South Africa's Proteas team will play Afghanistan in their second T20 World Cup group stage match on Wednesday, aiming to build on their opening victory against Canada. The day game in India presents challenges from Afghanistan's strong spin bowling attack. Players emphasize adapting to pitch conditions without the influence of dew.
The Proteas began their T20 World Cup campaign with a 57-run win over Canada on February 9, 2026, in Group D. They posted 213 runs, led by Aiden Markram's 59 off 32 balls, David Miller's unbeaten 39 off 23, and Tristan Stubbs' 34 off 19 balls. A 75-run partnership between Miller and Stubbs proved decisive. Lungi Ngidi took 4-31 to restrict Canada.
Canada chose to bowl first, but early spin from Ansh Patel dismissed Markram, Ryan Rickelton (33), and Dewald Brevis (6). Despite this, South Africa recovered for the victory. Miller noted afterward, “We came into this World Cup not wanting to take things for granted at all in any game. So by all means, today was a great start, [but] the next two games are really, really big. We’re going to just take one game at a time.”
Now, South Africa meets Afghanistan on February 11, 2026, at 7:30 a.m. in a day game, reducing dew's impact. Kagiso Rabada described Ahmedabad pitches: “Ahmedabad is known to suit fast bowling. It is a high-scoring ground. There are different soils; black soil normally spins more, the red soil is normally the bouncier soil.” He added that dew worsens conditions for bowlers.
Afghanistan, after losing to New Zealand, relies on spinners Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, and Noor Ahmad. Khan leads T20I wickets with 188 in 112 innings. The teams have met three times in T20 World Cups, with South Africa's latest win by nine wickets in the 2024 semi-final. David Miller said, “It’s going to be different conditions, I truly believe that. [The pitch] might be a bit slower, turn a little bit more during the day, but it might not. It’s just making sure that we assess and adapt really quickly and well on the day.”
Head coach Shukri Conrad prepares the team, noting familiarity from SA20 league play.
