SA vs AFG Match Prediction & Betting Tips, Semi Final T20 World Cup 2024
South Africa and Afghanistan will lock horns against each other in the 1st semi-final of the T20 World Cup 2024. The match is scheduled to take place at Brian Lara Stadium in Tarouba, Trinidad on 26th June 2024, starting at 6:00 AM (27 June) IST.
South Africa is having a brilliant outing in this edition. With 7 back to back victories, they have another opportunity to reach the final of a world cup, a feat they have never achieved in so many years of international cricket. They will be looking forward to beating AFG, against whom they have a dominant head to head record in the T20Is.
Afghanistan has been on a roll since the ODI World Cup 2023 where they defeated the likes of England, Pakistan and Sri Lanka and this year they have levelled up by defeating Australia and New Zealand in the T20 World Cup 2024. They surely deserved a spot in the semi-finals and it’s their chance to make history.
Take a look at the detailed predictions for the 1st semi-final of the T20 World Cup 2024 between SA and AFG.
South Africa vs Afghanistan Match Live Streaming
TV channels: You can watch this match live on Star Sports, PTV, Ten Sports, Willow TV, ESPN Caribbean, Sky Cricket, Sky Sport NZ and SuperSport.
Live Streaming: The fixture will be live-streamed on Disney+ Hotstar, Myco, Tamasha, ESPN Play Caribbean, SkyGO, NOW TV, Prime Video and SuperSport.
SA vs AFG Match Toss Prediction
The toss winner is likely to choose bowling first as the last 3 out of 4 matches were won by the chasing team here.
SA vs AFG Pitch Report
The pitch Brian Lara Stadium is difficult to bat on and enjoyable for the bowlers. The average innings score is just around 100 but we can expect the total to go around 130-140 in this match. Fast bowlers are able to pick more wickets than spinners. More than 80% wickets have been taken by pacers on this ground in this world cup.
Trinidad Weather Report
The weather report shows heavy showers in Tarouba, Trinidad on Wednesday but we can expect cloudy weather without rain at night during the match time. The temperature will hover around 28-26°C and humidity levels will be beyond 80%.
Read on for team previews, betting tips, latest odds, and match prediction for South Africa vs Afghanistan, Semi Final T20 World Cup 2024
South Africa Team News & Playing 11
SA Team News
South Africa is having a good combination and any changes in the line-up at this time can hamper their momentum. We are anticipating the same playing 11 as no injuries are reported so far.
SA Key Players
- Quinton de Kock – Quinton is at the end of his career and still looks strong at the top-order. He started off the world cup looking out of form but he has regained the form in the last few matches. He is the leading run scorer for the team with 199 runs at 28.42 average.
- Heinrich Klaasen – Klaasen is one of the top T20 batters in the South African team. His good ability to play spinners will help against AFG which is equipped with some of the best spinners. Klaasen has scored 138 runs in 7 matches at a strike rate of 112.19.
- Anrich Nortje – Nortje is knocking it out with his brilliant pace skills and on this difficult pitch, he will be a key pacer for SA. Nortje is the leading wicket taker with 11 wickets in 7 matches at a strike rate of 15.2.
- Kagiso Rabada – Rabada has also picked up on his form after a few matches in this world cup. He has taken 10 wickets in 7 matches at a strike rate of 14.4. The last time SA met AFG in a T20 match, Rabada picked 2 wickets.
SA Team Form
South Africa will be in confident form as they are on a 7-match winning streak in this T20 World Cup.
South Africa Predicted Playing 11
Reeza Hendricks, Quinton de Kock (wk), Aiden Markram (c), Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Tabraiz Shamsi
Afghanistan Team News & Playing 11
AFG Team News
Afghanistan won the last match against Bangladesh and they will try not to make changes to the playing 11 for this match.
AFG Key Players
- Rahmanullah Gurbaz – Gurbaz is the leading run scorer of the tournament with 281 runs in 7 matches at a strike rate of 129. He was sitting outside during AFG’s bowling after walking out as he picked a niggle while keeping but we expect him to be part of playing 11. He is the key batter for AFG in this crucial game.
- Fazalhaq Farooqi – Farooqi is at the top of the leading wicket takers list of this T20 World Cup. He has picked 16 wickets in 7 matches at a brilliant average of 9.31. He will be a key pacer for AFG on this pitch which favours the fast bowlers. He can do some serious damage to the SA batting line-up.
- Rashid Khan – Rashid Khan is not just leading the team well but also looks in sharp form with his spin bowling. He has taken 14 wickets in 7 matches at a brilliant strike rate of 12. The pitch here offers good assistance to the spinners who can turn the ball well. Rashid has played a lot of cricket against the SA batting line-up in the IPL and other T20 leagues.
- Naveen-ul-Haq – Naveen-ul-Haq was the unsung hero of the last victory against Bangladesh. They way he kept composure and bowled the perfect line and length to pick wickets in the end, it was commendable. He has picked 13 wickets in 7 matches at a strike rate of 10.9.
AFG Team Form
AFG will look forward to capitalising on all the optimism they have gained from defeating Australia and entering the semi-finals.
Afghanistan Predicted Playing 11
Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Gulbadin Naib, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Karim Janat, Rashid Khan (c), Nangeyalia Kharote, Noor Ahmad, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi
South Africa vs Afghanistan Head to Head
South Africa and Afghanistan have faced each other twice in the T20Is and the Proteas have the upper-hand with wins in both the matches. The last time these two met each other in a T20 was in T20 World Cup 2016.
SA vs AFG Head to Head Stats in T20s
| Matches Played | SA Won | AFG Won | Tie | NR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Last 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
South Africa vs Afghanistan Betting Odds
The bookmakers are backing South Africa to win this semi-final at 1.37 against Afghanistan at 3.10. South Africa is a far more experienced team in the T20 than Afghanistan and the Proteas also dominate the head to head record with 2 wins in 2 matches.
Who will win South Africa vs Afghanistan Match?
South Africa and Afghanistan will be an exciting contest as both the teams have played brilliantly in this world cup. South Africa has defeated every team they have faced so far in this world cup but don’t take Afghanistan for granted as they have defeated the likes of New Zealand and Australia to reach semi-finals.
South Africa has a higher chance of winning this game as they are in strong form with 7 back to back wins. Both the teams have a good bowling unit but South Africa has a better batting attack as AFG relies heavily up on its openers, whereas South Africa has a decent middle-order with the likes of David Miller, Heinrich Klaasen and Aiden Markram.
🏆 South Africa vs Afghanistan Prediction
South Africa and Afghanistan will meet each other for the 3rd time in the T20Is and this will be their most important face-off as this is the semi-final match of the T20 World Cup 2024. Confident AFG who kicked out Australia, will be prepared to face the in-form SA who have not lost any match so far.
We are backing South Africa to break the jinx this time and advance to the final of the world cup for the first time ever in their international cricketing journey. Afghanistan surely has a strong bowling unit where both pacers and spinners are ready to attack but their batting line-up lacks in the middle-order which puts a lot of pressure on the openers. We are anticipating South African bowlers to restrict Afghanistan under 110-115 while bowling first or second. On the other hand, South Africa has faced such a pressure situation many times.
