Picking a combined South Africa-Afghanistan 11 ahead of 2024 T20 World Cup semifinal ft. Tabraiz Shamsi, Rashid Khan
South Africa will take on Afghanistan in the first semifinal of the 2024 T20 World Cup at the Brian Lara Stadium in Tarouba, Trinidad on Thursday, June 27. The Proteas are unbeaten in the tournament, having won all their four group games and their three Super 8 matches. Afghanistan finished second in the group stage, with three wins in four games, and won two of their three Super 8 games.
Despite being unbeaten so far, South Africa have not been at their best. Even in the must-win Super 8 match against West Indies, they had their nervous moments. Chasing a DRS target of 123 in 17 overs, the Proteas lost half their side for 93. Marco Jansen (21* off 14), however, held his nerves to take his side over the line and confirm their place in the semifinals.
Afghanistan also featured in a close Super 8 match against Bangladesh. The latter were set a revised target of 114 in 19 overs and were very much in the contest. However, Afghanistan's bowlers came up with a spirited display to clean up Bangladesh for 105 in 17.5 overs and book their place in the knockouts of the T20 World Cup for the first time.
Ahead of the South Africa-Afghanistan 2024 T20 World Cup semifinal, we pick a combined XI of players featuring the two teams.
Openers: Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Quinton de Kock (wk)
Rahmanullah Gurbaz has been brilliant for Afghanistan at the top of the order in the T20 World Cup and is one of the key reasons why the Asian side has reached the knockouts. The aggressive keeper-batter is presently the leading run-getter in the tournament, having smashed 281 runs in seven innings at a strike rate of 126, with three half-centuries. He will be key to Afghanistan's fortunes in the semis too.
South Africa's seasoned keeper-batter Quinton de Kock would be Gurbaz's opening partner in the 2024 T20 World Cup combined XI. De Kock has hammered 199 runs in seven innings at a strike rate of 148.50, with two half-centuries. He hit 74 off 40 against the United States and 65 off 38 against England, walking away with the Player of the Match award in both Super 8 contests.
Middle order & all-rounders: Ibrahim Zadran, Gulbadin Naib, David Miller, Heinrich Klaasen, Rashid Khan (c)
Ibrahim Zadran and Gurbaz have formed a formidable opening pair for Afghanistan in the ongoing T20 World Cup. He would come in at No. 3 in the combined XI. Zadran has contributed 229 runs in seven innings at a slightly underwhelming strike rate of 109.04. His consistency, though, is a handy asset to have in challenging batting conditions.
Gulbadin Naib has been in the news recently for allegedly faking an injury during the crucial Super 8 clash against Bangladesh. However, he's had a significant impact in the 2024 T20 World Cup. Naib scored a crucial 49* in the group match against Papua New Guinea. The 33-year-old was the Player of the Match in Afghanistan's famous win over Australia for registering brilliant figures of 4/20.
The South African duo of David Miller and Heinrich Klaasen would handle the middle-order duties in the combined XI. Miller has compiled 148 runs from seven innings at a strike rate of 100. The left-hander scored a defining half-century against the Netherlands and contributed a crucial 43 off 28 versus England.
Klaasen has 138 runs from seven innings at a strike rate of 112.19. He hasn't exactly set the tournament on fire but has made some handy contributions with the willow. The 32-year-old scored 46 against Bangladesh, 36* against the United States, and 22 off just 10 balls in the must-win game against West Indies.
Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan would also lead the combined XI. The versatile cricketer has claimed 14 wickets from seven innings at an economy rate of 6.10. The leg-spinner starred with 3-26 against India and 4-23 & 19* versus Bangladesh. He has also made an impact with his inspirational leadership.
Bowlers: Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Anrich Nortje, Tabraiz Shamsi
Afghanistan's fast bowling duo of Naveen-ul-Haq and Fazalhaq Farooqi feature in the combined 2024 T20 World Cup XI. Farooqi is the leading wicket-taker in the tournament as of now, with 16 scalps at an economy rate of 6.38. The left-armer has picked up one five-wicket haul, one four-wicket haul, and two three-fers.
Shifting focus to Naveen-ul-Haq, he has 13 wickets to his name at an impressive economy rate of 6.12. The right-arm pacer picked up 3-20 in the historic triumph over Australia and followed it up with a match-winning effort of 4-26 in the must-win clash against Bangladesh.
Anrich Nortje and Tabraiz Shamsi would be the frontline bowlers from South Africa in the combined XI. Kagiso Rabada and Keshav Maharaj were also close contenders to make the team but narrowly missed out.
Speedster Nortje has claimed 11 wickets at an impressive economy rate of 6. He has been near-unplayable in some of his spells. Left-arm spinner Shamsi has eight scalps from three matches. He claimed 4-19 against Nepal and picked up 3-27 in the virtual knockout clash against West Indies.