Playing in the ICC Champions Trophy for the first time, Afghanistan will hope to get off to a winning start when it faces South Africa at the National Bank Stadium in Karachi on Friday.
The sides met in a three-match series in September 2024 in the United Arab Emirates, where the Afghan Atalan claimed a 2-1 victory. The Proteas, though, prevailed during the ODI World Cup in 2023, beating Afghanistan by 5 wickets.
Here is how the two teams are expected to lineup:
AFGHANISTAN PREDICTED PLAYING XI
Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Azmatullah Omarzai, Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi.
SOUTH AFRICA PREDICTED PLAYING XI
Temba Bavuma (c), Ryan Rickelton, Matthew Breetzke, Rassie van de Dussen, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), David Miller, Wiaan Mulder, Marco Jansen, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi.
AFG vs SA DREAM ELEVEN FANTASY TEAM
WICKETKEEPERS
Heinrich Klaasen (vc), Rahmanullah Gurbaz
BATTERS
Rassie van der Dussen, Ibrahim Zadran, David Miller
ALL-ROUNDERS
Marco Jansen (c), Azmatullah Omarzai
BOWLERS
Kagiso Rabada, Rashid Khan, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Lungi Ngidi
Team Composition: AFG 5:6 SA | Credits Left: 9.5
SQUADS
Afghanistan: Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Sediqullah Atal, Rahmat Shah, Ikram Alikhil, Gulbadin Naib, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Nangyal Kharoti, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Farid Malik, Naveed Zadran. Reserves: Darwish Rasooli, Bilal Sami.
South Africa: Temba Bavuma (c), Tony de Zorzi, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tabraiz Shamsi, Tristan Stubbs, Rassie van der Dussen, Corbin Bosch.