Champions Trophy: South Africa rides on Rickel‘ton’, trounces Afghanistan

Afghanistan bowled out for 208 chasing 316; Bavuma, Markaram, Dussen score 50s for South Africa

Karachi: South Africa defeated Afghanistan by 107 runs in their Champions Trophy match with opener Ryan Rickelton smashing a century and pacers Lungi Ngidi and Kagiso Rabada doing the maximum damage here on Friday.

Electing to bat, the Proteas put up a mammoth 315 for 6 in 50 overs before dismissing Hashmatullah Shahidi’s side for 208 runs to begin their campaign in the marquee event on a blazing note.

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Opener Ryan Rickelton scored his maiden ODI hundred (103) as half-centuries from skipper Temba Bavuma(58), Rassie van der Dussen (52) and Aiden Markaram (52 not out) propelled South Africa to 315/6 in 50 overs against Afghanistan in the ICC Champions Trophy Group B clash at National Stadium.

South Africa’s lineup for the match was missing both Heinrich Klaasen and Tristan Stubbs. Cricket South Africa later confirmed that Klaasen had been sidelined as a precaution due to a soft tissue injury in his left elbow. Meanwhile, Stubbs was unlikely to have been in contention for the first-choice XI regardless.

Opting to bat first, South Africa had a steady yet cautious start, with Afghan pacers Fazalhaq Farooqi and Azmatullah Omarzai extracting significant movement off the surface. Tony de Zorzi struggled to get going and was the first to depart, falling to Mohammad Nabi for 11 after an attempted drive resulted in a mistimed shot straight to mid-on. With South Africa losing their first wicket early, Bavuma joined Rickelton at the crease, and together they navigated the testing conditions.

Rickelton, fresh from impressive performances in SA20 and the New Year’s Test against Pakistan, looked in sublime touch. He rotated the strike well and capitalised on loose deliveries, bringing up his half-century in 48 balls. Bavuma, initially circumspect, grew into his innings, ensuring South Africa’s run rate remained stable. The duo stitched a crucial 129-run stand, frustrating Afghanistan’s bowlers.

The introduction of spin brought some respite for Afghanistan, with Mohammad Nabi striking at a key moment. Bavuma, attempting to up the ante, mistimed a shot straight to deep midwicket and departed for 58 off 76 balls. Despite the breakthrough, Rickelton remained composed, crafting an authoritative innings. His hundred – his first in ODIs – came in fine fashion, making him the first South African to score a century on Champions Trophy debut.

 

Scorecard

South Africa:
Ryan Rickelton (run out) 103, Tony de Zorzi c Omarzai b Nabi 11, Temba Bavuma c Atal b Nabi 58, Rassie van der Dussen c Shahidi b Ahmad 52, Aiden Markram (not out) 52, David Miller c Rahmat b Farooqi 14, Marco Jansen b Omarzai 0, Wiaan Mulder (not out) 12

Extras: (W-13) 13; Total: (50 overs, 6 wickets) 315;

Fall of wickets: 1-28, 2-157, 3-201, 4-248, 5-298, 6-299; Bowling: Fazalhaq Farooqi 8-0-59-1, Azmatullah Omarzai 6-0-39-1, Mohammed Nabi 10-0-51-2, Rashid Khan 10-0-59-0, Gulbadin Naib 7-0-42-0, Noor Ahmad 9-0-65-1

Afghanistan:
Rahmanullah Gurbaz c Maharaj b Ngidi 10 Ibrahim Zadran b Rabada 17 Sediqullah Atal run out 16 Rahmat Shah c Rickelton b Rabada 90 Hashmatullah Shahidi c Bavuma b Mulder 0 Azmatullah Omarzai c Rickelton b Rabada 18 Mohammad Nabi c Rabada b Jansen 8 Gulbadin Naib c Bavuma b Ngidi 13 Rashid Khan c Markram b Maharaj 18 Noor Ahmad b Mulder 9 Fazalhaq Farooqi not out 0

Extras: (B-2 NB-1 W-6) 9; Total: (All out in 43.3 overs) 208

Fall of wickets: 1/16 2/38 3/50 4/50 5/89 6/120 7/142 8/169 9/208 10/208 Bowling: Marco Jansen 8-1-32-1, Lungi Ngidi 8-0-56-2, Kagiso Rabada 8.3-1-36-3, Wiaan Mulder 9-0-36-2, Keshav Maharaj 10-0-46-1