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Afghanistan vs South Africa Prediction & Betting Tips - ICC Champions Trophy
by Devesh Jaganath | in ICC Champions Trophy Predictions
Match 3 at the 2025 Champions Trophy will see Afghanistan taking on South Africa at the National Bank Stadium in Karachi on Friday morning. The Blue Tigers are making their Champions Trophy debut this year, while the Proteas emerged victorious in the inaugural competition when it was still known as the ICC KnockOut Trophy back in 1998. Check out our match prediction below.
Afghanistan have had an excellent couple of years on the global stage, having enjoyed a fruitful run in the 2023 ODI World Cup before reaching the semi-final of the T20 World Cup last year in India. South Africa, on the other hand, will be looking to bring an end to their trophy drought after several near misses, with the most recent coming in the T20 World Cup where they were beaten finalists.
The bookies have made the Proteas the favourites in this contest but can they live up to expectation against a side that has gained the reputation of giant killers? Let’s get into the key stats.
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Afghanistan - South Africa: Form Analysis
Afghanistan will arguably enter this match with a psychological advantage having beaten this opponent 2-1 in a three-match ODI series last September on home soil.
Since then, the Blue Tigers took down Bangladesh 2-1 in November and Zimbabwe 2-0 a month later, either side of a 2-1 T20I series victory over the Chevrons at the start of December.
Over the last year, Afghanistan have played 14 ODI’s and have won eight, but notably, they have won four of their last six with one match during that time ending in a no result.
South Africa have won three of their five ODI matches against Afghanistan!
While South Africa are the favourites in this contest, it is fair to say they have not been at their absolute best in the lead-up to the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy.
The Proteas were whitewashed 3-0 by Pakistan at the end of last year on their home patch and lost both their warm-up matches in the tri-nations series less than a couple of weeks ago.
Since September last year, South Africa have played 11 ODIs and won just three, two of which were against Ireland, while they also lost to the same opponent at the start of October.
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Afghanistan & South Africa Squad Analysis
With spin expected to play a major role in this year’s Champions Trophy, Afghanistan will look to the mastery of Rashid Khan to cause opponents problems, while Mujeeb Ur Rahman will provide him support.
The Blue Tigers’ batting lineup is spearheaded by Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran who have scored 1,514 runs at an average of 48.83 since the start of 2020.
Only India’s opening pair have outscored Gurbaz and Zadran since the start of 2020!
South Africa, on the other hand, were blighted by injuries in the weeks leading up to the tournament with the likes of Nandre Burger, Lizaad Williams and Anrich Nortje all pulling out through injury.
However, their major concern is the fitness of star batter David Miller, who is nursing a right groin injury and his participation in this match is still unclear.
Afghanistan - South Africa Key Points
- Rashid Khan is the number-two-ranked ODI bowler in the world.
- Rashid Khan averaged 2.5 wickets per game in 2024.
- Rashid Khan has a strike rate of 28.4.
- Rashid Khan has a career average of 1.7 wickets per game.
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Our Afghanistan vs South Africa Prediction
Afghanistan have come on leaps and bounds in recent years and they were too good for the Proteas when they met in their three 0match ODI series last year.
Key to the Blue Tigers’ chances of overcoming South Africa again in this competition will be the performances of their spinners, particularly Rashid Khan, who is ranked as the second-best ODI bowler in the world at present. The spinner has averaged 2.5 wickets per innings in 2024 and we fancy him to claim at least a couple of scalps in this one. Our Afghanistan vs South Africa prediction is Rashid Khan 2+ wickets.
Afghanistan vs South Africa - Other Interesting Predictions
South Africa wins the match
While Afghanistan won the last two matches between these sides, South Africa still hold the advantage all-time with three wins.
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Afghanistan vs South Africa match : Frequently asked questions
The Champions Trophy match between Afghanistan and South Africa will be played on February 21 at 09:00 GMT.
The Champions Trophy match between Afghanistan and South Africa will take place at the National Bank Stadium in Karachi.
In Afghanistan, the match will be broadcast on ATN, while South African viewers can tune in to Supersport.
All tips are fully researched and given in good faith, but profits cannot be guaranteed.
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