South Africa will be up against Afghanistan in the first semifinal of the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 at Trinidad and Tobago's Brian Lara Cricket Academy on Thursday. While South Africa have an exceptional seven wins under their belt so far, Afghanistan are, undisputedly, the story of the tournament so far.
It may seem impossible to stop the Proteas from reaching the summit clash. However, Afghanistan have proven their worth to be among the final-four by defeating cricket mammoths such as New Zealand and Australia in order to make the semi-finals for the very first time.
Ahead of Thursday’s first semi-finals, which will see Rashid Khan's Afghanistan take on cricket's perennial dark horses South Africa, here are a few things you need to know.
Afghanistan vs South Africa Pitch Report: Spinners are seen to have the most fun at the pitch even though it is not a nightmare for batters. The venue has previously hosted 11 matches and has proven to be a bowling-friendly platform.
Afghanistan vs South Africa Weather Forecast: The weather during the match is expected to be clear. There are chances of the weather to be cloudy but there are little to no chances of rainfall. The temperature is expected to hover around 26 to 29 degree Celsius.
South Africa probable player list: Aiden Markram (c), Quinton de Kock (wk), Kagiso Rabada, Heinrich Klaasen, Lungi Ngidi, Temba Bavuma, Keshav Maharaj, Gerald Coetzee, Rassie van der Dussen, Andile Phehlukwayo, David Miller
Afghanistan probable player list: Rashid Khan (c), Mohammad Nabi, Naveen ul Haq, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Ikram Alikhil, Azmatullah Omarzai, Noor Ahmad
