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Hashmatullah Shahidi's side looked on track to clinch a critical fifth win in their last encounter until coming across a rampaging Glenn Maxwell who took the game away in Australia's favour.
Victory in that clash, which would have been Afghanistan's fourth on the trot, would have pushed the emerging side into the top four and two points ahead of fellow semi-final contenders New Zealand and Pakistan.
But as it stands, Afghanistan enter this contest sitting in sixth place and crucially well behind those two other teams on net run rate, in the race for the last place in the knockout stages.
South Africa present a daunting challenge for an Afghanistan side needing a win, after the Proteas surged into the semi-finals with big hitting and huge totals that fired a warning shot across the rest of the tournament.
Temba Bavuma's side have little to play for with a semi-final showdown with Australia already assured, but South Africa will want to rediscover their top form before the stakes rise higher especially after a 243-run defeat to India in their last start.
When: November 09, 2023, 2:00 PM IST
Where: Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
Teams
Afghanistan:
Fazalhaq Farooqi may make a comeback, potentially replacing Noor Ahmad. Additionally, there's a possibility that Mujeeb Ur Rahman might require compassionate leave following the incident of dropping Glenn Maxwell on 33 in Mumbai on Tuesday.
In terms of tactics and strategy, Afghanistan adopts a patient approach with the bat and relies on strong spin performances. Despite not being flashy at the crease, they have displayed solidity, posting scores of 272/8 and 284 against India and England in Delhi, and 291/5 against Australia at the Wankhede, following their initial dismissal for 156 by Bangladesh. While much attention is given to their spinners, it's noteworthy that the seamers have contributed significantly, accounting for 21 out of the 48 wickets taken by the bowling unit.
South Africa:
Andile Phehlukwayo is the lone member of the squad who hasn't had a chance to step onto the field in this World Cup—a fact that may seem arbitrary, but it recalls the attention, both political and otherwise, that South Africa garnered when Aaron Phangiso remained benched throughout the 2015 edition.
In terms of tactics and strategy, South Africa's clear preference is to bat first and put up a substantial total. While it doesn't mean they can't chase or that their formidable bowling attack can't be effective when defending a total, the team tends to perform better when their batters have already piled on a significant number of runs on the scoreboard.
Squads:
Afghanistan Squad: Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi(c), Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Ikram Alikhil(w), Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Riaz Hassan, Abdul Rahman, Najibullah Zadran
South Africa Squad: Quinton de Kock(w), Temba Bavuma(c), Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Tabraiz Shamsi, Gerald Coetzee, Andile Phehlukwayo, Reeza Hendricks, Lizaad Williams
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