As the battle for semi-final berths intensifies in Group B of the Champions Trophy, top-ranked South Africa will aim to assert their dominance and secure a spot in the final four when they meet a struggling England in a high-stakes clash in Karachi on Saturday.
Unlike Group A, where the two best sides -- India and New Zealand -- have sailed into the knock-outs with ease, Australia, Afghanistan and South Africa in Group B are locked in an intense battle for the remaining two semi-final berths.
A crushing eight runs defeat to Afghanistan not only sent England out of semi-final contention but also kept the Asian team's hopes of making it to the final four alive and kept both South Africa and Australia on tenterhooks.
Afghanistan take on Australia on Friday in Lahore riding on the big wave of confidence from their last outing between the two teams in the 50-over format.
The Afghans had pushed Australia to the brink in their last meeting in the 2023 ODI World Cup before Glenn Maxwell's sensational 201 not out turned the tables.
While there are possibilities of the contest being affected by rain, a win for Afghanistan will be enough for them to seal a spot in the semi-final, as Australia's defeat will leave the Steve Smith-led side locked in for a battle with South Africa for the second and final spot from this group.
South Africa (3 points, 2.140 NRR) are likely to progress if Australia (3 points, 0.475 NRR) beat Afghanistan (2 points, -0.990 NRR), even if the Proteas lose to England because of their healthy NRR.
A favourable result should not be too difficult for South Africa, who have all their bases covered; more importantly, their key players are in form compared to a misfiring England, overly dependent on Joe Root.
In their only completed contest so far -- South Africa split points with Australia after a wash-out in Rawalpindi -- the Proteas crushed Afghanistan by a massive 107 runs.
Ryan Rickelton scored a century while skipper Temba Bavuma, Rassie van der Dussen and Aiden Markram hit half centuries each to power South Africa to a formidable 315 for 6 batting first, following which the bowlers produced a unified show to bundle out Afghanistan for a mere 208.
While on-paper, South Africa are a formidable unit and have been the team to beat in recent ICC events, their overall form over the last year or so does not inspire confidence. They lost eight of their last 12 ODIs and won only four since January 2024.
South Africa also failed to make the tri-series final in Pakistan, also involving New Zealand, prior to the Champions Trophy, and Bavuma's team will need to find consistency against a hurting England determined to sign off on a high.
Barring Root, England do not inspire much confidence as they are in the midst of a losing streak which began with a 0-3 hammering by India before the ongoing tournament.
Root's 120 was the only bright spot for England against Afghanistan. He was the only one to convert his start and show promise to do the job for his side, which ideally should have been completed, but the 2019 World Cup winners lacked the gumption.
England, who began the tournament with a defeat to Australia, are likely to go through changes in terms of leadership but before all that unfolds, Jos Buttler would be keen to rally his troops around for one final laugh.
Teams (from):
England: Jos Buttler (captain), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Tom Banton, Harry Brook, Rehan Ahmed, Ben Duckett, Jamie Overton, Jamie Smith, Liam Livingstone, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Saqib Mahmood, Phil Salt, Mark Wood.
South Africa: Temba Bavuma (captain), Tony de Zorzi, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tabraiz Shamsi, Tristan Stubbs, Rassie van der Dussen, Corbin Bosch.
Match starts: 2:30 PM IST.
© 2025