South Africa Ready for Afghanistan Clash in Champions Trophy

News Desk 

Karachi: South Africa captain Temba Bavuma has expressed confidence in his team’s preparation as they gear up for their ICC Champions Trophy opener against Afghanistan in Karachi on Friday.

Speaking at a pre-match press conference, Bavuma acknowledged the challenge posed by Afghanistan’s spin-heavy attack and stressed the importance of adapting to Karachi’s conditions.

Having arrived in Pakistan over a week ago, South Africa have had ample time to acclimatize, participating in a warm-up match and a tri-nation series fixture ahead of the tournament.

Bavuma noted that Karachi’s pitches have been favorable for batters, with recent matches witnessing scores around 300 runs. However, he emphasized the need for disciplined bowling to counter high-scoring games.

“Our challenge as a bowling unit is to be one of the more disciplined and precise bowling units,” Bavuma stated. “From a batting perspective, handling scoreboard pressure is key. We need batters to capitalize on their starts and push for scores of 330–350.”

Afghanistan, making their Champions Trophy debut, pose a formidable challenge, particularly with their spinners, who excel in subcontinental conditions. Bavuma acknowledged their competitive edge, recalling Afghanistan’s victory over South Africa in Sharjah last year.

“They’re a highly competitive team with international experience,” he said. “They’ll come into this game with a lot of confidence.”

Discussing pitch conditions, Bavuma revealed that the surface appeared fresher than previous ones, potentially offering more assistance to seamers while remaining generally batting-friendly.

“From what I hear from the coach, it looks like a fresh wicket, not as dry as the others we’ve seen,” he noted. “There might be some help for seamers, but Karachi is typically good for batting.”

South Africa’s struggles in ICC knockout stages have often been a topic of discussion, but Bavuma dismissed any mental baggage, stating that the team is approaching the tournament with positivity and confidence.

“There’s no negativity among the guys,” he asserted. “We’re here to compete and go far in the tournament.”

Given the short format of the Champions Trophy, Bavuma emphasized treating every game like a knockout to maximize their chances.

“Our mindset is to play our best cricket every game,” he said. “Hopefully, we’re playing five games, not just three. Winning key moments will be crucial.”

South Africa will aim for a strong start against Afghanistan, with Bavuma urging his squad to bring their A-game to the contest.

The match is set to commence at 2 PM local time on Friday, as both teams look to make an early impact in the tournament.