South Africa Playing XI vs Afghanistan Playing XI, Match No.13 – ICC T20 World Cup 2026

South Africa vs Afghanistan, a crucial match for Group D of the T20 World Cup 2026, will be held on February 11. The result of the match will shape the points table of the group to finalise the top two teams, which will move to play the round of eight. Afghanistan is already on the back foot, as they have lost against New Zealand.

On paper, SA is looking stronger than the Afghanistan cricket team. In the semifinals of the 2024 T20 World Cup, they knocked Rashid Khan’s team out of the tournament. Ahead of the tournament, Quinton de Kock and Ryan Rickelton-starrer batting line-up was performing in a solid way against the West Indies. They will try to carry the same form here as well to cross the group stage hurdle.

For Afghanistan, their main issue could be their squad depth. They do not have a huge number of proven talents in their set-up. They will have to trust some of their experienced match winners during the match against SA as well. A tough job awaits the Afghans, which can finally transform into a fierce battle.

This article provides the probable playing XIs of South Africa vs Afghanistan for the 13th match in the World Cup clash in 2026. This article includes the likely player combinations and crucial players to watch out for at the spin-friendly track of the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

Afghanistan Playing XI vs South Africa—ICC T20 World Cup 2026:

Openers: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran

The defeat against New Zealand must have hurt them a lot. But it is undeniable that batters like Gurbaz did a decent job. Their next match against Afghanistan will bring out the best in their form to spice up the competition. It is expected to see Gurbaz pairing with Zadran as usual.

Middle-Order Batters: Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Gulbadin Naib, Azmatullah Omarzai

The middle order helped the team to fight back against New Zealand. Naib’s timely half-century synchronised the game for a tight battle. Atal and Rasooli also added a significant amount of runs to help their team register a competitive total against a strong New Zealand side.

Bowlers: Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan (c), Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Ziaur Rahman, and Fazalhaq Farooqi.

Afghans can make the cricket fans surprised again with their bowling performances like they did in the 2024 T20 World Cup. They will have to win against South Africa in their next match after falling short against New Zealand.

South Africa Playing XI vs Afghanistan—ICC T20 World Cup 2026:

Openers: Aiden Markram, Quinton de Kock

Before the T20 World Cup 2026, the Proteas were in fine touch against the West Indies. Quinton de Kock up in the batting order bolstered their batting strengths by some margin. If Aiden Markram also gets his runs back, then this opening pair can disrupt the Afghanistan bowling attack.

Middle-order: Ryan Rickelton (wk), Dewald Brevis, Jason Smith, Tristan Stubbs, Corbin Bosch

South Africa has formed an all-rounder-heavy squad for the tournament, which makes their list of prominent hitters long enough to possess threats. Ryan Rickelton was also in good form against the West Indies. The rest of the middle order needs to shine whenever the opportunity comes.

Bowlers: Marco Jansen, George Linde, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje

For some extra amount of speed, the South African team management can go with Anrich Nortje, as they did before. For the experience, Kagiso Rabada can join the troop along with Jansen and Linde.

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Author: Staff Cricket Addictor