Afghanistan Vs South Africa Highlights, Champions Trophy: Rickelton Stars In 107-run Win For Proteas

Afghanistan🌱 Squad: Rahmanullah Gurbaz(w), Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi(c), Azmatullah Omarzai, Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Noor Ahmad, Fareed Ahmad Malik, Ikram Alikhil, Naveed Zadran, Nangeyalia Kharote

South Africa෴ Squad: Ryan Rickelton(w), Tony de Zorzi, Temba Bavuma(c), Aiden Markram, David Miller, Heinrich Klaasen, Wiaan Mulder, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Tabraiz Shamsi, Tristan Stubbs, Corbin Bosch, Rassie van der Dussen

The Afghanistan vs South Africa, ICC 💦Champions Trophy 2025 match will be telecast on the Star Sports 2 and Sports 18 1 TV channels in India. It will be live streamed on the JioHotstar app and website in India.

൲South Africa have won the toss and elected to bat first against Afghanistan in their ICC Champions Trophy match in Karachi.

Afghanistan꧅: Rahmanullah Gurbaz(w), Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi(c), Azmatullah Omarzai, Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Noor Ahmad

South Africa:🐽 Ryan Rickelton(w), Tony de Zorzi, Temba Bavuma(c), Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Wiaan Mulder, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi

South African openers are at the crease and are ready to face Afghan's Fazalhaq Farooqi 𝓰in Karachi. The mercury is rising in Karachi and it will be hard for the Afghan bowlers and fielders to field in this heat.

South African openers Ryan Rickelton ไand Tony de Zorzi faced the Afghan bowlers and negated the early movement on offer. After opting to bat first, Proteas wanted a steady start and they got it from their openers Rickelton and De Zorzi.

Score after 5 overs

RSA 28/0

🐼And the first wicket is here. Mohamad Nabi strikes with his very first ball, Zorzi mistiming one straight to mid-on. Gone for 11. Temba Bavuma walks in at three and gets off the mark with a quick single. Afghanistan celebrate a successful over.

♎Fifty up for Rickelton in just 48 balls! He’s looked in fine touch, timing his shots beautifully. Spots the short one early, swivels into position, and pulls it with authority to deep midwicket to bring up a well-earned half-century.

൲Temba Bavuma and Ryan Rickelton both unleash an attack on Afghanistan’s bowlers! Worked off the pads, and Noor misfields, an awkward dive at the edge of the ring, but he can't get a hand on it. The ball trickles away to fine leg, adding to Afghanistan’s frustration.

♐Rickelton smashes it through midwicket for four! A short ball sits up nicely, and he pounces on it, hammering it to the boundary. He’s seeing it like a beach ball now.

ജOh, this one will sting! Ryan Rickelton, batting beautifully on 103, falls in the most unfortunate manner. A flat delivery from Rashid Khan, Rickelton shimmies forward before adjusting to push it back to the bowler. Rashid, as sharp as ever, picks it up and fires it to Gurbaz in a flash.

🐈Rickelton scrambles back, puts in a desperate dive, but—oh no—the bat is in the air just as the bails are whipped off! Absolute heartbreak for the Proteas opener, who was putting on a show. A brilliant knock cut short by a moment of misfortune. Rickelton departs, run out (Rashid Khan/Gurbaz) for a superb 103 off 106, laced with seven fours and a six.

𒁃Rassie van der Dussen is taking the attack to Rashid KhanA. floated googly outside off, but van der Dussen picks it early, gets into position, and slog-sweeps it effortlessly over cow corner for a flat six.

🐽Sheer timing and confidence! That shot brings up a well-earned fifty, and he raises his bat to acknowledge the applause. A classy knock under pressure.

Noor Ahmad fires it full and wide outside off, and David Miller ✃reaches out to slice it past sweeper cover. Spots the chance for two and dashes back quickly, good running.

🍬Azmatullah Omarzai strikes. A skiddy 136.1kph back-of-a-length delivery angling in from middle, and it stays a touch low. Marco Jansen swings big, aiming to send it straight down the ground, but in doing so, he leaves a gap between bat and pad. The ball sneaks through and crashes into the leg stump. Gone for a golden duck.

🐠He's been in total control, picking gaps like he’s got a cheat code and striking the ball sweetly. Gets to the milestone with a casual punch over long-off—no fuss, no frills, just pure class. This has been a power-packed knock, and he’s not done yet.

🔯South Africa have posted a formidable 315/6 after opting to bat first. Ryan Rickelton stole the show with a stellar maiden century, while Temba Bavuma was all class with a fluent fifty. The duo stitched together a solid 129-run stand for the second wicket. Rassie van der Dussen and Aiden Markram chipped in with handy contributions to keep the scoreboard ticking. A strong effort with the bat, now over to the bowlers.

Ryan Rickelton (run out) 103

Tony de Zorzi c Omarzai b Nabi 11

Temba Bavuma c Atal b Nabi 58

Rassie van der Dussen c Shahidi b Ahmad 52

Aiden Markram (not out) 52

David Miller c Rahmat b Farooqi 14

Marco Jansen b Omarzai 0

Wiaan Mulder (not out) 12

Extras (W-13) 13

Total (50 overs, 6 wickets) 315

🏅 Fall of wickets: 1-28, 2-157, 3-201, 4-248, 5-298, 6-299.

𒅌 Bowling: Fazalhaq Farooqi 8-0-59-1, Azmatullah Omarzai 6-0-39-1, Mohammed Nabi 10-0-51-2, Rashid Khan 10-0-59-0, Gulbadin Naib 7-0-42-0, Noor Ahmad 9-0-65-1

🐽Afghanistan have begun in the pursuit of 316. It is going to be tough for sure. They have never successfully chased a 300+ total in ODIs.

♛Ngidi strikes and the dangerous Gurbaz departs cheaply. Great start for South Africa and Afghanistan lose their first wicket. Sediqullah Atal comes to the crease to join Ibrahim Zadran.

😼A slow start for the Afghans. Zadran batting on 10 off 19 while Atal has faced 15 balls for his seven. Afghanistan need to up the ante. South Africa would love another wicket before the first powerplay ends.

ꦛFirst powerplay ends with the wicket of Zadran and now Afghanistan have lost both of their openers. Their run rate is below 4 while the required run rate is now inching towards seven. Things getting tough for the Afghans. Meanwhile, South Africa are in a commanding position. Rabada gets the wicket of Zadran.

💟Afghanistan get to 50 but they have taken 13 overs for that. Things not looking easy but Afghanistan will hope the duo of Shah and Atal can bat for long and that too at a decent rate.

💞South Africa continue to just steamroll Afghanistan today. Last 16 balls have seen just two runs while Atal and Shahidi have been dismissed. Things looking bleak for Afghanistan. They not just need to avoid losing but also avoid it by a big margin because that will be a huge blow to their hopes of advancing.

💮Omarzai, the ODI Cricketer of the Year, has hit two boundaries in the 11 balls he has faced and is off to a good start. With him is the one of Afghanistan's most experienced players in Rahmat Shah. But the challenge in front of this duo is immense. The required run rate is now going towards 8.

🐻The required run rate now touches 8. South Africa would be sensing a win here and they would love to make it big. Omarazai and Rahmat Shah still in the middle but things getting increasingly tough for Afghanistan.

💙Rabada strikes and Omarzai is gone. Afghanistan in total disarray. Omarzai tries to leg glance and edges the ball to the wicketkeeper. Easy wicket for South Africa and perhaps that also seals the game.

♊Nabi and Rahmat are building a partnership and they need to take it long. A big loss in such a small competition would be fatal for Afghanistan. So they would want to reduce the margin of defeat to as low as possible.

🐭A terrific performance so far from South Africa. They put up 315 runs first and then have reduced Afghanistan to 136/6. The game is as good as over, the only thing that remains is the magnitude of the win that South Africa will get tonight.

🐼Rashid Khan is showing off his hitting skills. He had raced to 18 off six balls and is now on the same score off nine balls. Rahmat Shah too has completed his half-century but the equation seems totally out of reach for Afghanistan at this point.

Afghanistan need 154 runs in 82 balls

🌺Rahmat Shah continues to wage the lone battle and help Afghanistan close out some margin in this defeat. Kehsav Maharaj finishes his spell with 46 runs and the wicket of Rashid Khan.

Afghanistan need 127 runs in 60 balls

👍Rahmat Shah is gone for 90 and Afghanistan have lost this game by a big margin. Happy faces all around in the South African team. Rabada finishes with three wickets, Nigidi and Mulder picked up a couple each and Jansen alongside Maharaj had to be satisfied with just solitary scalps to their names.

RSA 315/6 (50)

AFG 208 (43.3)

South Africa won by 107 runs

꧂Ryan Rickelton is the Player of the Match for his hundred. It was his maiden ODI century and it laid the foundation of South Africa's big win.

🃏South Africa begin their Champions Trophy 2025 campaign in style. Rickelton's maiden century in ODIs along with half-centuries from Bavuma, Van der Dussen and Markram fired the Proteas to an above part total of 315/6 in 50 overs. Afghanistan just totally collapsed in front of a big total and South Africa bowlers had a good time. Rabada picked up three wickets while Mulder and Ngidi picked up two each. Rahmat Shah waged a lone battle with 90 but that too could not do much as the Afghans lost by 107 runs.

ཧSo, South Africa begin the tournmaent on a high note and a really poor start for Afghanistan. The Proteas play Australia next on Feb 25 while Afghanistan face England on Feb 26.

ℱTomorrow in the Champions Trophy we have Australia taking on England in what will be the first game of the tournament in Lahore.

🐎Thank you for following our coverage tonight. We will be back tomorrow with another important game. See You!