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Ayushi Singh

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South Africa vs Afghanistan

ICC Champions Trophy: South Africa roar their arrival, decimate Afghanistan by 107 runs

South Africa vs Afghanistan (Photo - X)

In a match that witnessed almost 94 overs of play at the National Stadium in Karachi, South Africa never let Afghanistan gain control at any moment. The action kicked off in Group B after two days of Group A fixtures in the ICC Champions Trophy. Designated as the "group of death" ahead of the start of the marquee event, Afghanistan felt the tremors of being placed in the group. While it remains to be seen if Australia and England look as dangerous as poised before the start, South Africa sure announced their form. After narrowly losing out on the T20 World Cup trophy last year against India, it seems like South Africa has elements working in their favor to finally pick up an ICC title.

ICC Champions Trophy: South Africa outperform Afghanistan all the way in Karachi as Group B action takes off

Winning the toss in Karachi, South Africa opted to bat first in their campaign opener. Afghanistan would have liked to think that they held some ground in the competition when Nabi dismissed opener Tony de Zorzi in the sixth over for just 11 runs. However, that was by far the only thing that went in Afghanistan's favor in the innings. The in-form Ryan Rickelton grew accustomed to the Karachi turf as he settled in comfortably to notch a century for his team. Rickelton, meanwhile, earned strong support from the other end almost throughout the innings as skipper Temba Bavuma, Rassie van der Dussen, and Aiden Markram each hit a half-century.

Unable to stop the run flow and scalp key wickets in the middle overs, Afghanistan leaked too many runs in the first innings. On what appeared to be a slow pitch, South Africa collected 315 runs—many more than Afghanistan would have hoped to chase. Despite the quick fall of wickets towards the end, as Miller and Jansen departed cheaply, Markram made sure South Africa crossed the 300-run mark in Karachi. Already put in an uphill battle, Afghanistan's lack of experience on big stages came unraveling as they never found their footing in the chase.

Unlike their recent form and reputation for upsetting big teams, Afghanistan returned to their struggles that pose no challenge to the heavyweights in ICC events. The batting lineup, known to be highly dependent on Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran, took an early hit when Gurbaz departed cheaply against Ngidi in the fourth over. None of the other batters in the top order could make any impact as the South African bowlers never loosened their grip, an aspect where Afghanistan severely faltered in the first innings. Barring a tenacious 90-run knock in the middle by Rahmat Shah, the likes of Mohammad Nabi and Azmatullah Omarzai failed to withstand the pressure. Skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi emerged as the biggest setback, departing for a four-ball duck against Wiaan Mulder.

Rashid Khan provided a semblance of Afghanistan's ability when he treated the Karachi crowd to audacious shots. However, by the time Rashid’s turn to bat arrived, the game had long slipped out of his team's grip. Nonetheless, Afghanistan tried to lessen the margin of their defeat as Rashid Khan hit three fours and a maximum. However, his stay at the crease concluded at the score of 18. Noor Ahmad tried to delay the inevitable as he made nine runs before Mulder found the stumps behind him. Afghanistan's pain ceased when Rahmat Shah, the lone fighter, fell for 90 after hitting nine boundaries and a six to lead Afghanistan past the 200-run mark.

Afghanistan could be considered ruled out of the tournament unless a miracle takes Group B by storm. South Africa, meanwhile, has already established itself as one of the strongest contenders for semi-final qualification at the ICC Champions Trophy. Lined up next is the clash between England and Australia before India takes on Pakistan on Sunday.

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