South Africa vs Afghanistan, ICC Cricket World Cup 2019, Today Match Prediction 15 Jun 2019

n/a vs afg Match Prediction & Analysis

South Africa and Afghanistan will be looking to start their road to recovery when they will face each other in the 21st match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 in Cardiff on Saturday.

Both teams have lost their three games in the competition and will be looking to get back to winning ways. South Africa will be hoping to get off the mark with a victory in this game against Afghanistan.

On the other hand, Afghanistan will fancy their chances against South Africa that has struggled to score runs against quality spinners. Captain Gulbadin Naib will be hoping that the side can put in decent score on the board against South Africa.

TEAMS PREVIEW

South Africa Preview

Faf du Plessis-led unit will be desperate to win this game at all costs in order to stay relevant in this World Cup. The side has lost three out of four games played so far in the competition. South Africa will be hoping that they break their winless streak against Afghanistan on Saturday.

For South Africa, the responsibility in the batting department will be on the likes of Captain Faf du Plessis, Quinton de Kock, and Hashim Amla to put the bulk of runs on the board. The batting trio certainly needs to produce big scores in this game.

Hashim Amla has been turned out to be the biggest disappointment for South Africa in this World Cup. He has scored only 25 runs in 3 matches at an average of 8.33. Amla needs to dig deep in order to put in a big score for South Africa in this game.

Left-hander Quinton de Kock will be looking to produce a big century against Afghanistan at Cardiff. De Kock has so far accumulated 118 runs in 4 matches at an average of 39.33. South Africa will be hoping that he can deliver something special with the bat in this game. The likes of David Miller, JP Duminy and Rassie van der Dussen will need to deliver decent scores for the side in this fixture.

In the bowling department, the side will be relying on the likes of Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, and Chris Morris to deliver breakthroughs with the new-ball. Leg-spinner Imran Tahir bowled well and did not take any wickets in the previous game played against West Indies.

South Africa Predicted Playing XI:

Faf du Plessis (Captain), Quinton de Kock, Hashim Amla, Rassie van der Dussen, David Miller, JP Duminy, Chris Morris, Andile Phehlukwayo, Kagiso Rabada, Imran Tahir, Tabraiz Shamsi/Dwaine Pretorius.

South Africa Actual Playing XI:

Faf du Plessis, Rassie van der Dussen, Quinton de Kock, B Hendricks, Aiden Markram, Chris Morris, Andile Phehlukwayo, Kagiso Rabada, David Miller, Hashim Amla, Imran Tahir

Afghanistan Preview

On the other hand, Afghanistan suffered a seven-wicket defeat at the hands of New Zealand in a game played in Taunton on Saturday. With this result, Afghanistan has lost three games on the bounce in this Cricket World Cup. Gulbadin Naib and co. will need to bat well in order to compete against South Africa in this contest.

In the batting department, the focus will be on the likes Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmat Shah and Hashmatullah Shahidi to produce runs with the bat. Shahidi was the standout performer with the bat for Afghanistan in their previous game played against New Zealand. He scored 59 runs off 99 balls with the help of nine boundaries. He found no support from other players as New Zealand picked up wickets at regular intervals.

The opening pair of Hazratullah Zazai and Noor Ali Zadran put on a 66-run partnership to see Afghanistan get off to a decent start against New Zealand. The side will be hoping that the opening pair can continue their good form in this game. The side has an experienced middle-order consisting of players like Gulbadin Naib, Najibullah Zadran and Mohammad Nabi, whom all can deliver decent scores on a given day.

In the bowling department, pace bowler Aftab Alam was the pick of the bowlers with three wickets to his name. Mohammad Nabi bowled only three overs and conceded 18 runs against New Zealand.

Afghanistan Actual Playing XI:

Ikram Ali Khil, Aftab Alam, Noor Ali Zadran, Hamid Hassan, Asghar Afghan, Gulbadin Naib, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Hazratullah Zazai, Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi, Rahmat Shah

Weather Conditions

The pitch might have something in it for the bowlers. The batsmen will need to work hard for their runs on this surface. The weather forecast for the game on Saturday does not look as heavy downpours are expected to take place throughout the day.

Venue

The Sophia Gardens in Cardiff is going to host the game between Afghanistan and South Africa. This is the first time that South Africa will take on Afghanistan in a one-day game. Afghanistan has lost its game against South Africa played at this venue.

Toss: To Bowl

The side that wins the toss would be keen to bowl first and make use of bowler-friendly conditions. Batting second will be the best option for both the teams as rain is going to play a role in the outcome of the game