NEW DELHI, Nov 09 (Agencies): Afghanistan need a victory and a significant boost to their net run rate to keep their semi-final hopes alive when they face a South Africa on Friday looking to bounce back from a crushing defeat at the hands of India.
Before their semifinal showdown, South Africa aim to address their struggles in chasing, while Afghanistan are confident in defeating another top team.
The stakes are higher for Afghanistan, who, along with Pakistan and New Zealand, are vying for the fourth spot with eight points each. Only a victory against South Africa will keep them in contention, given their inferior net run rate.
Regardless of the outcome, Afghanistan have gained respect for their mature play, securing four wins out of eight games.
They now believe in their ability to triumph against the best, evident in their victories over England and Pakistan.
Afghanistan captain Hasmatullah Shahidi will look to capitalize on South Africa's tentative chasing and their spinners' ability to exploit this weakness. While spin has traditionally been their strength, the team now expects breakthroughs from their pacers as well.
Despite South Africa's strong batting performance when batting first, the Afghanistan lineup has matured, with players like Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah and Shahidi himself adapting to various situations.
On the South African side, Quinton de Kock has been in stellar form, but skipper Temba Bavuma needs to find his rhythm. With the opportunity against Afghanistan, Bavuma aims to lead from the front before the crucial semifinals.
David Miller, a top finisher, seeks to peak in the World Cup, and left-arm pacer Marco Jansen aims to improve his economy rate.
The Proteas rely on left-spinner Keshav Maharaj in the middle overs, but the inclusion of Tabraiz Shamsi, known for releasing pressure in the middle of a spell, remains uncertain.
South Africa's David Miller hailed Afghanistan as "one of the joys of the World Cup" on Thursday.
"They've been really, really good to watch," said Miller of Afghanistan who have beaten defending champions England as well as former winners, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
They were in touching distance of another major scalp on Tuesday when they had five-time champions Australia on the ropes before Glenn Maxwell launched his spectacular one-man rescue mission
"They're a team that's certainly growing in confidence. They've shown that they can compete. I mean this World Cup they've done really, really well, beaten some big teams."
They were in touching distance of another major scalp on Tuesday when they had five-time champions Australia on the ropes before Glenn Maxwell launched his spectacular one-man rescue mission
"They're a team that's certainly growing in confidence. They've shown that they can compete. I mean this World Cup they've done really, really well, beaten some big teams."
He added: "It's been good to watch the Afghanistan group going the way that they have with the spinners that they've got, the batters up front.
"They have a chance to make the semifinals. That's the joy of the World Cup. You see different teams doing well, people that don't necessarily rate a certain team exceeding in a certain phase of the World Cup."
Squads: South Africa: Temba Bavuma (c), Gerald Coetzee, Quinton de Kock, Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Andile Phehlukwayo, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Rassie van der Dussen, Lizaad Williams.
Afghanistan: Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Riaz Hassan, Rahmat Shah, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Ikram Alikhil, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Abdul Rahman, Naveen ul Haq.
