Afghanistan vs South Africa Third Match Betting Tips – South Africa Start As Slight Favourites

• Afghanistan vs South Africa Third Match
• Afghanistan Form
• Afghanistan Team News
• South Africa Form
• South Africa Team News

Afghanistan vs South Africa Third Match

Afghanistan and South Africa will begin their respective campaigns in the Champions Trophy on Friday with another crucial encounter in Group B. With this format in the Champions Trophy, every match becomes vital right from the outset as is the case for both these teams too.

Afghanistan haven’t played ODI cricket in 2025, but they absolutely dominated the last series they played, against Zimbabwe in December. In that series, Afghanistan flexed their muscle with a comfortable 2-0 win, with both wins coming in crushing fashion.

A key factor for Afghanistan during this Champions Trophy is that they will play all their matches in Karachi and Lahore, where spin is likely to play an influential role. If the first match was evidence of anything in this tournament, it’s that spin and slow bowling will have an impact.

South Africa lost both their matches in the tri-series tournament in the lead-up to this event. However, that comes with the disclaimer that several of South Africa’s key players were missing from that series.

Even so, South Africa scored more than 300 in both of their matches, which is an indicator that they have enough batting firepower against teams that may not have the best spinners, apart from their next opponents.

Afghanistan Form

There is plenty going for Afghanistan, particularly with their spinners. In Rashid Khan, Mujeeb, Noor Ahmad and Mohammad Nabi, Afghanistan have three of the most experienced spinners in their team, in terms of recent travelling history. This will be Nabi’s final tournament, which will have additional incentive to perform to capability.

In terms of form, Afghanistan have been in terrific form. Since the 2023 ODI World Cup, Afghanistan have won four of their last five series, including a 2-0 win against Zimbabwe, a 2-1 win against Bangladesh in the UAE, a 2-1 win against South Africa and a 2-0 victory against Ireland.

Afghanistan will not be afraid of the big stage. There may not even be nerves, which could be an important factor considering how important the result of this game is. Expect Afghanistan to come out firing as they usually tend to do.

Afghanistan Team News

Afghanistan lost AM Ghazanfar to injury in the lead-up to this tournament but they can still stack their team with slower bowlers that will pose a serious challenge to a team that has historically struggled against turn.

South Africa Form

South Africa will rely on their incisive fingerspinners, including Keshav Maharaj, who is a key figure in this team. Their batters will have to find a way to score in the middle overs without getting stuck on conditions that can often favour spinners for large periods.

South Africa Team News

Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen will be key pacers while Aiden Markram will be a vital allrounder with his off spin in this tournament. South Africa are likely to play five specialist bowlers along with some part-time options.