Last Updated on 2 months by Charbel Coorey

Afghanistan and South Africa will kickstart their campaign in the ICC Champions Trophy (CT) 2025 in the 3rd match overall. Both sides will be eager to do well in the competitive tournament, and teams must capitalise on whatever chances they get in the group stages. 

Afghanistan had a great year in ODIs in 2024. They lost to Sri Lanka 3-0 in February but after that they defeated Ireland (2-0), South Africa (2-1), Bangladesh (2-1) and Zimbabwe (2-0). The Afghan batters have been in great form, and the bowlers have done an excellent job as well. Allah Ghazanfar will be a big miss for them, but despite that, they have a pretty balanced squad with quite a few experienced campaigners in Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan and Rahmat Shah.

They will be pretty confident for this game after defeating the Proteas 2-1 in their last meeting in ODI cricket.  

Meanwhile, the Proteas will have another shot at ending their ICC Trophy drought in this tournament. They do have a very capable squad for the tournament with the likes of Heinrich Klaasen, Aiden Markram, David Miller and others in their ranks. 

South Africa lost both games in the recently concluded tri-series, but they didn’t have their full-strength squad available for these matches. The Proteas had a poor 2024 when talking about the 50-over format. They lost to Afghanistan 2-1 and 3-0 to Pakistan in their backyard. They defeated Ireland 2-1. South Africa will be itching to do well in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.

CT 2025 3rd Match: AFG vs SA Probable Playing XIs

With Allah Ghazanfar ruled out and Mujeeb ur Rahman also missing out, Nangeyalia Kharote and Noor Ahmad should be the two spinners apart from Rashid Khan. It’ll be interesting to see who they go with as the opening partner for Gurbaz.

Afghanistan: 1. Sediqullah Atal/Ibrahim Zadran, 2. Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), 3. Rahmat Shah, 4. Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), 5. Azmatullah Omarzai, 6. Gulbadin Naib, 7. Mohammad Nabi, 8. Rashid Khan, 9. Noor Ahmad, 10. Nangeyalia Kharote, 11. Fazalhaq Farooqi

It’s unlikely that youngster Tristan Stubbs will start for South Africa in this game. The Proteas may look to play Wiaan Mulder over Lungi Ngidi considering the latter’s current form. 

South Africa: 1. Ryan Rickelton (wk), 2. Temba Bavuma (c), 3. Rassie van der Dussen, 4. Aiden Markram, 5. Heinrich Klaasen, 6. David Miller, 7. Wiaan Mulder, 8. Marco Jansen, 9. Keshav Maharaj, 10. Kagiso Rabada, 11. Tabraiz Shamsi

National Stadium Karachi Pitch Report and Weather

This will be the second game of the tournament at this venue. The first game between Pakistan and New Zealand saw ample help for the spinners. There was turn and grip on offer for them. There was no dew as well in the second innings, but batting looked easier towards the last 10-12 overs of the second innings. 

The batters will have to get in before playing their shots. There will be little to no movement for the pacers with the new ball. Batters and spinners will be crucial in this match. Teams may prefer chasing, but batting first will be a tempting option as well. 

A cloudy day is on the forecast, with the highest temperature being 28 degrees Celsius. Humidity will be around 40-60% during the game.

Fantasy Cricket Tips for AFG vs SA: Players to Watch/Key Stats

Note: Try to pick more batters and all-rounders if your are playing on Dream11. The new point system rewards the batters heavily.

Top Wicket-Keeper Picks: 

• Rahmanullah Gurbaz has been brilliant for Afghanistan in ODIs. He’s the highest run-scorer for Afghanistan in the last 12 months: 531 runs in 11 innings at an average of 48.27, including three hundreds and two fifties. Gurbaz averages 54.80 against South Africa with a hundred and a fifty in four games. 
• Heinrich Klaasen scored 264 runs in just three innings in 2024, including three fifties at an average of 88 and a strike rate of 123.36. Klaasen also scored a fifty in the tri-series game against Pakistan. He is one of the best middle-order batters in world cricket and will be a must in your fantasy teams. 

Key batter picks: 

• Temba Bavuma will be a key batter for his side at the top. He averages 43.25 in 45 ODIs with five centuries and five fifties to his name. Bavuma scored 82 against Pakistan in the tri-series. He will be a top pick in fantasy cricket. 
• Rassie van der Dussen was in top form in the SA20. He’s a good player of spin bowling and will be a key player in fantasy cricket. Rassie scored 76 in his only ODI against Afghanistan back in 2023.

Top all-rounder picks: 

• Azmatullah Omarzai has been a match-winner for Afghanistan with both bat and ball. He has scored 417 runs in 12 ODIs in 2024 at an average of 52.12 with three fifties and a hundred. Omarzai also picked up 18 wickets at an average of 18.33 during this period. 
• Marco Jansen is another quality all-rounder to pick for this game. He can tonk the ball down the order and will lead South Africa’s pace attack. Jansen picked six wickets in 3 ODIs last year. 
• Mohammad Nabi scored 411 runs in 11 ODI innings in 2024 at an average of 41, including a fifty and a hundred. He will be a key batter for his side in the lower middle order. 
• It is high time now that Aiden Markram converts his starts into big scores. He will be a key batter for the Proteas in the middle-order and will fancy his chances on the wickets in Pakistan. 

Key bowler picks: 

• Rashid Khan is arguably the best spinner in white-ball cricket at the moment. He picked up seven wickets in just two games against South Africa last year and had a total of 15 wickets in just six games in 2024 at an average of 12.47 including a 5-fer. 
• Kagiso Rabada had a good SA20 and will be an important bowler for the Proteas. He will be a good pick in fantasy cricket, especially while bowling first. 

Other Players to Consider for your Fantasy Cricket Team 

• David Miller can be a game-changer in fantasy cricket for this game. He averages 41.57 in ODIs and can fetch you plenty of points with his style of play with Dream11’s new points system.
• Sediqullah Atal has 230 runs in 6 ODIs at an average of 46 with a fifty and a hundred to his name. He will be a top pick if he plays. 
• Noor Ahmad will be a key bowler for his side, especially in the middle overs. He is a genuine wicket-taker and can go through any batting line-up on his day. The pitch assisted the spinners in the first game here, and he will get good help if it’s a used wicket.
• Rahmat Shah scored 280 runs in 13 innings last year at an average of 23.33, including four fifties. Strike rate is a big concern for him but you can consider him in your fantasy teams. 
• Ryan Rickelton scored 171 runs in four innings in 2024 at an average of 42.75. He will be a must in your fantasy teams if he plays this game. He had a stellar season in the SA20 recently. 

Other Matchups and Facts 

• Heinrich Klaasen versus Rashid Khan will be a key battle for both sides. Rashid has dismissed Klaasen once in five deliveries in ODIs and thrice in 52 deliveries for 95 runs in T20s. 
• Rahmanullah Gurbaz struggles against left-arm pace and Marco Jansen can trouble him initially. He has dismissed the Afghan batter twice in 10 balls for just three runs in T20Is. 
• Rashid Khan needs two wickets to complete 200 ODI wickets. 

CT 2025 3rd Match: AFG vs SA Dream11 Prediction

Note: The below teams are not based on the final playing XIs. We may not be able to update these in time. Use the stats and commentary in this article, as well as your own instincts, to create your teams.

Option 1:

Option 2:

CT 2025 3rd Match: AFG vs SA Match Prediction – Who will win?

South Africa has good quality and depth with the bat but Afghanistan has a bowling attack, especially their spinners. It’s going to be a nect-to-neck contest but expect Afghanistan to edge the Proteas in this clash. I think Afghanistan will win.

Written by Robin Rounder. Follow Robin on X @robin_rounder