It's the clash of the bottom two teams and South Africa is a surprising participant.
South Africa finds themselves in unfamiliar territory, precariously placed in the ninth position of the table, just above Afghanistan. It is not every day that cricket lovers see the Proteas almost at the nadir of the pit, and it has largely to do with their premier players' lack of form. Openers Hashim Amla and Quinton de Kock, who need to give them a solid base, are stuck in a rut.
The middle order is looking vulnerable with JP Duminy, Rassie Van der Dussen and David Miller failing to up the ante when needed. The bowling department is also hobbling despite having Kagiso Rabada and Imran Tahir in their ranks. Ottis Gibson and Faf du Plessis will need to do something miraculous to turn the tide in their favour.
Presently, Afghanistan is the prime contender to bag the wooden spoon at the end of the tournament. They have failed to make a mark in their three matches so far, with the oppositions defeating them easily. The batting has been awful and the bowling has lacked bite with the exception of Aftab Alam who bagged three wickets against New Zealand. Their chances of winning against South Africa are slim, though as they say, cricket is an unpredictable game where fortunes can change in a matter of minutes.
Match time: 3 PM (IST)
Where to watch:
Star Sports 1, Star Sports 1 HD, Star Sports 1 Hindi, Star Sports 1 HD Hindi, Star Sports 1 Tamil, Star Sports 1 Telugu, Star Sports 1 Kannada, Star Sports 1 Bangla.
Team news: Lungi Ngidi is expected to be fit for the Afghanistan clash.
Rashid Khan is expected to return for Afghanistan after suffering a concussion against New Zealand.
Pitch report: In the last ODI at Sophia Gardens, England plundered 386 runs against Bangladesh. The pitch is expected to be a flat one made to improve batting averages and strike rates.
Probable XIs:
South Africa: Quinton de Kock (wk), Hashim Amla, Faf du Plessis(c), Rassie van der Dussen, David Miller, JP Duminy, Chris Morris, Andile Phehlukwayo, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Imran Tahir
Afghanistan: Gulbadin Naib (c), Noor Ali Zadran, Hazratullah Zazai, Ikram Ali Khil(wk), Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Aftab Alam, Hamid Hassan,
Betting odds: According to Oddschecker, South Africa 1/7, Afghanistan 6/1
