CWC 2023: South Africa vs Afghanistan match preview

Afghanistan will get their final throw of the dice for a semi-final berth when they take on South Africa. Coming on the back of a heartbreak against Australia, they will have to regroup themselves and get back on their feet quickly. However, they will not only have to win but do so by an improbable 438 runs, and even then have to expect Pakistan do not beat England by 287 runs.

Afghanistan played with four spinners in Mumbai and might want to bring back Fazalhaq Farooqi in place of Noor Ahmad in Ahmedabad.

South Africa have secured a semi-final clash against Australia. Coming on the back of a forgettable outing against India, they will want to get things in order before the knockouts. Gerald Coetzee might replace Tabraiz Shamsi depending on the conditions on offer.

SA vs AFG fantasy tips 

# After starting the World Cup on a poor note, Rahmat Shah has turned things around, scoring at least 30 in his last five matches with three half-centuries. One of the technically most correct batters in Afghanistan, he will have an important role to play against the South African seam bowling unit. He should be in your side.

# Azmatullah Omarzai has been on fire in this World Cup. He has scored 256 runs at 51.2 and a strike rate of 101 and has taken seven wickets at 37.4. He should be one of your top captaincy picks.

# Keshav Maharaj has 12 wickets from eight games at an economy rate of just 4.65 in this World Cup. The Afghan batting order is filled with right-handers and Maharaj can be a handful against them. He should be in your side.

# Barring the poor outing against India, Marco Jansen has been exceptional with both bat and ball in this World Cup. The Ahmedabad surface should suit his bowling as well and he should make it to your XI.

South Africa vs Afghanistan: Predicted XI

South Africa: Quinton de Kock (wk), Temba Bavuma (c), Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Gerald Coetzee, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi.

Afghanistan: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Ikram Alikhil, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi.

SA vs AFG: Dream11 team

Wicketkeepers: Quinton de Kock, Heinrich Klaasen, Rahmanullah Gurbaz

Batters: Rahmat Shah, Ibrahim Zadran

All-rounders: Marco Jansen, Azmatullah Omarzai (c)

Bowlers: Rashid Khan (vc), Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Naveen-ul-Haq

Captaincy options: Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Kagiso Rabada

Potential swaps: Gerald Coetzee for Naveen-ul-Haq, Mujeeb Ur Rahman for Quinton de Kock