Afghanistan Playing 11 vs South Africa- ICC Champions Trophy 2025, Match 3

Afghanistan will open its campaign in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 by taking on South Africa. The game is scheduled to be played at the National Stadium in Karachi on Friday (February 21).

It will be a historic game for Afghanistan as it will be their first-ever match in the Champions Trophy. Afghanistan qualified for the tournament thanks to their brilliant performance in the 2023 World Cup. They will take inspiration from that performance and will look to impress the cricketing world once again.

They are entering the tournament on the back of two defeats in the warm-up games. They lost their games against Pakistan Shaheens and New Zealand. However, the Afghan outfit is more than capable of bouncing back and beating any team on its day.

So, as Afghanistan eyes a winning start to their Champions Trophy campaign, we are taking a look at the Afghanistan Playing 11 for the upcoming game.

Afghanistan Playing 11 vs South Africa- ICC Champions Trophy 2025, Match 3:

Openers: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran

Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran are set to be the openers in the Afghanistan Playing 11 for the forthcoming game. Their opening partnership is one of the reasons behind Afghanistan's impressive display in recent times.

They impressed with the bat in the 2023 World Cup and also had a brilliant outing in the 2024 T20 World Cup. Gurbaz was the highest run-scorer in the T20 World Cup while Zadran finished at the fifth spot. Both players will be eyeing impressive displays in their maiden Champions Trophy too.

In 46 ODIs so far, Gurbaz has scored 1769 runs, including eight tons and 6 fifties. On the other hand, Zadran has played 33 matches and has scored 1440 runs at a magnificent average of 48.

Middle-order batsmen and allrounders: Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib

While Sediqullah Atal remains a good choice for the number three spot, Rahmat Shah is likely to get the nod in the Afghanistan Playing 11 because of his experience. The Afghanistan vice-captain scored 43 and 0 in the two warm-up games and will look to score big in the upcoming game.

Captain Hashmatullah Shahidi will look to lead his side from the front in yet another ICC event. He had hit three fifties and scored more than 310 runs in the 2023 World Cup helping Afghanistan qualify for their maiden Champions Trophy. He will look to impress both as a batsman as well as a captain.

Azmatullah Omarzai will be the main allrounder in the Afghanistan Playing 11 with the likes of Mohammad Nabi and Gulbadin Naib being the other options. All three players are very experienced and they will have to play a big role if Afghanistan are eyeing a semifinal spot.

Bowlers: Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, Fareed Ahmed, Fazalhaq Farooqi

Afghanistan are likely to play the game with two frontline pacers and as many spinners. Fazalhaq Farooqi and Fareed Ahmed are expected to be the two main pacers in the Afghanistan Playing 11. On the other hand, Rashid Khan and Noor Ahmad are set to be the two spinners.