South Africa Tour of Afghanistan in UAE in 2024 - Squads, Fixtures and All you need to know

South Africa are touring UAE to participate in a historic bilateral ODI series against Afghanistan, starting on the 18th of September. It is the first time that both these teams are squaring off in a bilateral series.

The third and Final ODI will be played on the 22nd of September.

All of the matches are scheduled to be played at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in the UAE.

Afghanistan are led by Hashmatullah Shahidi, while Rahmat Shah has been named his deputy. Afghanistan have played a lot of cricket in the UAE and they should adjust to the conditions pretty quickly.

The star bowler Rashid Khan is returning to the team after an injury layover. He will add an extra layer of advantage to team Afghanistan in the upcoming matches. The other star players like Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Ibrahim Zadran will be missing out on the ODI series due to injury. Abdul Malik and Darwish Rasooli are selected for the tour and it will mark their arrival in International cricket.

South Africa on the other hand are led by the Temba Bavuma and they will be fielding a relatively inexperienced side. Amdile Simelane, Jason Smith and spinner Nqaba Peter are expected to make their ODI debut in the series.

South Africa haven't been in the best of form as they were beaten comprehensively by West Indies recently in a 3 match series by 3-0. Kyle Verreynne and Tristan Stubbs will manage the middle order workload while Tony de Zorzi has been finalized for the openers role. Experienced players like Aiden Markram, Andile Phehlukwayo and Lungi Ngidi are also part of the tour.

Both these teams have faced each other twice in the 50 overs format. South Africa have emerged victorious in both those games. Proteas will certainly start as favorites but a highly spirited Afghanistan team cannot be overlooked, especially in the UAE conditions.

Considering the squad strength of both Afghanistan and South Africa, the tour promises to be a fiercely fought affair.

Let's have a look at the squads:

Afghanistan

Hashmatullah Shahidi (captain), Rahmat Shah (vice-captain), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wicket-keeper), Ikram Alikhil (wicket-keeper), Abdul Malik, Riaz Hassan, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan, Nangyal Kharoti, Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar, Fazal Haq Farooqi, Bilal Sami, Naveed Zadran, Farid Ahmad Malik

South Africa

Temba Bavuma (captain), Ottneil Baartman, Nandre Burger, Tony de Zorzi, Bjorn Fortuin, Reeza Hendricks, Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Andile Phehlukwayo, Nqaba Peter, Andile Simelane, Jason Smith, Tristan Stubbs (wicket-keeper), Kyle Verreynne (wicket-keeper), Lizaad Williams

Fixtures:

Wednesday, September 18

Match 1 - Afghanistan vs South Africa

Sharjah Cricket Stadium, UAE

Friday, September 20

Match 2 - Afghanistan vs South Africa

Sharjah Cricket Stadium, UAE

Sunday, September 22

Match 3 - Afghanistan vs South Africa

Sharjah Cricket Stadium, UAE

Where to watch South Africa Tour of Afghanistan in UAE 2024:

Live Cricket Streaming South Africa Tour of Afghanistan in UAE 2024: The live cricket streaming page which enables you to watch live cricket - Geo-restrictions apply

*NB these predictions may be changed nearer the start of the match once the final starting teams have been announced and we will be running ‘In-Play’ features, so stay tuned.

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