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South Africa
Afghanistan
South Africa will face Afghanistan in Match 13 of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. This will be a Group D contest and the second game for both teams, which will make this fixture important for early momentum in the standings. South Africa will enter the match with a strong head-to-head record, having won all 3 previous T20 World Cup meetings against Afghanistan in 2010, 2016 and 2024.
Both teams will come in with similar recent form, registering 3 wins each in their last 5 T20I matches. Afghanistan will look to bounce back after their opening loss to New Zealand, where NZ completed a successful chase by 5 wickets with more than two overs remaining.
South Africa will aim to maintain their dominance in this matchup, while Afghanistan will rely on spin strength and aggressive top-order intent to challenge the opposition early.
Quinton de Kock comes in with strong recent form and an aggressive powerplay scoring rate, which increases his chances of crossing the mark if he settles early.
The betting tip is...
Quinton de Kock - Over 22.5 runs
61 %
39 %
South AfricaAfghanistanSouth Africa will look to fine-tune their bowling combination while maintaining balance across batting and spin options. Dewald Brevis will arrive as the leading T20I run scorer over the last year, scoring 485 runs in 19 innings. Quinton de Kock will remain a key top-order batter with 330 runs in 10 innings at an average of 33.00, while Aiden Markram will provide stability with 313 runs in 12 innings at an average of 28.45.
The pace attack will continue to revolve around Marco Jansen and Kagiso Rabada despite mixed recent statistical trends. Corbin Bosch will lead the wicket charts with 22 wickets in 15 innings at an average of 18.22. Lungi Ngidi will support with 15 wickets in 14 innings, and Kwena Maphaka will add depth with 13 wickets in 10 innings. Keshav Maharaj will lead the spin alongside George Linde, with Markram offering part-time overs.
Markram, de Kock and Brevis are the key batters.
Predicted Lineup: Aiden Markram (c), Quinton de Kock (wk), Ryan Rickelton, Dewald Brevis, Tristan Stubbs, Corbin Bosch, George Linde, Marco Jansen, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Keshav Maharaj.
Afghanistan will rely on their in-form batters and spin-heavy attack against South Africa. Ibrahim Zadran comes with 361 runs in 9 matches at an average of 51.57 and a strike rate of 125.34.
Darwish Rasooli will add middle-order stability with 305 runs in 10 matches at an average of 33.89 and a strike rate of 143.19. Gulbadin Naib will bring confidence after scoring 63 off 35 balls against New Zealand.
The bowling unit will continue to depend on spin, with Mujeeb Ur Rahman taking 18 wickets in 9 matches at an economy of 6.37, while Abdullah Hamdazai has claimed 12 wickets in 7 matches with an economy of 9.00. In the previous game, spinners controlled the innings as Mujeeb picked up 2 wickets, while Rashid and Nabi took 1 each.
Gurbaz, Zadran and Atal are the key batters.
Predicted Lineup: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan (c), Fazalhaq Farooqi, Ziaur Rahman, Mujeeb Ur Rahman.
South Africa will start as favourites based on overall balance, experience and their strong record against Afghanistan in T20 World Cups. However, Afghanistanβs spin attack will keep the contest competitive and could create pressure through regular wickets. The Ahmedabad surface will suit aggressive stroke play in the powerplay, which will benefit South Africaβs top order.
Quinton de Kock will be a key factor given his recent form, including 329 runs in his last 9 matches at an average of 36.56 and a strike rate of 193.52. If he gets through the early overs, he will likely convert it into a big score. Afghanistan will stay competitive, but South Africaβs depth should give them the edge.
