Afghanistan set 245-run target for South Africa

Afghanistan set a target of 245 runs for South Africa at the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 in Ahmedabad.

Choosing to bat in Ahmedabad, Afghanistan slipped to 116-6 before Azmatullah Omarzai hit an unbeaten 97 for a competitive total but not enough for the huge victory margin that the team required.

South Africa fast bowler Gerald Coetzee took four wickets while spinner Keshav Maharaj returned impressive figures of 2-25 as the Proteas tune-up for their semi-final clash with five-time winners Australia next week.

Afghanistan were like the flying birds in the sky showing their charismatic performance in this World Cup. They were well ahead in the race of the semifinals.

However, their confidence was broken away after an unbelievable defeat against Australia on November 7 in Mumbai. The equation to qualify for the last four has become almost impossible for them.

Playing XIs

South Africa: Quinton de Kock (wk), Temba Bavuma (c), Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen, Andile Phehlukwayo, David Miller, Gerald Coetzee, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi.

Afghanistan: Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Ikram Alikhil (wk), Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Naveen-ul-Haq.