Afghanistan VS South Africa ODI Venue: Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore
Afghanistan VS South Africa ODI Date: Friday, February 21
BetXchange Afghanistan VS South Africa ODI Odds:
History
South Africa and Afghanistan have the honor of playing the opening game in Group B of the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy on Friday in Karachi.
The format of this tournament means the top two countries from each group of four teams qualify for the semifinals, and the bottom two teams go home. England and Australia are the other two nations in Group B, so this is a must-win for the Proteas and Afghanistan.
Neither of these squads is being treated as a serious threat to win the ICC Champions Trophy in 025. Afghanistan is only above Bangladesh in the outright betting stakes, while the Proteas are behind India, Australia, and Pakistan in the overall market.
South Africa’s recent form is not great. The last ODI series between the Proteas and Afghanistan ended in a 2-1 series victory for the Asian side. South Africa was also just whitewashed by New Zealand and Pakistan in a Tri-Nation warmup series for this event. However, the Proteas lacked some frontline players due to a clash with the domestic SA20 T20 competition.
Afghanistan
Can Afghanistan score enough runs to trouble the big boys in this tournament?
Their bowling attack is, on paper, as good as anyone in the comp, with the possible exception of India. However, the batting will determine the Afghan side’s fate.
Rashid Khan’s bowling will be important, but it will be interesting to see how much turn he can get on the flat tracks in Pakistan. This is one of those matches where Rashid will give up runs but find enough bite to take wickets against overly aggressive batsmen.
South Africa
South Africa is still chasing that elusive first ICC title. They had a white ball trophy within touching distance in the 2024 T20 World Cup final against India but found a way to fall apart when the chips were down.
Their last ICC Champions Trophy campaign was over before it got started. Rain washed away their final group game in England, denying the Proteas any chance of winning and progressing to the semifinals.
Losing Anrich Nortje for this tournament is huge, but it is getting to the point with the dominant quick bowler that injury issues are almost expected. The batting will have to step up, so look for Heinrich Klaasen’s power-hitting to make a difference in the middle order.
Best Bets
I like South Africa to win this, as the wicket conditions won’t suit what Afghanistan is good at.
South Africa’s batting lineup has a potent mix of power and aggression that goes much deeper than their opponents. If the ball doesn’t move, as it isn’t expected to in Karachi, then the Proteas middle order will tee off if the bowlers don’t find consistent length.
In this format, South Africa has three batsmen who all average in the mid-forties. Any one of Klaasen (3/1), Temba Bavuma (59/20), and Rassie van der Dussen (31/10) has the potential to steal the show here, but Klaasen is my pick.
