Afghanistan vs South Africa Champions Trophy 2025: 4 players who are worth watching out for in this contest
On the 21st of February i.e today, a mouth watering encounter between Afghanistan and South Africa is slated to take place at the National Bank Stadium in Karachi. This match will be the first game of Group-B and it promises to be an exciting battle between the Mighty Proteas & the debutants Afghan Atalans who have taken the world of Cricket by storm with the assistance of talented bunch of players in their team.
The Afghans, under the leadership of Hashmatullah Shahidi, might be taking part in their first ever Champions Trophy 2025 tournament but have enjoyed a great run in the ODI format. They have secured victories in their last four ODI series heading into the marquee ICC event which includes a 2-1 series victory over the Proteas. This series win alone is more than enough to increase their confidence going into the eight-team event.
The Proteas, on the other hand, might still be considered as the favourites to win this game but their performances in the last few ODI games has been underwhelming. The Temba Bavuma-led outfit have faced the wrath of injuries and they ended the recently concluded Triangular series versus New Zealand & Pakistan on a terrible note, failing to register a single win.
It's safe to say that the 2024 T20 World Cup runners-up are going to be under a tremendous amount of pressure going into the competition but you can never rule out a South African side. Ahead of this exciting encounter, let's take a look at four players who are going to be worth watching out for in the Afghanistan versus South Africa Champions Trophy clash.
Afghanistan vs South Africa Champions Trophy: 4 players worth watching out for
Azmatullah Omarzai
Fresh from winning the ICC Men's ODI Player of the Year award for 2024, seam bowling All-Rounder Azmatullah Omarzai has proven to be a crucial part of Afghanistan's recent success in the ODI format.
In the 2023 ODI World Cup, the talented pace-bowling all-rounder managed to score a total of 353 runs with nine wickets to his name and helped his team secure wins in big contests. In the absence of the experienced Naveen-ul-Haq, the 24-year-old will also have the added responsibility of playing a key role with the ball in the pace bowling unit of Afghanistan.
Temba Bavuma
Temba Bavuma, the captain of South Africa has been in good form with the bat of late, having played a good knock of 82 runs in Karachi when the Proteas locked horns versus Pakistan in the Triangular series encounter earlier this month.
If the captain can help his team get off to a good start in the powerplay overs, then the South African batting lineup possesses top-notch big hitters in their middle order who can help their team post a big total on the board.
Heinrich Klassen
The previous ODI games played at the National Bank Stadium in Karachi witnessed the spin bowlers getting a lot of grip from the surface and the South African player who knows how to attack the slow bowlers from the word GO is the one and only Heinrich Klassen. The 33-year-old has proved to be one of the most explosive middle-order batters and this ground is one where he can once again showcase his ability to smash the ball long and hard.
He will be playing a crucial role in the middle order of the Proteas and his performance with the bat will surely determine what kind of a score the 2024 T20 World Cup runners-up can put up on the scoreboard.
Rashid Khan
Leg spinner Rashid Khan has already managed to establish himself as a living legend in the Cricket history of Afghanistan. The 26-year-old has maintained his form on a consistent basis over the years and he's always considered as a very dangerous player in the limited overs formats.
He will be playing a key role with the ball in helping his team keep the scoring rate of the Proteas in check in the middle overs and he can also chip in with some useful contributions with the bat down the order.