Table of Contents
Preview: Winless so far in the tournament, both South Africa and Afghanistan will be eagerly looking to tick the victory box when they take on each other at the Oval. Down and out, the two bottom-placed teams know that this will be their best chance to post their first win in the ongoing 50-over showpiece. This is perhaps the first time that South Africa, from the very beginning, were never in contention to make it to the semi-finals but remaining win-less after four matches is something unexpected. After three straight losses against England, Bangladesh and India, their fourth match against the West Indies was abandoned due to rain. Afghanistan faced a similar fate, losing all three of their matches till now to defending champions Australia, Sri Lanka and New Zealand.
ICC WORLD CUP 2019 South Africa vs Afghanistan Match 21
Follow South Africa vs Afghanistan, live score and updates:
South Africa win
That’s it! Andile Phehlukwayo slams Mohammad Nabi for a six and South Africa have registered their first win of the tournament. Thanks to this result, South Africa kept alive their slim hopes of reaching the World Cup semi-finals.
9 runs needed
Couple of boundaries off the Rashid Khan over for Andile Phehlukwayo and South Africa need just 9 runs to win the match. This has been a brilliant show by the Proteas and they will take a lot of positives from this performance.
Stat Attack: Quinton De Kock
This is the 2nd time he has been dismissed for exactly 68 in this World Cup
he got out for 68 (74) vs England at the Oval
4th consecutive caught dismissal against a fast bowler for him in ODIs
All four of them have been caught by fielders (non-keeper)
De Kock out
Brilliant catch by Mohammad Nabi and Quinton De Kock’s innings comes to an end on 68. Gulbadin Naib strikes for Afghanistan as South Africa are 104/1 after 23 overs.
Stat Attack: Partnership
100-run partnership between Amla/de Kock
1st 100-run opening partnership for South Africa coming after 32 ODI innings.
Previous 100-run opening partnership for SA: 119 (T Bavuma/de Kock) vs Bangladesh 22 Oct 2017
This is the duo’s (Amla/de Kock) 11th 100-run partnership in ODIs
The 10th 100 run opening partnership for South Africa in the World Cup.
De Kock taking chances
Two shots in the air for Quinton De Kock but both of them landed in no man’s land and it looks like he will now be taking some changes. 32 runs needed from 27 overs and this will be the win that can change South Africa’s campaign. However, they will have to score quickly if they want to drastically change their net run rate.
Raining Boundaries
South Africa have certainly increased their run rate in the last few overs with both Quinton De Kock and Hashim Amla attacking the bowlers. While De Kock swept Rashid Khan for a boundary through mid-wicket, Amla got one through his deft touch off Mohammad Nabi. SA 91/0 after 20 overs.
Fifty for De Kock
His 23rd ODI fifty
His 2nd in this World Cup
Overall his 3rd in the World Cup
His 6th of 2019
Stat Attack: Amla-De Kock
50 partnership between Amla/de Kock
1st 50-run opening partnership for South Africa in this World Cup.
The 1st 50-run stand for the opening wicket for SA coming after 8 ODI innings.
Slow but steady
12 overs gone, South Africa are 45 for no loss. The introduction of Gulbadin Naib and Rashid Khan into the attack has changed nothing for Afghanistan as the South Africa openers are strolling along. Just five boundaries in the innings but both Amla and De Kock have looked quite comfortable and this will really help SA’s run rate.
Rashid into the attack
Afghanistan have opted for their main weapon – Rashid Khan – early in the innings and Quinton De Kock welcomed him with a boundary through mid wicket. This has been a slow but steady start for South Africa as they are 30/0 after 9 overs.
First boundary
Finally, Quinton De Kock gets the first boundary of the South Africa innings! Aftab Alam bowled it just outside the off stump and De Kock guided it to the boundary through extra cover. SA 19/0 after 6 overs.
Slow Batting
Really slow batting by both Hashim Amla and Quinton De Kock as they have not scored a single boundary till now. They are not finding the gaps right now but nothing to worry for them as the required run rate is not threatening at all. South Africa 14/0
Match Recap
Imran Tahir snared four wickets to trigger Afghanistan’s dramatic batting collapse as South Africa bundled them out for 125 in yet another rain-affected World Cup match here Saturday.
Sent into bat, Afghanistan were slow and steady to reach 69 for 2 at the end of the 20th over when rain came for the second time and when play resumed after a break of one hour, they lost four quick wickets for the addition of just eight runs.
They were reduced to 77 for 7 in the 26th over, losing five wickets in the space of 4.4 overs.
SA start slow
Hashim Amla and Quinton De Kock are opening the batting for South Africa with Aftab Alam bowling the first over. A solid start by the fast bowler as he troubled both the batsmen with his pace but Afghanistan need early wickets if they want to stay in the encounter. SA 1/0
Innings over!
Chris Morris picks the last wicket of the innings as he gets rid of Hamid Hassan for 0. With that Afghanistan end their innings at 125 all-out in 34.1 overs. Imran Tahir was the pick of the bowlers for South Africa as he ended with four wickets. Chris Morris scalped three while Andile Phehlukwayo picked two.
Tahir has his revenge
Rashid Khan was hitting Imran Tahir all over the park in the over. He hit couple of sweep shots for boundaries and then hit one on the off side, playing the perfect inside out shot. On the fifth ball of the over, Rashid hit on towards mid-wicket, where Rassie van der Dussen took a brilliant catch on the ropes. Afghanistan are 9 down as Rashid departs for 35. Fourth wicket of the innings for Tahir.
Morris strikes
Chris Morris picks his second wicket of the day as he gets rid of Ikram Ali khil for 9. The southpaw edges the ball into the hands of Hashim Amla at second slip. Afghanistan are eight down now.
Rabada can’t find his mark
Kagiso Rabada was brought into the attack to clean the tail but he can’t get his radar sorted at the moment. He has bowled wayward and Afghanistan batsmen are scoring runs off him. He has relied on short deliveries when yorkers should have been the order of the day.
100 up for Afghanistan
Rashid Khan hits Kagiso Rabada over the infield for a boundary towards long-off. With that, Afghanistan have gone past the 100-run mark in the 29th over of the innings. South Africa are leaking unnecessary runs at the moment.
Four and four
Rashid Khan is showing he will not go down without a fight as he hits couple of boundaries off Kagiso Rabada. The first one he hit past the bowler towards mid-off. Then, he got lucky and an edge goes for a four, making it two in the over.
Tahir picks his third
Imran Tahir scalps the crucial wicket of Afghanistan skipper Gulbadin Naib as they lose their seventh wicket now. The right-hander hit a short delivery on the leg side and Aiden Markram took a good high catch at short mid wicket. Third wicket of the innings for Tahir.
Proteas pile on the pressure
In no times, Afghanistan are six down as South Africa take full control of the match. Afghanistan need a partnership to take them towards a respectable score from here on. Phehlukwayo and Tahir have simply dismantled the Afghan middle-order.
Nabi departs as well
Afghanistan batsmen are falling like a pack of cards at the moment as Mohammad Nabi is now dismissed by Andile Phehlukwayo. The right-hander inside edges the ball on to his stumps and he has to depart now for 1. Afghanistan are six down now.
Tahir picks his second
Imran Tahir is on fire at the moment as he picks his second wicket of the over by getting rid of Asghar Afghan. The batsman hits the ball straight at the bowler and Tahir accepted the catch gleefully. Afghanistan are five down now.
Tahir strikes now
Imran Tahir comes into the attack and straight away gets rid of opener Noor Ali Zadran for 32. The right-hander failed to read a googly and crashes into his middle stumps. Afghanistan are four down now.
Match resumes, Shahidi falls
On just the fourth ball after resumption of the match, Andile Phehlukwayo has gotten rid of Shahidi. The southpaw edges the ball into the hands of Faf du Plessis in the slip cordon. Afghanistan have lost their third wicket now.
Match to resume soon
The official word from the venue is that the match will resume at 21:03 PM IST. The ground staff has almost readied the pitch for the match. We will see the players soon on the ground.
Rain has stopped
The rain gods have finally relented and it has stopped drizzling in Cardiff. The ground staff have started their work to ready the pitch for the match. The match is expected to resume soon.
Still drizzling
The weather is getting bettter but it is still drizzling and that is the reason the play hasn’t started yet. The officials are waiting for the weather to clear up completely before they could take off the covers.
Rain slowing down
The rain is slowing down now and heavy rain has converted into slight drizzle now. Like the first stoppage, it seems the match will begin shortly once again. Stay tuned folks as we will keep updating regarding the exact time of the start of the match.
Rain stops play again
The players are heading off the pitch for the second time today as rain has returned in Cardiff. Looks like it is going to be one of those days. Afghanistan have scored 69/2 in 20 overs as the pitch is entirely covered now.
DRS to the rescue
Phehlukwayo traps Noor Ali Zadran. A delivery on off-stump kept low and the batsman completely missed it. He called for a review immediately. There is a bat involved as per snicko, so good review from Afghanistan. DRS saves a life.
Morris building pressure
Another excellent over from Chris Morris – gives away just one in his over. Shahidi was cramped up for room and found it hard to get going. Pressure building – 18 overs gone, AFG 66/2
Chris Morris strikes
Afghanistan have lost their second wicket as Chris Morris removes Rahmat Shah for 6. Morris traps Rahmat infront of the wicket and he was adjudged LBW. The batsman asked for the DRS to come into play and it showed the ball was touching the leg stump and the umpire’s call was retained.
Afghanistan cross 50
Chris Morris bowls a short delivery and Rahman Shah puts the ball away for a boundary towards mid-wicket. With that, Afghanistan have crossed the 50-run mark in the 14th over. The two batsmen are now building a good partnership.
Maiden over
Chris Morris bowls a good over to Rahmat Shah as it was a maiden over. Afghanistan’s run rate reads 3.67 and they haven’t been scoring freely in the innings. South African pacers have done well to keep a check on the scoring rate.
Noor Ali survives
Andile Phehlukwayo produces an edge off Noor Ali Zadran’s bat and Faf du Plessis takes the catch at second slip. However, he isn’t sure if he has take the catch cleanly and the umpire asks for the third umpire to come into the picture. Replays showed that the ball bounced before du Plessis caught hold of it.
10 overs bowled
Noor Ali Zadran hits his fourth boundary of the innings and it comes off Beuran Hendricks. He hits the ball in between cover point for a glorious boundary. 10 overs have been bowled and Afghanistan have scored 43 runs with the loss of one wicket.
Rabada strikes
Kagiso Rabada has provided the first breakthrough of the innings to South Africa as he gets rid of Hazratullah Zazai. The southpaw went for the pull shot and found Rassie van der Dussen at mid wicket. Afghanistan have lost their first wicket.
Good over from Rabada
Kagiso Rabada continues from where he left before rain halted the match. He bowls a good over and concedes just 1 runs off it. Afghanistan haven’t been scoring runs at a good pace but they haven’t lost a wicket yet and that bodes well for them.
Match resumes
So it was indeed a passing shower. The players are back on the pitch and we are underway again after a short rain break. The sun is out now and we haven’t lost any overs in the match.
Drizzling now
The heavy rain has converted into drizzle and the sun is also starting to peek from the clouds. The match might resume soon. Fingers crossed.
It’s started raining
The match has been stopped due to rain and the players are making their way back into the hut. The pitch has been covered now and the ground staff is working hard to keep everything under check. Stay tuned folks as we will keep updating you regarding the situation.
Half-chance dropped
Kagiso Rabada dropped the ball short and Hazratullah Zazai went for the pull shot.The ball took a top edge and went towards mid wicket. Chris Morris, who was fielding at short mid wicket, went after the ball and even got under it but couldn’t manage to keep hold of it. To make matters worse, it went for a boundary. Zazai survives on 12.
First four for Zadran
Beuran Hendricks bowls a bit full and Noor Ali Zadran hits the ball through the covers for his first four of the innings. Afghanistan openers are off to a steady start in the innings as South African pacers are still searching for wickets.
Maiden over
Beuran Hendricks bowls a maiden over to Noor Ali Zadran as he makes it difficult for the right-hander to score runs with his blistering pace. Kagiso Rabada to bowl his second over now.
First four of the match
Kagiso Rabada bowled five dots on the trot but then bowled a full toss and Hazratullah Zazai flicked the ball for a boundary towards mid wicket. First four of the innings for Afghanistan and it has come off the bat of the southpaw. Beuran Hendricks to bowl the second over now.
Match begins
Kagiso Rabada has the new ball in his hands and he will bowl the first over of the innings. Noor Ali Zadran is opening the innings along side Hazratullah Zazai for Aghanistan and they will be looking for a steady start in the match.
National Anthem
Players from both the teams are out in the middle and it is time for the National Anthems. First, up it will be Afghanistan’s national anthem followed by Proteas.
Stat attack
295: Average 1st innings score at Sophia Gardens, Cardiff in the last 5 ODIs.
5: Sides batting 1st have won 5 of the last 10 contested ODIs at this venue.
4: Sides batting 1st have been bowled out in 4 of the last six ODIs at this venue.
1: This is 1st time that South Africa are meeting Afghanistan in ODIs.
1: South Africa have lost just 1 of the 3 completed ODIs at this venue.
0: Afghanistan are yet to win a match at this venue in ODI cricket.
65: Hashim Amla is 65 runs away from 8000 ODI runs. If he reaches that landmark in this game, he’ll be the joint fastest to 8000 ODI runs alongside Virat Kohli (175 innings)
9: David Miller needs 9 runs to reach 3000 ODI runs.
2: Imran Tahir (33) has the 2nd highest wickets for South Africa in World Cup after Allan Donald (38). He needs 6 more wickets to become the leading wicket taker for South Africa in World Cup.
Playing XIs
South Africa: Quinton de Kock(w), Hashim Amla, Aiden Markram, Faf du Plessis(c), Rassie van der Dussen, David Miller, Andile Phehlukwayo, Chris Morris, Kagiso Rabada, Imran Tahir, Beuran Hendricks
Afghanistan: Hazratullah Zazai, Noor Ali Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Asghar Afghan, Gulbadin Naib(c), Mohammad Nabi, Ikram Ali khil(w), Rashid Khan, Aftab Alam, Hamid Hassan
Toss update
South Africa have won the toss and elected to bowl first against Afghanistan. Skipper Faf du Plessis revealed they are making this call because of the overcast conditions in Cardiff. Meanwhile, Afghanistan skipper Gulbadin Naib also concedes they were looking to bowl first.
SA look to banish WC ghosts
“Week one was a bad start to the tournament but that’s done now,” South Africa skipper Faf Du Plessis told reporters on Friday. “We’ve got to put all our energy and focus into the now and what’s coming up next. I truly believe that if we carry those ghosts of the last week with us it’s going to be tough to get out of the hole. But the conversations in the last couple of days, especially with all the rain around, has given me more time to make sure that the guys are on the right path.”
‘AFG won’t be distracted’
“We looked forward, so we didn’t go to the past. We had one week off. We got plenty of good things in this last week,” Afghanistan skipper Gulbadin Naib told reporters on Friday. “Obviously we missed Shahzad. We have good youngsters on the team now on the side, so we’re excited for the next game.”
Predicted XIs
South Africa: Quinton de Kock, Hashim Amla, Aiden Markram, Faf du Plessis, Rassie van der Dussen, David Miller, Andile Phehlukwayo, Chris Morris, Kagiso Rabada, Imran Tahir, Lungi Ngidi
Afghanistan: Hazratullah Zazai, Noor Ali Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Najibullah Zadran, Ikram Ali khil (wk), Rashid Khan, Dawlat Zadran, Hamid Hassan
Top player battles
Kagiso Rabada vs Hazratullah Zazai: This will be the first time South Africa will face off against Afghanistan in an ODI. The Proteas seamer Kagiso Rabada is in excellent form at the moment – and has been the primary wicket-taker bowler for the side. With Hazratullah Zazai giving a good start to the side against New Zealand, Afghan fans would hope he can do the same against struggling opposition and can carry on to make big total.
Rashid Khan vs Faf du Plessis: It is a known secret that Proteas skipper Faf du Plessis struggles against spin bowling. The right-handed batsman was dismissed by Yuzvendra Chahal against India, as he failed to read a flighted-one from the leggie. Rashid Khan can pose similar problems for du Plessis.
Kagiso Rabada threat
Batting remains a concern for Afghanistan as well and with Mohammad Shahzad back home due to fitness issues, they will have their back against the wall. It would be an uphill task for the Afghanistan batters against the likes of Kagiso Rabada and Imran Tahir.
Proteas’ inexperienced batting
South Africa have been mostly done in by their inexperienced batting line-up, coupled with injuries to a few of their key players. The Protea batsmen have been struggling, and even in the wash-out game against West Indies, they were down at 29/2 before the match was called off. Experienced Hashim Amla has been is in dismal form and the semi-finalists of the 2015 edition can only hope that their veteran batsmen start to fire. The responsibility rests on the shoulders of skipper Faf du Plessis and Quinton de Kock and the two will be expected to bring their ‘A’ game into the fore against Afghanistan
Afghanistan players on a high
The players of the war-torn nation can take confidence from the fact that they gave a good account of themselves against the Sri Lankans and almost pulled it off. While Afghanistan will be fancying their chances against a lowly South Africa side, the Proteas would be more than keen to live up to their past reputation and make a statement against the Asian minnows.
Hello and welcome
A very warm welcome to the live blog of the ICC World Cup 2019 group stage match between South Africa and Afghanistan. Both teams are winless in the tournament and will look for to keep their hopes alive of making it into the semis.