Afghanistan vs South Africa: The Champions Trophy is taking place between Afghanistan and South Africa in 2025. This is the first match of Afghanistan in the Champions Trophy. In this match, Africa has targeted 316 runs to win Afghanistan. Ahead of African batsmen, Afghan bowlers proved to be ineffective and could not show special amazing. Players like Rashid Khan and Noor Ahmed also flopped. For Africa, Ryan Rickelton scored an excellent century and scored a total of 103 runs.
Afghan spinner made a record together
The playing XI of the Afghan team includes both Rashid Khan and Noor Ahmed. This is the first time in the history of the Champions Trophy when a left-arm spinner and a right-arm wrist spinner have played in the same innings. Both Rashid, a right-arm wrist spinner, and Noor, a left-arm spinner, are known for their killer spin bowling and can change the attitude of the match in just a few balls.
Rashid and Noor playing third ICC tournament together
Apart from Rashid Khan and Noor Ahmed, there are three more pairs in the ICC’s limited-overs tournament who have played together in an innings of the ICC tournament, but not in the Champions Trophy. These include Australia’s Shane Warne and Michael Bevan, who played in the ODI World Cup in 1996 and 1999, Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal for India, who played in the ODI Cup in 2019, and Imran Tahir and Tabrej Shamsi of South Africa, who also played in the ODI Cup in 2019. While Rashid and Noor have played together in an innings of the ODI World Cup 2023 and the T20 World Cup 2024.
Rashid and Noor bowled poorly
Rashid Khan and Noor Ahmed could not perform well against South Africa. These players proved to be very expensive and took a lot of runs. Rashid conceded 59 runs in 10 overs and could not take a single wicket. On the other hand, Noor was hit for 65 runs in 9 overs and he could take only one wicket. Despite their reputation for being game-changers, they just couldn’t seem to get it right this time around. It was a tough day for the Afghan spinners, and they’ll be looking to bounce back from this performance.