Afghanistan vs South Africa, ICC Champions Trophy 2025: South Africa defeated Afghanistan by runs in match 3 of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 at the National Stadium in Karachi on Friday, February 21.
After a disappointing outing in the ODI Tri-Series 2025, South Africa kicked off their Champions Trophy campaign in the best possible way and produced a remarkable all-round performance. This was the first match of Group B in the tournament.
The Proteas bowled Afghanistan out for 208 runs in 43.3 overs with Kagiso Rabada putting the final nail in the coffin as he dismissed Rahmat Shah for 90 runs. Rahmat smashed nine fours and a six but his remarkable effort went in vain as no other batter couldn't even manage to reach the 20-run mark.
Rabada was the pick of the bowlers for his side, taking three wickets for just 36 runs in 8.3 overs. While Lungi Ngidi and Wiaan Mulder picked two wickets each, Marco Jansen and Keshav Maharaj found a scalp each as well.
After opting to bat first, South Africa posted a massive total of 315/6 in their 50 overs on the back of a memorable century from Ryan Rickelton. The left-handed batter was the top run-getter for his side with a 103-run knock, smashing seven fours and a six whereas skipper Temba Bavuma (58), Rassie van der Dussen (52), Aiden Markram (52*) smashed impactful half-centuries.
"Was nervous coming into today, first ICC event. Was a bit edgy but happy to contribute to the team in a winning performance. We thought the surface would be a bit tacky, but it played alright. The bounce was a bit inconsistent but we worked our way through it. I thought we played nicely with the batting we had in the tank to get a competitive total on the board. Disappointing to get out always, especially in that manner. Was looking to pull the trigger after that, but the guys who came in after did that and we managed to pick up a few extra boundaries.," Ryan Rickelton said after being adjudged as the Player of the Match.
South Africa's next match is against Australia which will be played in Rawalpindi on February 25 whereas Afghanistan will be up against England on February 26 in Lahore.