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

South Africa will be up against Afghanistan in their first game of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. It will be the third game of the tournament and is scheduled to be played on Friday (February 21) at the National Stadium in Karachi.

After losing both the games in the ODI tri-series against New Zealand and Pakistan, South Africa registered a much-needed win in their only warm-up game. South Africa were without most of their first-team players for the tri-series but still managed to post 300-plus totals and will be looking to do well in the upcoming game.

In the warm-up game, they beat Pakistan Shaheens by 3 wickets as they successfully chased down 323. As South Africa looks to start their campaign with a win, we are taking a look at the South Africa Playing 11 for the upcoming game.

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

Openers: Temba Bavuma (c), Tony de Zorzi

Captain Temba Bavuma and Tony de Zorzi are set to be the openers in South Africa Playing 11 for the upcoming game against Afghanistan. During the warm-up game, Tony de Zorzi opened the innings with Ryan Rickelton while Bavuma batted at number four.

However, Bavuma had opened the innings during the ODI tri-series earlier this month and is expected to return to his usual position in the upcoming game. Bavuma has been in good touch in recent times and will look to score big as he will be keen to lead his team from the front.

De Zorzi also got some much-needed runs under his belt during the warm-up game. The left-handed batsman scored 55 runs and will look to give South Africa a good start with the bat against Afghanistan.

Middle-order batsmen and allrounders: Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), David Miller, Marco Jansen, Wiaan Mulder

Rassie van der Dussen is expected to bat at number three in the South Africa Playing 11. The right-handed batsman also looked in good touch during the warm-up game as he scored 62 runs off 64 balls before retiring hurt.

Aiden Markram will be another reliable batting option in the South Africa middle-order. The right-handed batsman also scored a fifty in the warm-up game and will be keen to deliver with the bat against Afghanistan.

Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller will be the other batting options in the South Africa Playing 11. The onus will be on them to finish the innings strongly for their team. After scoring two fifties in his last 3 SA20 games, Klaasen scored a fine 87 against Pakistan in the ODI tri-series.

On the other hand, Miller scored only 4 runs in the warm-up game and will be keen to bounce back. Marco Jasen and Wiaan Mulder are set to be the two all-rounders in the South Africa Playing 11. Jansen picked up 2 wickets and scored 9 runs in the warm-up game while Mulder picked up 3 wickets in addition to scoring 42 runs.

Bowlers: Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi

With the likes of Marco Jansen and Wiaan Mulder being other fast-bowling options, South Africa is likely to play the game with only a specialist pacer. Kagiso Rabada is set to be the lone frontline pacer in the South Africa Playing 11. On the other hand, Keshav Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi are expected to be the two spinners.