AFG vs RSA Champions Trophy 2025: Dream 11 Team Prediction, Best Picks, H2H Record and Captaincy picks
In what promises to be a thrilling & entertaining encounter, rivals Afghanistan (AFG) & South Africa (RSA) will be witnessed squaring off versus each other in the first Group-B match of the ICC Men's Champions Trophy 2025 tournament on 21st February at Karachi's National Bank Stadium. The battle between the powerful Proteas & the rising Afghan Atalans, who have been taking the Cricketing World by storm with their talented group of players, surely promises to be an epic one.
The Afghans will be taking part in their maiden Champions Trophy event and their confidence will be boosted as they are coming on the back of an incredible winning-run in the 50 overs format. Their team have managed to win all four of their One Day International series under the captaincy of Hashmatullah Shahidi, including a crucial triumph of 2-1 over the Proteas. They will surely feel more confident going into the eight team ICC event as a result of this extra ordinary performance.
The South Africans, on the other hand, regarded as the favorites in this forthcoming clash, have struggled to perform well in their recent outings in the 50 over format. Their team has faced injury related issues to key players and they ended the recently concluded Triangular series versus Pakistan & New Zealand on a winless note. As the runners-up of the 2024 T20 World Cup, the Proteas will surely be looking to go one step further this time around and break their trophyless jinx.
With both sides eager to start off the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy on a winning note, Cricket fans & enthusiasts can look forward to a fiercely contested & exciting encounter between the Afghan Atalans & the Proteas.
Pitch Report and Weather Conditions
The pitch of the National Bank Stadium of Karachi is known as a batters' paradise. It has a long history of favoring the batters more and the seam bowlers will be getting little to no help on this surface, while the spin bowlers can prove to be effective due to the slow nature of the pitch. The dew factor can also play an important in deciding the outcome of the match in the evening period, due to which the toss-winning captain might go ahead and choose to field first.
Talking about the weather forecast, In accordance to the weather reports of AccuWeather, the city of Karachi is anticipated to experience a partly cloudy sky on Friday with the temperature expected to hover around the 30 degrees Celsius mark. The humidity levels are expected to stay between 30 to 40 percent, but the chances of rain interfering with the match are zero.
Afghanistan versus South Africa Champions Trophy: Probable Playing 11's of both teams
Afghanistan's Probable Starting 11
1. Ibrahim Zadran
2. Rahmanullah Gurzbaz (WK)
3. Rahmat Shah
4. Hashmatullah Shahidi (Captain)
5. Azmatullah Omarzai
6. Mohammad Nabi
7. Gulbadin Naib
8. Rashid Khan
9. Noor Ahmed
10. Fazalhaq Farooqi
11. Farid Ahmed Malik
Afghanistan are expected to go in with a spin heavy bowling unit consisting of the likes of top class spinners such as Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmed and Mohammad Nabi. Taking into account the spin friendly conditions of Karachi, these three will create a lot of problems for the South Africans.
South Africa's Probable Starting 11
1. Temba Bavuma (Captain)
2. Aiden Markram
3. Toni de Zorzi
4. Rassie van der Dussen
5. Heinrich Klassen (WK)
6. David Miller
7. Keshav Maharaj
8. Lungisiani Ngidi
9. Marco Jansen
10. Kagiso Rabada
11. Tabraiz Shamsi
The Temba Bavuma-led haven't been in great form in ODI Cricket for a long time and while they won't be entering the Champions Trophy on the best of forms, they surely cannot be ruled out of any game and their formidable lineup will create a lot of issues for Afghanistan. Kagiso Rabada will be the leader of the bowling unit and he will be getting company from the likes of Lungisiani Ngidi and Marco Jansen. Keshav Maharaj & Tabraiz Shamsi will handle the spin bowling duties.
HOT Picks for Afghanistan vs South Africa Dream11 Grand League Team
Afghanistan:
- Rahmanullah Gurbaz: Afghanistan's explosive wicketkeeper-batsman Rahmanullah Gurbaz has scored a total of 1,769 runs in 46 One Day International matches and his batting at the top of the order will be useful for your grand league teams. He will also give points with his role of a wicketkeeper.
- Rashid Khan: Spin bowling all-rounder Rashid Khan, the ace leg spinner of the Afghan Atalans has dismissed batters 198 times in 111 One Day International games and he also has the ability to chip in with some valuable contributions with the bat down the order. The value he provides as an all-rounder will be crucial to Afghanistan's success in the eight-team tournament.
- Azmatullah Omarzai: Azmatullah Omarzai had an excellent 2023 ODI World Cup in India with both bat & ball. He was also crowned as the ICC Men's Player of the Year for 2024 and he is definitely a good hot pick for your Grand League teams given his all-round abilities.
South Africa:
- Temba Bavuma: South African skipper Temba Bavuma has amassed 1,733 runs in 46 ODI matches at a really good average of 44. He played a brilliant knock of 81 runs in his team's previous match versus Pakistan and his good form makes him a good pick for the Grand League teams.
- Rassie van der Dussen: Experienced batter Rassie van der Dussen has scored 2,464 runs in 68 50-over matches at an excellent average of 48. He's a really experienced player who knows how to contribute in a meaningful manner in the big games and you should definitely not ignore him from your grand league teams.
- Marco Jansen: Tall left-arm fast bowling all-rounder Marco Jansen has dismissed 42 batters in 21 ODI games. He has also scored 461 runs with the bat and his all-round abilities will provide a lot of points to your grand league teams.
The Temba Bavuma-led South Africa will enter this match as the favorites and it makes sense to back them for several reasons, despite the recent success of Afghanistan in the format. While the Afghan Atalans have proven to be a dangerous-looking side, especially on spin-friendly surfaces, the Proteas still have the presence of strong power hitters to overcome their challenge.
One of the key advantages for South Africans is the presence of a strong opening pair. With Tony de Zorzi set to partner Temba Bavuma at the top of the order, they will have a more stable & explosive opening pair in comparison to Afghanistan.
While the aggression of Rahmanullah Gurbaz is one of the best in modern-day Cricket, his partner at the other end Ibrahim Zadran is a completely opposite batter who prefers to start off his innings slowly. This may make it hard for the Hashmatullah Shahidi-led outfit to outscore the 2024 T20 World Cup runners-up.
Best Dream11 Team for Afghanistan vs South Africa, Match No. 3
Wicketkeeper- Rahmanullah Gurbaz
Batters- Temba Bavuma, Rassie van der Dussen and Rahmat Shah
All-Rounders- Aiden Markram, Mohammad Nabi, Marco Jansen and Azmatullah Omarzai
Bowlers- Rashid Khan, Kagiso Rabada and Keshav Maharaj
Afghanistan vs South Africa Champions Trophy: Best Captain & Vice-Captain options
Rashid Khan, Marco Jansen, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, and Aiden Markram