South Africa vs Afghanistan Match Prediction: The Sportsrush present before you Match Prediction of 2019 World Cup Match 21 between SA and AFG.
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Languishing in the trenches of the league standings, South Africa and Afghanistan have no one but themselves to blame for their diabolic showings. Placed ninth and tenth respectively, the two sides have been wiped the floor with by their oppositions, leaving them winless after opening set of matches.
While South Africa’s previous match against West Indies was truncated, the defeats at the hands of England, Bangladesh and India preceding that saw them come under massive flak. What has in particular made for dejected viewing is the way South Africa have decided to throw up tools ways too soon with the shoulders stooping and the heads slumping at the slightest bit of pressure.
Afghanistan elsewhere have had to suffer a malicious batting performance. Their batsmen have gotten out to irresponsible shots, not showing the requisite skill set needed on such a big stage against world-class bowlers.
South Africa vs Afghanistan – What numbers suggest?
This is the first time ever that both these countries will be locking heads in an ODI match.
South Africa vs Afghanistan – Key Battles
Hashim Amla vs Aftab Alam
Dismissing Hashim Amla has become as easy as it gets now. He’s been massively exposed this World Cup with his gaping inability to negotiate the shorter ball seeing him depart cheaply on three occasions.
Anything banged into the surface at a reasonable pace will more often than not see Amla make his way back to the pavilion. That’s how Liam Plunkett, Jasprit Bumrah and Sheldon Cottrell picked up his wicket and Aftab Alam will be eyeing the same areas when he bowls to the South African opener.
The new ball bowler for Afghanistan knows he doesn’t need to try anything special. It’s a simple game plan to get the ball to suddenly grow on to Amla and take him by surprise, preferably on his leg-stump and Amla will be left clueless on what to do with the ball.
Kagiso Rabada vs Hazratullah Zazai
In a batting order which has been left papering over the cracks in Afghanistan’s three outings at the CWC, Zazai has emerged as a pleasant surprise for them. Coming into the World Cup in shambolic form, he’s shown immense determination and diligence to craft out astute knocks and bide his time in the middle.
Against Kagiso Rabada, he needs to opt for the same game plan as he did against Boult. The willingness to stick it around in the middle is what could serve Zazai well against one of the most pristine pacer in the world at the moment. Pace, bounce and swing, Rabada has it all and he’ll be looking to make the full use of this versatile skill set to send the opener back early.
Continuously clocking over 145 km/h, what Rabada will be looking to do is generate massive swing and get the ball to shape both ways against Zazai. It’ll make it extremely tough for Zazai to get under the ball but he has both the time and the awareness of how to deal with such deliveries and we could be in for a real battle of cricketing acumen here.
South Africa vs Afghanistan – Match Prediction
Determining the winner of this match two weeks back would have been as simple a proposition as they get. However, things are quick to change, especially in sport and given the dearth of determination, composure and valour South Africa have shown up till now, this clash has a finely balanced one now.
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Its especially the dwindling nature of South Africa’s batsmen at the moment coupled with their well documented weaknesses against spin which could see Afghanistan make a real case for themselves here. They need to send Quinton de Kock and Faf du Plessis packing early on and they’ll expose a crumbling middle-order which their spin trio could easily decimate.
For all of SA’s problems with the bat, Afghanistan have their own fair share of them. Their batting order has put in a way worse showing than SA and Rabada is going to be no mean feat to square up against. It’s an encounter which will be determined by the side more willing to stick it out in the middle while batting and unfortunately for Afghanistan, its South Africa who hold the upper hand there.
