The state of play
Afghanistan embark on their first ever ICC Champions Trophy campaign as they take on South Africa at the National Stadium in Karachi on Friday.
The two sides go into the tournament in contrasting form, with Afghanistan beating Zimbabwe away from home in their most recent ODI series.
Hasmatullah Shahidi’s side has won their last four ODI series going into the tournament which also includes a 2-1 victory against South Africa.
South Africa’s pre-tournament preparation has been less successful after failing to win a single match in the recent tri-series held in Pakistan which saw them miss out on the final. Before that, they were whitewashed 3-0 by Pakistan at home.
Afghan captain Shahidi believes that previous win will give his side some invaluable confidence heading into the opener at the National Bank Stadium
“Between 2019 and now there’s too much difference and just recently we beat them [South Africa] in Sharjah – 2-1 – so we have that confidence with us and we are not under pressure anyway,” Shahidi said at his press conference on Thursday.
“Because right now we are focusing what we can do in this tournament and I believe that our team is more ready for this tournament and we are focusing on our own team. There is no pressure on us.”
Intensity 🆙!
📸: AfghanAtalan continue to put in hard yards as they gear up for their maiden participation at the ICC #ChampionsTrophy 2025. 🤩#AfghanAtalan will begin their journey in the mega event by facing the Proteas this Friday in Karachi. 👍… pic.twitter.com/Cm51drUejI
— Afghanistan Cricket Board (@ACBofficials) February 19, 2025
A blow for Afghanistan sees spin whizzkidd Ghazanfar ruled out due to injury. Still, they boast plenty of spin in depth in the form of Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, Mohammad Nabi and Nangeylia Kharote
The Blue Tigers are also expected to have the support of the crowd in Karachi with many Afghanistanians residing in the area.
“First of all, about people here – there are a lot of Afghans,” Shahidi added.
“They live here in Karachi and in Pakistan and also a lot of Pashtun people, I think, they support us. So yeah, yesterday there was a lot of crowds shouting for us [during training] and it feels good and it give us confidence that we have supporters here and about our performance.”
And while it is their first appearance at the ICC Champions Trophy, Shahidi insists they will not just be going to make up the numbers.
“We are doing very good and, in this tournament, we are here to compete here and our aim is to win the final,” Shahidi said.
“We are not here just to participate here in this tournament. We are definitely 100% looking to win this event and at the same time because we played a lot of quality cricket from last two years and it’s a good chance for us because the boys are very experienced and these conditions are also suitable for us.
“So we have a good chance and let’s start it from tomorrow and hopefully we start with the win and we go with the same momentum throughout the tournament.”
Despite not winning a single ODI since October and currently being on a six-match losing streak in the format, Proteas skipper Temba Bavuma insists his side go into the tournament in high spirits.
“It’s for us as a group to connect strongly again and to remind ourselves about how we want to play,” Bavuma, who led South Africa to the World Cup semi-finals in 2023, said.
“That confidence and knowing comes from how we have performed as a group. These guys have all known each other for the past four or five years.
“There’s no baggage coming into this tournament, we are looking forward to playing our best cricket.”
Expected line-ups
Afghanistan: Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ikram Alikhil, Gulbadin Naib, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Naveed Zadran
South Africa: Temba Bavuma (c), Tony de Zorzi, Tristan Stubbs, Heinrich Klaasen, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, Tabraiz Shamsi
Fresh look and mission ready! 🏏🏆💪.
Catch the Proteas as they take on Afghanistan in their opening match on Feb 21 at 11 am, live on SuperSport 📺. #WozaNawe #BePartOfIt #ChampionsTrophy pic.twitter.com/AfOkfxucvR
— Proteas Men (@ProteasMenCSA) February 20, 2025
How to Watch
The ICC Champions Trophy can be watched in the UK on Sky Sports. Friday’s coverage starts on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Cricket at 0830.
In India, it is being shown on the JioStar network with JioHotstar providing live streaming. On television, in addition to the English feed, coverage will also be available in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada across Star Sports and Sports18 channels.
Prediction
Afghanistan come into the tournament in better form and perhaps with more familiarity amongst their squad, with South Africa’s group barely playing alongside each other in the last few years.
The Blue Tigers are many people’s dark horses to go far in the tournament and they could put one foot in the next stage here, which we are expecting them to do.
Afghanistan to win