South Africa will take on Afghanistan in the 13th match of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026. This match is set to take place at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on February 11 at 11:00 AM IST. While the Proteas aim to claim their second consecutive victory in the tournament, Afghanistan will look to bounce back in the tournament and stay alive.

 

South Africa

 

South Africa made a thumping start to their 2026 T20 World Cup campaign, defeating Canada by 57 runs in their tournament opener at Narendra Modi Stadium. The explosive batting lineup led by Aiden Markram stood out at the right time. Markram scored 59 runs from 32 deliveries, while Quinton de Kock, Ryan Rickelton, David Miller, and Tristan Stubbs added some crucial runs with their bat. South Africa scored 213 for 4 in their innings. With the ball, Lungi Ngidi led the pace attack, grabbing four wickets in his bowling spell, while Marco Jansen was able to grab 2 wickets. The last edition's runners-up are in terrific form, having a perfect balance between bat and ball.

 

Afghanistan

 

Despite posting a challenging total on their scorecard, Afghanistan had to face an unfortunate defeat against New Zealand in their tournament opener. After recovering from their early setbacks, Afghanistan reached a challenging total of 182/6, thanks to the standout knock from Gulbadin Naib, who scored 63 off 35 balls and held the innings from one end. He was supported by Sediqullah Atal (29) and Darwish Rasooli (20) in the middle overs. Afghanistan's major issue is their pace bowling attack; their bowling attack revolves around their spin trio of Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, and Noor Ahmed. While Mujeeb made some impact in the last match, the other two bowlers failed miserably. If Afghanistan can improve on their seam bowling option, they can take on the Proteas and seal a victory.

 

SA vs AFG Match Details

 

SA vs AFG T20I WC Match Details
Match	South Africa vs Afghanistan 13th T20I Match
Date and Time	Wednesday, February 11; 11:00 a.m. IST
Venue	Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
Broadcasting and live streaming	TV-Star Sports Network, Live Stream-JioHotstar

 

SA vs AFG T20 WC Pitch Report

 

The surface at Narendra Modi Stadium provides a flat deck, giving all the explosive powers to the T20 batters for scoring big runs. The surface enables batters to play their shots because it delivers strong pace and bounce, while fast bowlers can expect some assistance from the new ball during the initial stages of the match. The last match at this venue also saw high scores from both teams. The average first-inning total at this venue is expected to be 165. 

 

SA vs AFG T20 WC Weather Report

 

The weather in Ahmedabad is expected to remain warm and humid, with no rain predicted during the game. As this is a morning game, the surroundings are expected to be warm and pleasant. The temperatures are likely to hover around 27-32 °C, under mostly clear skies.

 

SA vs AFG Head-to-Head Records

 

SA vs AFG head-to-head (in T20Is)
Match Played	3
Won by South Africa	3
Won by Afghanistan	0
Tied	0
No Result	0

 

SA vs AFG Probable XI

 

• South Africa: Quinton de Kock (wk), Ryan Rickelton, Aiden Markram (c), Dewald Brevis, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Corbin Bosch, Keshav Maharaj, Marco Jansen, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi.

 

• Afghanistan: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan (c), Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Mujeeb Ur Rahman.

 

Players To Watch Out For in the SA vs AFG Match

 

• Aiden Markram | SA: Aiden Markram comes into this game in superb form. The form of Aiden Markram is one of the main and crucial factors for the success of this team. If the top-order batters smash some quick runs, the team will surely take an early advantage. He is one of the few overseas stars who can play both spin and pace with equal comfort. In the opening match against Canada, he was the standout batter from the lineup, scoring 59 runs from 32 deliveries. He will yet again be their player to be on the watchlist. 

 

• Darwish Rasooli | AFG: This 26-year-old batter was their standout batter in the last series against the West Indies. He might not get a good start in the opening match, but he is someone who scores good runs in the middle-overs against pace. He scored 20 runs in the opening game but will aim to get a good score in the next game, hence he will be a batter to watch out for.

 

SA vs AFG Toss Prediction

 

Historical Toss-Winning Stats at the Venue

 

• In the last 4 T20 matches played at this venue, the team winning the toss has opted to bowl first thrice and bat first once.

 

Advantages of Batting First on This Pitch

 

• In 9 T20I matches played at this venue so far, the teams that batted first have won 6 matches, and bowling first have won 3 matches. 

 

SA vs AFG Today's Match Scenario

 

Scenario 1

 

• Toss Winner: SA (opts to bat first)


• Power-Play Score: 45-52


• SA Total: 180-190


• Match Winner: South Africa

 

Scenario 2

 

• Toss Winner: AFG (opts to bat first)


• Power-Play Score: 38-42


• AFG Total: 150-160


• Match Winner: South Africa

 

Who will win today's SA vs AFG T20 World Cup match?

 

These two teams have clashed three times in this format so far, and all three matches have been won by South Africa. The Proteas have a better squad on paper than Afghanistan. Moreover, the South African pace attack can easily outperform the batting lineup of Afghanistan with their experience. Hence, we are backing South Africa to win this game.