Sport
South Africa ‘wary’ of formidable Afghanistan ahead of ODI series
Rashid Khan has returned from an injury that kept him out of a one-off Test against New Zealand, which was rained out without a ball being bowled
Afghanistan will face cricket powerhouse South Africa in the first of three one-day international (ODI) fixtures at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in the UAE on Wednesday.
Afghanistan and South Africa have met five times before – twice in ODIs and three times in T20Is – and on all of those occasions, during various World Cups, South Africa have come out on top.
However, Afghanistan, who only received full member International Cricket Council (ICC) status in 2017, has beaten every Test-playing nation in white-ball cricket except India and South Africa.
South Africa’s Lungi Ngidi said Monday that for this reason, the Afghans cannot be underestimated.
“The opinion of a cricket team is purely based on what people think, (but) it’s not always the truth,” Ngidi said.
“Anyone’s opinion on what Afghanistan might play like, that doesn’t affect us because we’ve seen what they can do against other international teams.
“We’re not taking this series lightly. They have world-class cricketers and match winners, and on their day they can beat the best in the world.
“We’ve seen it happen, so I don’t think anyone should be looking at them as minnows. We definitely know what we’re in for.”
For Afghanistan, Rashid Khan has returned from an injury that kept him out of a one-off Test against New Zealand, which was rained out without a ball being bowled.
Afghanistan’s cricket stars Rashid Khan and Azmatullah Omarzai have maintained their positions at the top of the latest ICC Men’s ODI rankings.
Rashid Khan remains the No. 1 ODI bowler in the world with 714 rating points.
Pakistan’s Abrar Ahmed is second with 675 points, while South Africa’s Keshav Maharaj has moved up to third with 667 points.
New Zealand’s Mitchell Santner is fourth with 644 points, followed by India’s Kuldeep Yadav on 623.
Meanwhile, Azmatullah Omarzai continues to hold the top position in the ICC ODI all-rounder rankings with 337 points, giving Afghanistan two players at No. 1 in different ODI categories. Sikandar Raza of Zimbabwe and Mehidy Hasan Miraz of Bangladesh follow him in the list.
Abu Muslim Farah beat Omar Zawak Herat 4-0 in the 30th match of the sixth season of the Roshan Afghanistan Champions League, delivering an impressive performance.
The match was played today (Wednesday) at the Afghanistan Football Federation Stadium.
Samiullah Naderi scored Abu Muslim Farah’s opening goal in the final minutes of the first half.
Abu Muslim Farah continued their attacking play in the second half, with Aman Sardari scoring the team’s second goal in the 69th minute with a spectacular header.
Omid Rajabi and Mirois Ghafouri then added two more goals to complete a 4-0 victory for Abu Muslim Farah.
Amanullah Sardari, captain of Abu Muslim Farah, was named Player of the Match against Omar Zawak Herat.
Abu Muslim Farah will face Ariana Khost in their next match on October 2, while Omar Zawak Herat will take on Istiqlal Kabul on the same day.
The sixth season of the Roshan Afghanistan Champions League is being broadcast live on Ariana Television.
The Afghanistan Cricket Board’s High Performance Center is set to launch a nationwide fast-bowling talent identification program, titled “Afghan Thunder,” across several provinces throughout October.
According to the ACB, the program will begin in Kunduz on October 4, with assessments continuing in Herat, Kandahar, Kabul, Khost, Paktia and Kunar before concluding in Nangarhar on October 27.
The board says eligible participants must be between 19 and 26 years old, at least 180 centimeters tall, hold a valid electronic National ID (e-Tazkira) and be capable of bowling at speeds of at least 140 kilometers per hour.
The assessment schedule is as follows: Kunduz on October 4–5, Herat on October 9–10, Kandahar on October 12, Kabul on October 14–15, Khost on October 19, Paktia on October 21, Kunar on October 25 and Nangarhar on October 27.
The ACB has encouraged eligible players who believe they have the potential to develop into high-level fast bowlers to take part in the Afghan Thunder Fast-Bowling Talent Hunt Program on the designated dates.
The board says the initiative aims to identify promising fast-bowling talent from across Afghanistan and provide talented players with a pathway into the country’s high-performance cricket system.
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