Afghanistan, having secured an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match ODI series against South Africa, opted to bat first in the final encounter. The decision was made after winning the toss, with the hosts making three changes to their playing XI.
Rashid Khan, the star leg-spinner who claimed a five-wicket haul in Afghanistan’s 177-run victory in the previous match, was rested due to a hamstring niggle. In his absence, Nangeyalia Kharote and AM Ghazanfar will lead the spin attack.
Afghanistan also included an additional seamer in 19-year-old Naveed Zadran, who will make his second ODI appearance. The other two changes saw left-arm pacer Fazalhaq Farooqi replaced by Fareed Ahmed, while opening batter Riaz Hassan was dropped for Abdul Malik, who will make his ODI debut.
Afghanistan’s decision to bat first meant that South Africa would once again face challenging weather conditions. Afternoon temperatures were expected to reach 40 degrees Celsius, with a real feel of around 46 degrees.
South Africa, on the other hand, made only one change to their team, bringing in allrounder Andile Phehlukwayo for left-arm seamer Nandre Burger. The batting lineup, which has struggled against Afghanistan in the previous two matches, remained unchanged.
