South Africa will take on Afghanistan in a historic three-match ODI series with the first encounter set for Tuesday at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in the United Arab Emirates.
The Proteas’ tour against Afghanistan will be missing a lot of key players but it offers a chance for fringe players to raise their hands as the conversation around the ICC Champions Trophy gains momentum.
South Africa will take on Afghanistan in a historic three-match ODI series with the first encounter set for Tuesday at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in the United Arab Emirates. The game is scheduled to start at 2pm.
The Proteas have won the two previous encounters between the two sides, both in Cricket World Cup encounters in 2019 and 2023 but this will be the first time they compete in a bilateral series.
The first encounter will also be the first time the two sides meet since South Africa gave the home side a hiding in the semi-final of the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup earlier this year in Trinidad and Tobago.
White-ball head coach Rob Walter has today announced the squads for the upcoming One-Day International (ODI) series against Afghanistan and the proceeding white-ball tour against Ireland, which get underway in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) later this month.
The Proteas will… pic.twitter.com/CxqsY618Kr
— Proteas Men (@ProteasMenCSA) September 9, 2024
South Africa will be without some of their regular players and fast bowler Lungi Ngidi will be one of the experienced players on tour. He believes this series is just as important as any other series, and it will be a great opportunity for everyone to raise their hands for future selection.
“I don’t think anyone is taking this series lightly,” Ngidi said, while addressing the media. “We have the Champions Trophy coming soon.
“Players want to put their hands up for selections and the young guys are coming in to gain some experience to create a bit of depth for the South African team. For the rest of the guys, it’s just to get some game time because it’s been a long time since we played ODI cricket.”
Ngidi also warned against any form of complacency against a much-improved Afghanistan side compared to the one they beat previously.
“The opinion of a cricket team is purely based on what people think, but it’s not always the truth. Anyone’s opinion of what Afghanistan will play like, I don’t think it affects us because we have seen what they can do against other international teams.
“They’ve got world-class cricketers and match winners. On their day they can beat the best in the world.
“We have seen it happen and I don’t think anyone should look at them as minnows. We definitely know what we are in for.”
The 28-year-old does not expect a lot of change to the Sharjah surface from their previous tour and he believes South Africa can counter the home side’s aggressive approach by turning their strengths into weaknesses.
“There wasn’t a lot of bounce in Sharjah, but there was a bit of a turn. In my head, it might already be that way, but we haven’t been here in a long time and the conditions and the field seem better.
“They seem to be very aggressive up front. That is probably their biggest foundation, as they have some players that can chip in in the middle and lower orders. The biggest thing for us will be to control the top end of their batting line-up.
“We know that their bowling is one of their strengths. We need to make sure our batters don’t give them easy opportunities and make the game as hard as possible for them.”
