Afghanistan are in the semi-final of the T20 World Cup and will lock horns against South Africa, who themselves have been on an unbeaten run in the tournament so far. The two sides will meet on June 27, Thursday at the Brian Lara Stadium, Tarouba, Trinidad at 6:00 AM IST. (Streaming | Full Coverage)
Afghans have defeated the likes of New Zealand and Australia in this tournament and will look to scalp another 'big fish' in the form of the Proteas. Aiden Markram-led side have been brilliant so far despite a flaky start to their T20 WC campaign.
The winner of this contest will either meet India or England in the final on June 29, Saturday.
Let's take a look at the three key battles that will vital in the context of the game -
Rahmanullah Gurbaz vs Kagiso Rabada
Afghanistan opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz is the top-scorer in the T20 World Cup with 281 runs at a strike rate of 126.01. Gurbaz's batting up the order has been vital for the Afghans in their blistering start in the matches and if the wicketkeeper-batter decides to do the same in the semi-final, the Proteas could find themselves on the backfoot. However, Kagiso Rabada's 10 wickets in 7 matches are no fluke and the pace bowler will look to dismiss Gurbaz as early as possible. Expect sparks to fly when these two collide on June 27, Thursday at the Brian Lara Stadium.
Rashid Khan vs Quinton de Kock
The reason why Afghanistan are having such a brilliant T20 WC is that their bowlers and batters dominating the statistics chart. Skipper Rashid Khan has 14 scalps in this tourney and his clever bowling has left opposing batters finding answers. Khan, who has even contributed with the bat, will look to outfox SA' Quinton de Kock who has suddenly found his form. With 199 runs so far, QdK will not put a foot wrong against one of the best spinner in T20 cricket.
Fazalhaq Farooqi vs Heinrich Klaasen
Afghanistan pace bowler Fazalhaq Farooqi is leading the wicket-taking charts in the T20 World Cup 2024 with 16 wickets in seven matches. Farooqi's bowling has been 'on the money' for AFG and he will be raring to go up against SA's most-feared T20I batter, Heinrich Klaasen. The Protea batting has not been firing but Klaasen can be unstoppable on his day.
Squads:
South Africa Squad: Quinton de Kock (wk), Aiden Markram (c), Reeza Hendricks, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Tabraiz Shamsi, Ottneil Baartman, Gerald Coetzee, Bjorn Fortuin, Ryan Rickelton
Afghanistan Squad: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Rashid Khan (c), Ibrahim Zadran, Azmatullah Omarzai, Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Nabi, Karim Janat, Nangeyalia Kharote, Noor Ahmad, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Najibullah Zadran, Fareed Ahmad Malik, Hazratullah Zazai, Mohammad Ishaq
