’s chance of winning: 35%
- South Africa’s chance of winning: 65%