ICC World Cup 2019 | South Africa's predicted XI for the encounter against Afghaistan
South Africa will be entering their 5th game without a win under their belt and fortunately, they will run into Afghanistan - the only team below them on the table. This will also be the first time the Proteas and the Afghans face each other in ODIs, bragging rights acting as the prize.
Openers
Quinton de Kock: Finally it looked like de Kock had taken up the responsibility to guide a struggling South African side with maturity, amidst wickets falling around him. However, the Rain Gods intervened and ensured South Africa shared the spoils against West Indies. Afghanistan offer a different proposition thanks to their spinners but the onus still lies on de Kock.
Hashim Amla: How many bad games is he going to have before du Plessis realizes maybe the veteran’s best days are behind him. Maybe this is his last match before the management take the harsh step of relegating Amla to the bench.
Middle-order
Aiden Markram: Despite playing 21 ODIs till date, Markram has just two half centuries in his 50-over career. After yet another failure, this time against the West Indies, time is running out for him - not in the line-up but maybe in the team itself.
Faf du Plessis: Didn’t really do much in the game against the West Indies. However, as captain and maybe the best batsman in the team, he will retain the No. 4 spot again. What he does with it though remains to be seen.
Rassie van der Dussen: He has been the most consistent player in one of the worst South African sides since 1992. He tends to get starts but has faltered after that and if he can rectify that, the Proteas might have someone around whom they can start the rebuild post the World Cup.
David Miller: Surprisingly, Miller has been one of the bright spots of this South African side with two 30+ scores in back to back games. The next step for him is to extend his stay at the crease so that South Africa can get somewhat close to a competitive target.
All-rounders
Andile Phehlukwayo: With 86 runs and four wickets, Phehlukwayo has not had the worst World Cup. In the absence of major stars, he needs to step up even if his place in the team is not under any sort of threat.
Chris Morris: That performance against India, where Morris scored a quickfire 42 before a magical bowling effort, has ensured him a place in the playing XI not just for the World Cup but also for the remainder of the tournament.
Pacers
Kagiso Rabada: He is the only reason people gave South Africa an outside chance of making the semi-finals. But even he with all his talent is a mere cricketer. What South Africa really need is a sorcerer.
Beuran Hendricks: Although Lungi Ngidi was seen practising in Cardiff a day before the Afghanistan clash, he is unlikely to make it to the team due to his injury-prone body. In that case, Hendricks, who was drafted in as a replacement for Dale Steyn, will get a go ahead of his pace counterpart.
Spinner
Imran Tahir: Although Tahir's World Cup form so far is a complete contrast to his performance in the IPL, he will still lead the spin-charge at a venue which has provided hardly any support for the spinners.
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