Afghanistan takes on South Africa in their first game of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. This is their first appearance in the multi-team tournament. They finished sixth in the ICC World Cup last year ahead of teams like Sri Lanka and Pakistan that helped them qualify for the tournament.
This is the first game of South Africa as well in the tournament. They recently played in an ODI Tri-Series involving Pakistan and New Zealand and thus have a better knowledge of the conditions.
Both teams are well aware of the strengths and weaknesses of each other. Given the conditions, Afghanistan should be rather happy that they will be playing in Karachi with the pitches drying out. That is when Rashid Khan will be at his best. With no Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Allah Ghazanfar, Rashid has to lead the spin attack. The pace attack will be led by Fazalhaq Farooqi. South Africa, on the other hand, do not have Anrich Nortje and Gerald Coetzee available due to injury concerns. Their powerhouse batting depth is their biggest strength in this tournament.
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Also Read: Champions Trophy 2025 Match 3: Afghanistan vs South Africa Match Preview & Where to Watch Live?
AFG vs SA Champions Trophy 2025 Match 3 Pitch Report
The match will be played in Karachi which was recently renovated by the PCB ahead of the Champions Trophy. New Zealand and Pakistan played the first game of the tournament at this venue. The Kiwis piled up 320 batting first. The pitch was rather flat and behaved decently for the Kiwis who opted to bat first. Both teams will surely have their own preferences but the first game surely would have given them an idea. Pakistan has been a batting paradise statistically since 2019 with most 300-plus scores in ODIs. In case Afghanistan chases in this game, their batting depth will be tested.
AFG vs SA Champions Trophy 2025 Match 3 Weather Updates
The weather conditions in Karachi have been pretty hot and humid. The match starts from 2 pm local time and the conditions will be very hot. As per Accuweather, the temperatures will be around 31 degrees in the afternoon and the conditions mostly cloudy. The humidity will be less but there is expected to be deep cloud cover. The conditions will be a lot better in the evening with temperatures around 21 degrees and no chance of rain.
AFG vs SA Squads
Afghanistan:Â 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
South Africa:Â 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.
More About AFG vs SA Champions Trophy Updates
