Pakistan(National Times)- KARACHI: Opening batter Ryan Rickelton’s brisk century and Aiden Markram’s blistering half-century powered South Africa to a mammoth total of 315 against Afghanistan in the third match of the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025 here at the National Bank Stadium on Friday. Proteas notched up 315/6 in the allotted overs, thanks to Rickelton’s maiden ODI century and half-centuries of three South African batters — captain Temba Bavuma, Rassie van der Dussen and Markram. South Africa had an unwanted start to innings as Mohammad Nabi dismissed Tony de Zorzi (11) on the first delivery of the sixth over with just 28 runs on the board. Following the early hiccup, Bavuma joined Rickelton in the middle and launched an astounding recovery. The duo batted sensibly to add 129 runs for the second wicket until Nabi struck again to get rid of the South Africa captain, who scored 58 off 76 deliveries with the help of five boundaries. Rickelton was then involved in a 44-run partnership with Rassie van der Dussen and brought up his maiden ODI century before getting run out by Rashid Khan. He remained the top-scorer for South Africa with 103 off 106 balls, laced with seven fours and a six. The Proteas then suffered another major blow to their batting expedition as van der Dussen fell victim to Noor Ahmad after a 46-ball 52, comprised of three fours and two sixes. Aiden Markram then bolstered South Africa’s total past the 300-run mark with a blistering half-century. The right-handed batter scored an unbeaten 52 on just 36 balls with the help of six boundaries and a six. He was also involved in an important 50-run partnership for the fifth wicket with David Miller, who scored 14 off 18. Mohammad Nabi was the standout bowler for Afghanistan, picking up two wickets for 51 runs in his 10 overs, while Azmatullah Omarzai, Noor and Fazalhaq Farooqi chipped in with one scalp apiece. Earlier, after winning the toss, South Africa captain Bavuma expressed confidence and said that his team “will try to score well”. Meanwhile, Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi said that had they gone the other way, his team would have opted to bat. “We will be happy if we start well,” he said, adding, “We have played good cricket against South Africa before.” Earlier, during a pre-match press conference, Bavuma highlighted the challenges posed by Afghanistan’s spin-heavy attack and emphasised the importance of adapting to the conditions in Karachi. Bavuma had noted that the surfaces in Karachi have been batter-friendly, with teams consistently posting scores around 300 in recent matches. However, he emphasised the need for his bowling unit to remain disciplined and precise to counter the high-scoring trend. “Our challenge as a bowling unit is to be one of the more disciplined and precise bowling units,” he said. “From a batting point of view, scoreboard pressure is a big thing. Guys getting in, making sure they go big so we can challenge for those 330–350 type of scores.” On the other hand, Shahidi highlighted his team’s success over the years and claimed they are ready for the eight-team tournament, dismissing the notion of being under pressure while facing South Africa, who boast a slight edge in the head-to-head record. “A lot has changed since 2019 and recently, we beat them 2-1 in Sharjah. So, we have that confidence with us and we are not under any pressure because right now, we are focusing on what we can do in this tournament,” said Shahidi. “I believe our team is ready for this tournament and we are only focusing on our team so there is no pressure on us,” he added.
Playing XIs
Afghanistan: Rahmanullah Gurbaz(w), Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi(c), Azmatullah Omarzai, Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Noor Ahmad.
South Africa: Ryan Rickelton(w), Tony de Zorzi, Temba Bavuma(c), Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Wiaan Mulder, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi.
