Top five key battles to watch out for in SA vs AFG semi-final 1 at ICC T20 World Cup 2024

The SA vs AFG semifinal 1 will take place on Wednesday at the Brian Lara Stadium in Tarouba, Trinidad.

The knockout rounds at the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 will get underway on June 26 (Wednesday). The first semi-final of the tournament will be played between South Africa and Afghanistan and the second between India and England on Thursday. The final is slated for Saturday.

Although South Africa are undefeated so far, Afghanistan knocking them out won’t be a surprise. Both teams have bowling as their strength. So, it will be a good battle in the first semi-final.

SA vs AFG: Head-to-Head

South Africa and Afghanistan have faced each other twice in the shortest format. South Africa defeated Afghanistan in both those games.

SA vs AFG: Top five player battles to watch out for

5. Quinton de Kock vs Naveen ul Haq

Quinton de Kock has been the top scorer for South Africa at the ICC T20 World Cup 2024. He has scored runs consistently for the team. He hit two half-centuries in the Super 8 round and has been in good touch. The left-hander plays aggressively in the powerplay, making him a key man to dismiss for Afghanistan.

He will be up against Naveen-ul-Haq, who has taken seven wickets in the last two games and six of these seven have been left-handers. His angle against left-handers has proven to be effective.

4. Heinrich Klaasen vs Rashid Khan

Heinrich Klaasen has not got going until now at this tournament, but we all know what he can do on his day. He is probably the most dangerous power-hitter on either side. He just needs a few overs to snatch the momentum.

Klaasen’s role in the middle-overs will be crucial, where Afghanistan’s spinners will operate. He will face the Afghanistan captain in the middle-overs. Rashid Khan has picked up 14 wickets in seven games so far. So, their battle might decide which way the game goes. Rashid has dismissed Klaasen three times in international cricket.

3. Rahmanullah Gurbaz vs Kagiso Rabada

Rahmanullah Gurbaz is the leading run-scorer at the tournament right now, which indicates how important he is for the team. If Gurbaz starts well, Afghanistan will be able to give a tough challenge early on to South Africa. Thus, it will be important to dismiss him early.

That’s where Kagiso Rabada comes into play. He can trouble Gurbaz early on with some swing and seam movement. Rabada has taken 10 wickets so far, many of them at crucial junctures during the Super 8 round.

2. David Miller vs Mohammad Nabi

David Miller will be crucial for South Africa in the middle and death overs. The left-hander has abilities of both anchoring and finishing the innings. He is their No. 6 and the last proper batter in the lineup. So, if somehow Afghanistan can go past him early on in his innings, they will be bowing to the tail.

Miller can take on leg spinners like Rashid and Noor Ahmad, so we might see off-spinner Mohammad Nabi operating against him. In T20s, Nabi has bowled 20 balls to Miller and dismissed him once, while Miller has scored 17 runs at a strike rate of 85.

1. Ibrahim Zadran vs Anrich Nortje

Gurbaz’s opening partner Ibrahim Zadran has been another key batter for Afghanistan at the top. He has supported Gurbaz pretty well and scored runs consistently. He will also be another big wicket for South Africa. If the Proteas can get him early, they will be bowling to the out-of-form middle-order batters.

Anrich Nortje will be looking to make an impact here. He has snapped 11 wickets so far, the most for South Africa at this tournament. Hence, we could see him bowling thunderbolts at Zadran to dismiss the Afghan opener cheaply in the SA vs AFG semi-final.

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