ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026: South Africa vs Afghanistan - team analysis, strengths and weaknesses

South Africa will take on Afghanistan in the 13th match of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad. The players are in readiness to play the match and hope to win as well. While South Africa won their first game, Afghanistan lost against New Zealand. Hence, they'll try to win the match to stay in the tournament. 

How to watch the South Africa vs Afghanistan, ICC Men’s T20 World Cup match online?

Cricket fans in India can watch the South Africa vs Afghanistan, ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 match LIVE on Jio Hotstar, accessible via OTTPlay Premium.

Current scenarios of the South Africa vs Afghanistan

If we look at South Africa, they played their first game against Canada and won by a huge margin of 57 runs. They posted 200+ runs on the board and hence, were able to win the contest comfortably. Aiden Markram and Co. would want to continue with the same momentum since they will be facing Afghanistan and New Zealand in the upcoming games. 

Meanwhile, Afghanistan played their first game against New Zealand and lost the contest by five wickets. The batters were incredible on the match day but the bowlers could have been better. But the key takeaway from that game is likely to be the confidence with which they played cricket. 

Squad analysis - South Africa vs Afghanistan

South Africa have a perfect squad with a blend of experienced and inexperienced players around. Skipper Aiden Markram, Dewald Brevis, Quinton de Kock, and other batters will have a huge role in the tournament since they have performed in the previous series and have high expectations. The bowling department has Corbin Bosch, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, and more who are talented and have proven their worth earlier. 

Afghanistan on the other hand have players like Rashid Khan, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran and others who have played in this format for a long time and have quite an experience. Afghanistan are one of those teams that have improved greatly in the past few years and will look forward to winning one of the ICC events as well.

Read also: ICC T20 World Cup 2026: New Zealand goes past Afghanistan's steep challenge in Chennai.

Squads:

South Africa Squad: Quinton de Kock(w), Aiden Markram(c), Ryan Rickelton, Dewald Brevis, David Miller, Jason Smith, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Lungi Ngidi, Corbin Bosch, George Linde, Tristan Stubbs, Kwena Maphaka

Afghanistan Squad: Rahmanullah Gurbaz(w), Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan(c), Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Shahidullah Kamal, Mohammad Ishaq, Ziaur Rahman Sharifi, Abdullah Ahmadzai