Afghanistan vs South Africa Cricket highlights, Champions Trophy 2025: South Africa thrash Afghanistan by 107 runs in Karachi
  • News
  • Sports News
  • Cricket News
  • Afghanistan vs South Africa Cricket highlights, Champions Trophy 2025: South Africa thrash Afghanistan by 107 runs in Karachi
THE TIMES OF INDIA | Feb 21, 2025, 22:42:57 IST
Comments
Share

Afghanistan vs South Africa Cricket highlights, Champions Trophy 2025: South Africa thrash Afghanistan by 107 runs in Karachi

Afghanistan vs South Africa Cricket highlights: Opener Ryan Rickelton struck a maiden one-day international hundred as South Africa routed Afghanistan by 107 runs in the Champions Trophy in Karachi on Friday.

Rickelton cracked a 106-ball 103 with seven boundaries and a six to anchor South Africa's imposing total of 315-6 in the Group B match at the National Stadium.

South Africa's pace attack of Kagiso Rabada (3-36), Wiaan Mulder (2-36) and Lungi Ngidi (2-56) then dismissed highly-fancied Afghanistan for just 208 in 43.3 overs.

South Africa blunted the threat of Afghanistan's slow bowlers with star leg-spinner Rashid Khan going wicketless for 59 runs in his 10 overs.

Rahmat Shah top-scored for Afghanistan with a fighting 92-ball 90 with nine boundaries and a six before he was the last man out.

Chasing a formidable target, Afghanistan desperately needed a fast start but lost flamboyant openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz for 10 and Ibrahim Zadran for only 17 by the 10th over.

Sediqullah Atal fell for 16 while skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi went without scoring as Afghanistan were left teetering at 50-4.

Shah and Azmatullah Omarzai (18) took the score to 89 before Rabada and Marco Jansen, who got rid of Mohammad Nabi, struck to effectively end Afghanistan's hopes.

Rashid Khan briefly entertained the crowd with a quickfire 13-ball 18 including a six and three boundaries.

Earlier, Rickelton was ably assisted by skipper Temba Bavuma (58), Rassie van der Dussen (52) and Aiden Markram (52 not out) to steer South Africa to a solid total after they won the toss and batted.

Nabi, who finished with 2-51, provided an early breakthrough with his first ball by dismissing opener Tony de Zorzi, caught at mid-on for 11.

Rickelton and Bavuma then added 129 for the second wicket as Afghanistan toiled in the field.

Bavuma hit five boundaries in his 76-ball knock before he was finally caught off a short Nabi delivery to give some joy to hundreds of Afghan fans in an otherwise sparse crowd.

Rickelton, who has two Test centuries to his name but a previous best of only 91 in ODIs, completed his first white ball century with a single.

Two runs later, however, he was gone, victim of an unlucky run out.

Coming down the pitch to drive Rashid, Rickelton was forced to turn quickly and dive back into his crease as the bowler collected and fired the ball to wicketkeeper Rahmanullah Gurbaz.

Rickelton appeared to make his ground but replays showed that his bat was slightly raised so not in the crease when Gurbaz whipped off the bails.

Van der Dussen hammered two sixes and three boundaries in his 46-ball knock before falling to spinner Noor Ahmad in the 43rd over.

It was left to Markram to take South Africa past the 300-mark, clubbing six boundaries and a six in a 36-ball 52 not out that helped the Proteas to add 50 runs in the last five overs.

Australia meet England in another Group B clash in Lahore on Saturday.

Pakistan, India, New Zealand and Bangladesh are in Group A. The top two teams from each group will qualify for the semi-finals.
14:32 (IST) Feb 21
0
Overs0.1
Score0 - 0

Fazalhaq Farooqi to Ryan Rickelton, Fazalhaq Farooqi looks for some swing and dishes out a low full toss on middle, Ryan Rickelton nudges it to mid on.

14:29 (IST) Feb 21

Done with the anthems and we are moments from the first ball being bowled! Ryan Rickelton and Tony de Zorzi are the openers. 

14:23 (IST) Feb 21

All set for the action to begin! The players make their way out to the middle for the national anthems first. 

14:08 (IST) Feb 21
SA vs AFG Live: Playing XIs
Afghanistan: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (w), Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Azmatullah Omarzai, Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Noor Ahmad

South Africa: Ryan Rickelton (w), Tony de Zorzi, Temba Bavuma (c), Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Wiaan Mulder, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi
14:07 (IST) Feb 21

So, a big surprise coming from the South Africa XI is there is no Heinrich Klaasen, Tristan Stubbs and also Tabraiz Shamsi. It has to do something with injuries, especially to Heinrich Klaasen who could be a big loss in this match. As per reports, Heinrich Klaasen has been left out as a precautionary measure. He suffered some discomfort in his left elbow.

14:07 (IST) Feb 21

If we had won the toss, we would have batted first but the toss is not in our hands and we have to play good cricket. (On what it will take to beat South Africa) We played some quality cricket against them in Sharjah and we have quality spinners. Hopefully, we do well and can beat them. I will be more happy if we start well and take some wickets in the powerplay and give some momentum to our bowlers in the middle overs.

Afghanistan skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi

14:06 (IST) Feb 21

Hashmatullah Shahidi says they would have batted first as well however, he says the toss is not in their hand but they will try and play good cricket. Shares their spinners could be key in this conditions. Admits he will be happy if they start well and carry on the momentum in the middle and final phase. 

14:06 (IST) Feb 21

We will have a bat first. Looks a bit different that what we have been experiencing here, not sure how will it react. Will try to post a competitive total on the board. I have a lot of confidence in our bowling attack, today we have gone for a lone spinner in Shamsi and the rest are seamers.

South Africa captain Temba Bavuma after winning the toss

14:06 (IST) Feb 21

Temba Bavuma says they want to bat first. Adds the wicket looks a little different and not sure how good it will play. Mentions runs on the board will be key. Adds they are going in with one spinner and they’ll be relying on their pacers.

14:05 (IST) Feb 21

Afghanistan (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.

14:05 (IST) Feb 21

South Africa (Playing XI) - Ryan Rickelton (WK), Tony de Zorzi, Temba Bavuma (C), Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Wiaan Mulder, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi.

14:02 (IST) Feb 21
AFG vs SA Cricket Live Score: TOSS TIME! South Africa opt to bat first
South Africa skipper Temba Bavuna wins the toss, decides to bat first against Afghanistan in Karachi.
13:57 (IST) Feb 21
Afghanistan vs South Africa Cricket Live Score: Pitch Report
"The weather conditions promise a nice day of cricket, 31 degree Celsius with a nice wind blowing across the stadium and there's a light cloud cover as well. Talking about the boundary dimensions, to my right, it’s 67m and to my left is 62m and it’s 79m down the ground. Some greenery on this surface. There’s some colour, there are some cracks and then it’s hard. I didn’t expect grass but in this case, there might be some sideways movement. The cracks are in the 6-8m area. The South African seamers will be licking their lips looking at this. I will probably have a bowl first, there’s cracks, there’s grass, you want to take a couple of wickets early and put the pressure on the opposition. It may be a bowling surface." - Ian Bishop and Dale Steyn
13:55 (IST) Feb 21
Poll
Champions Trophy 2025 Live: Which team will win this match today?
13:28 (IST) Feb 21
Afghanistan enter the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy aiming to continue their trend of upsetting top-tier teams - a skill they've honed in recent years. In the 2023 ODI World Cup, they stunned England, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, while in the 2024 T20 World Cup, they made history by defeating New Zealand, Australia and Bangladesh en route to their first-ever ICC tournament semifinals.

Buoyed by confidence, Afghanistan will look to build on that success and push for a semifinal spot in the Champions Trophy. Led by captain Hashmatullah Shahidi, they will begin their campaign against South Africa in Karachi on Friday.

Batter Ibrahim Zadran is confident that the team will enter the tournament with the same intent and mindset.
13:12 (IST) Feb 21
AFG vs SA Cricket Live Score: Tough group awaits both teams
Afghanistan and South Africa are part of a challenging Group B, alongside Australia and England. Group A features Pakistan, India, New Zealand, and Bangladesh, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the semi-finals.

With both teams eager to make a strong start, Friday’s clash promises to be a high-stakes battle in the Champions Trophy.
13:07 (IST) Feb 21
Afghanistan vs South Africa Cricket Live Score: Numbers Game
Afghanistan vs South Africa Cricket Live Score: Numbers Game
13:07 (IST) Feb 21
Champions Trophy 2025 Live: 'No negativity ...'
South Africa, winners of the inaugural Champions Trophy—then known as the ICC Knock-Out Trophy—in 1998, have since struggled in major tournaments. They lost in the semi-finals of the 2023 ODI World Cup and were runners-up to India in last year’s T20 World Cup.

Bavuma, however, dismissed concerns over South Africa’s long title drought. “There's no negativity from the fact that we haven't been able to be successful in other ICC events or editions,” he said. “But there is a lot more positivity and confidence in terms of our ability or how far we can go within the tournament.”
12:36 (IST) Feb 21
SA vs AFG Live: Weather & other details
SA vs AFG Live: Weather & other details
12:10 (IST) Feb 21
AFG vs SA Cricket Live Score: South Africa aiming to shed 'chokers' tag
Despite losing to Pakistan and New Zealand in the tri-series, Bavuma remains optimistic.

“We understand the Champions Trophy is a little bit different. It's almost like every game is a knockout type of thing, and our mindset really is to make sure that we pitch up and play our best game of cricket,” he said.

“Hopefully, we're playing five games and not three games of cricket in this tournament. I think most importantly, we win the moments that matter.”
12:09 (IST) Feb 21
Afghanistan vs South Africa Cricket Live Score: Head to Head
Afghanistan vs South Africa Cricket Live Score: Head to Head
12:08 (IST) Feb 21
Champions Trophy 2025 Live: We have to bring our A-game, says Bavuma
South Africa captain Temba Bavuma acknowledged Afghanistan’s growing reputation and warned his team against complacency.

“They are a highly competitive team,” Bavuma said. “I think they've got a lot of experience within their team—guys who have that international pedigree at least from a skill point of view, and we have to bring out our A-game.”

The two teams last met in a three-match ODI series in Sharjah last year, where Afghanistan triumphed 2-1. Bavuma admitted Afghanistan would carry confidence from that victory into Friday’s match.

“They won that series, so they won’t be short of any type of confidence coming into the game tomorrow,” he said. “But in terms of preparations, we have ticked all the boxes.”

South Africa will be at full strength for the match, with key players such as Marco Jansen, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs, and Rassie van der Dussen returning after missing the recent tri-series in Pakistan.
12:07 (IST) Feb 21
SA vs AFG Live: Afghanistan are confident ahead of the opener
Afghanistan, which has rapidly risen in international cricket, will also face England on February 26 and Australia on February 28 in Lahore. Having learned the sport in refugee camps in Pakistan, Afghan cricketers have made an impressive mark, defeating England, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka in the 2023 ODI World Cup and reaching the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup last year.

“We have recently beaten South Africa in Sharjah, so we have that confidence with us and we are not under any pressure,” Shahidi stated. “We are doing very good, so we are here to win the final and not just to participate. We are definitely one hundred per cent looking to win this event.”

With Rashid Khan, ranked second among ODI bowlers, leading the spin attack and hard-hitting batters like Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, and Mohammad Nabi, Afghanistan poses a strong challenge.
12:06 (IST) Feb 21
AFG vs SA Cricket Live Score: "We only control things inside the ground"
Last month, South Africa’s Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie supported calls from British politicians for a playing boycott of Afghanistan. While the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) resisted the demand, they have ruled out bilateral series with Afghanistan. Australia, another Group B team, has canceled a T20I series and a Test against Afghanistan in the past two years but will still play their scheduled Champions Trophy fixture.

Shahidi, however, remains unfazed. “We only control things inside the ground, that's our job,” he said. “The other things cannot put us under pressure.”
12:05 (IST) Feb 21
Afghanistan vs South Africa Cricket Live Score: Afghanistan unfazed by boycott calls
Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi has dismissed calls for a boycott of his team’s matches in the ICC Champions Trophy due to Afghanistan’s treatment of women under the Taliban.

Speaking in Karachi ahead of their Group B opener against South Africa on Friday, Shahidi made it clear that his team remains focused solely on cricket.