World Cup 2023, Match 42| Afghanistan Predicted XI vs South Africa

image-lor80tlfAfghanistan will play against South Africa in the World Cup 2023 (Source: AP Photos)

The 2023 World Cup has taken an interesting turn with three teams fighting for the fourth position to enter the semi-final fray. One of them will be in action on November 10, Friday, in Ahmedabad's massive Narendra Modi Stadium. Afghanistan is all set to lock horns with South Africa in match 42 of the ongoing competition and the encounter begins at 2:00 PM IST.

The South African side have already advanced to the semi-finals with 12 points from eight games. They will face Australia in the knockouts, and their forthcoming assignment could serve as a warm-up for the team. Pakistan and New Zealand, on the other hand, would be rooting for South Africa to win.

For more such reads, click here.

In the present campaign, Afghanistan has played some exciting cricket. Whenever they were defeated, the Hashmatullah Shahidi-led team found a way to thrust back. They have played eight matches, winning and losing four games. As a result, they have eight points and are sixth in the leaderboard.

The Atalans have the same number of points as Pakistan and New Zealand (before SL vs NZ). However, in terms of NRR, their -0.3 NRR is the lowest of the three. It's a must-win game for them against the 'Green and Gold,' and the Afghans will be looking for a massive margin of victory over their impending opponents.

Let us have a glance at the Afghanistan Predicted XI against South Africa in this pivotal clash.


Openers: Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran

Afghanistan have no reasons to change their opening combination. Rahmanullah Gurbaz is one of the most dynamic batters of the country and likely to be a future star. His opening partner, Ibrahim Zadran is not an inch lesser when it comes to talent and the ability to win matches for the nation. One did see that Ibrahim scored a ton against Australia in their latest clash. He is an elegant batter and makes a few difficult strokes look easy on the eyes.


Middle Order: Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi and Ikram Alikhil

The Afghan middle order consists of a dependable duo in the form of Rahmat Shah and Hashmatullah Shahidi. Both are experienced batters in crunch situations and often stabilise the innings if there's premature fall of wickets. Both of them have scored a good number of fifties in the tournament and account within the top three leading run-getters for Afghanistan in the ongoing World Cup.

Ikram Alikhil has found a place in the Afghan lower-middle order after a fifty against England. He is a stable player who has an array of shots.


All-rounders: Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi and Rashid Khan

Azmatullah Omarzai has been a huge positive for the Jonathan Trott-coached unit in this World Cup. He has batted in tough situations and played some Blinder of knocks at no. 5. In addition, Omarzai has also been quite effective with the cork in hand. His presence has given the Afghan side to even include four spinners in some matches.

Mohammad Nabi and Rashid Khan are other two stars of the Atalans and will be key with both the bat and ball in hand. The latter played an impactful quickfire knock in their last game that boosted the total to 291 against Australia.


Bowlers: Naveen-ul-Haq, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Noor Ahmad

Naveen-ul-Haq looked lethal with the new ball in their last game and was one of the chief wreckers to topple the Aussie top order. He has nice variations and can be supported by Mujeeb Ur Rahman who generally loves to bowl with the hard ball inside the powerplay.

Someone who would be able to perform to his level best in this encounter would be Noor Ahmad. He is accustomed to the conditions of Ahmedabad and did pick a lot of wickets during IPL 2023.


Afghanistan Predicted XI

Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Azmatullah Omarzai, Ikram Alikhil, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Naveen-ul-Haq, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, and Noor Ahmad.