In the crucial semifinal match, Afghanistan will bat first thanks to Rashid Khan’s accurate judgment. Given that Rashid Khan and company have defeated Bangladesh, Australia, and New Zealand, they are among the most improved teams, and the South Africans will be cautious of the Afghan danger.

They haven’t been defeated, however; in this edition, they have lost to India and the West Indies.

South Africa, however, hasn’t lost yet in this World Cup. Should South Africa prevail today, they would advance to their first international tournament final since the 1998 Champions Trophy final. Afghanistan just attained full member status in 2017 and has never previously advanced beyond the semifinals of a major ICC championship.

South Africa: David Miller, Heinrich Klaasen, Tristan Stubbs, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Tabraiz Shamsi, Quinton de Kock (wk), Reeza Hendricks, Aiden Markram (captain),

Afghanistan: Rashid Khan (captain), Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Azmatullah Omarzai, Nangeyalia Kharote, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Mohammad Zadran, Karim Janat, and Rashid Khan (captain).