Sixteen years ago, Afghanistan was in Division 5 of the ICC World Cricket League and playing against the likes of Japan, Singapore, and Botswana.
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On Wednesday evening at the Brian Lara Stadium in Tarouba, Trinidad, Rashid Khan’s motley crew will play in the semifinal of the ICC T20 World Cup, having overtaken the likes of Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan, and the West Indies.
Meanwhile, no other team carries the baggage like its opponent South Africa does in World Cups. But come Saturday, June 29, either Afghanistan or South Africa will be the first men’s World Cup final - in any format - debutant since New Zealand in 2015.
Here are the player matchups that could determine the fate of this semifinal:
Gurbaz vs Jansen
Rahmanullah Gurbaz has been the standout batter of this T20 World Cup. With 281 runs, the right-handed batter is currently leading the run-scoring chart as he propelled his team to an improbable semifinal spot.
South Africa should ideally look to restrict Gurbaz using Marco Jansen, considering the Afghan opener only strikes at 127.4 against left-arm pacers, compared to a strike rate of 161.8 against right-arm quicks.
Jansen has had an off-colour tournament so far, picking up only three wickets. But his bowling effort has been economical so far, giving away just
Interesting, Jansen and Gurbaz have faced off just once in T20s, back in IPL 2023, with the South African pacer dismissing the Afghan batter first ball.
Rashid vs Klaasen
Afghanistan’s captain Rashid Khan celebrates after dismissing Bangladesh’s Soumya Sarkar. | Photo Credit: RICARDO MAZALAN/AP
Afghanistan skipper Rashid Khan has been at his inspirational best, leading his side from the front both with the bat and the ball.
In the must-win Super 8 game against Bangladesh, the leg spinner produced an incredible four-fer in a nervy run defence, taking his wicket tally for the tournament to 14.
On Thursday, Rashid will be up against Heinrich Klaasen, who has emerged as one of the best spin hitters in the world cricket in recent years.
Klaasen has gone at a strike rate of 171.66 in the last three years against spin. His strike rate jumps to 188.2 against Rashid in the five T20s they have faced off.
South Africa’s Heinrich Klaasen walks back to the pavilion after getting run out during the ICC men’s Twenty20 World Cup 2024 Super Eight cricket match between England and South Africa. | Photo Credit: CHANDAN KHANNA
But, the Afghan spinner has had the upper hand the last time they met, as he dismissed Klaasen quickly in an IPL match.
Klaasen, who has endured a difficult tournament with 138 runs at a lowly strike rate of 112.19, will look to step it up on the big stage against the toughest opponent of all.
Farooqi vs de Kock
It is not often that Rashid is outperformed by a bowler in the Afghan outfit. But, that is what exactly what Fazalhaq Farooqi has done in this T20 World Cup.
Afghanistan’s Fazalhaq Farooqi in action during the World Cup. | Photo Credit: RICARDO MAZALAN/AP
The incisive left-arm pacer, who is the leading wicket-taker of this tournament with 16 scalps, has been vital to Afghanistan asserting itself early in its bowling efforts.
On Thursday, he will square up against Quinton de Kock, South Africa’s leading run getter of the World Cup.
The left-handed opening batter, with 199 runs in seven innings, has been the only consistent figure in the competition for a much vaunted Protean batting order.
Farooqi’s chances will be augured by the fact that de Kock only strikes at 132.0 against left arm pacers, while going at a strike rate of 147.0 against right-arm quicks.
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