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Fantasy Preview: Semi-final 1, South Africa vs Afghanistan, T20 World Cup 2024

article_imageFANTASY PREVIEW
Last updated on 26 Jun 2024 | 07:54 AM
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Fantasy Preview: Semi-final 1, South Africa vs Afghanistan, T20 World Cup 2024

Here are a few tips that could help you create your fantasy XI for the first semi-final of the T20 World Cup 2024 between South Africa and Afghanistan

Recent form (latest matches first)

South Africa -  W W W W W

Afghanistan - W W L L W

Head to Head 

In T20Is - South Africa 2-0 Afghanistan

Venue details and weather conditions

Brian Lara Stadium, Tarouba, Trinidad

Average first innings score: 91 all out (four games in this World Cup)

Bat first/second split: Teams batting second have won three out of four matches in this T20 World Cup. 

Pace/spin split: 38 wickets at an economy of 5.1 and an average of 12.2 vs 24 wickets at an economy of 5.5 and an average of 17

The temperature is expected to be around 27 degrees Celsius. However, the humidity will be close to 90 percent, with 5-7% chance of rain. Expect a full match.

Players to watch out for 

Naveen-ul-Haq - 13 wickets at an average of 11.15 and an economy of 6.12 - only four other bowlers have picked up more wickets than the 24-year-old in the 2024 T20 World Cup. In his last two matches, Naveen has claimed seven wickets. He has gone wicketless only once in this competition. Eight of his 13 wickets have come against left-handers. He has a strike rate of 6 against them and could prove to be a weapon against Quinton de Kock and David Miller.

Rashid Khan - The ace legspinner has eight wickets in the last three games and is currently the joining third-highest wicket-taker in the tournament. Rashid has a phenomenal record against Miller, having dismissed him four times in seven innings. 11 of his 14 wickets in this T20WC have come in the middle overs and South Africa will be wary of him on that Tarouba surface.

Quinton de Kock - The wicketkeeper-batter didn’t do much in the group stage but smashed two fifties in the Super 8s. The left-hander got scores of 74 and 65 against the USA and England respectively before getting 12 against the West Indies. He also has the highest strike rate (168) in the powerplay among batters who have faced at least 50 balls in this phase. What’s more, de Kock has also hit the most number of sixes (10) in the first six overs.

Key battles 

Keshav Maharaj vs Afghanistan batters

If Afghanistan stick with the same XI they played against Bangladesh, they won’t have a single left-hander in their top seven and that will make things easier for Maharaj. The left-arm spinner have taken nine wickets in the competition and all of them have been of right-handed batters. So, don’t be surprised if Afghanistan leave out Nangeyalia Kharote and bring in one of Najibullah Zadran or Hazratullah Zazai.

Cricket.com suggested Fantasy XI 

Probable Playing XIs 

South Africa - Reeza Hendricks, Quinton de Kock (wk), Aiden Markram (c), Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Tabraiz Shamsi

Afghanistan - Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Gulbadin Naib, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Karim Janat, Rashid Khan (c), Nangeyalia Kharote, Noor Ahmad, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi

Streaming and telecast details 

The match will be telecasted on Star Sports and streamed on Disney Plus Hotstar in India from 6:00 AM on June 27 (Thursday). 

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