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South Africa are gearing up to face their final challenge in the league stage of the 2023 World Cup on Friday, November 10, in Ahmedabad. Afghanistan are the team that stand opposite the Proteas, although their chances of making the semifinals reached nearly zero following their disappointing loss to Australia earlier this week.
South Africa, meanwhile, have booked their spot in the second semifinal against the Aussies. The two teams have a history of meeting at that stage, and it won't be an easy task to beat the five-time world champions, who are on a hot streak at the moment.
Temba Bavuma and Co. will know that they need to be at their absolute best for the semifinals. In their final league game, they will look to iron out the few kinks in their armor and mold themselves into an even more solid outfit.
On that note, here are three issues South Africa need to sort out against Afghanistan before the 2023 World Cup semifinals.
#3 Temba Bavuma's form is a concern
South Africa's fearsome batting lineup has done incredibly well on the whole in the 2023 World Cup.
Quinton de Kock is the second-highest run-scorer in the competition, while Aiden Markram and Rassie van der Dussen aren't far behind. David Miller, Heinrich Klaasen and Marco Jansen have chipped in as well.
However, captain Temba Bavuma hasn't been anywhere near his best. The opener has just 122 runs in six innings at an average of 20.33 and a strike rate of 73.93. He has gotten off to starts here and there, but his highest score so far is only 35.
To make matters worse for Bavuma, he missed a couple of games when he was unwell, and Reeza Hendricks played a superb knock as a replacement. Pressure is mounting on the South African skipper to come good, and the team won't want to head into the knockouts with him devoid of a noteworthy innings under his belt.
#2 If Lungi Ngidi doesn't play, how will South Africa cope?
Lungi Ngidi hobbled off the park against India. While he is likely to be fit for the Afghanistan clash, South Africa might want to give him a breather and not risk him ahead of the semifinals.
If that happens, how will the Proteas cope? Tabraiz Shamsi bowled a terrible spell against the Men in Blue, and spinners have struggled in Ahmedabad this year. There's also the issue of dew in the second innings, lending weight to the belief that a four-man pace attack will be the way forward for South Africa.
Marco Jansen, Kagiso Rabada and Gerald Coetzee are bound to be three of those men, but the fourth will be a toss-up between Lizaad Williams and Andile Phehlukwayo. Neither option inspires much confidence, with the former having played just two ODIs.
Moreover, without Ngidi, who will partner Jansen with the new ball? Rabada has been used to great effect in the middle overs, and changing his role might not be a great idea.
This is an issue that might plague South Africa in the knockouts as well, if they suffer any more injuries. They will need to identify the right personnel against Afghanistan.
#1 South Africa need a win while chasing under their belt
A team like South Africa will find it hard to live down the past, even if there are indications that they aren't that kind of side anymore. Unfortunately for them, the raw numbers don't work in their favor when it comes to an often-discussed topic: them chasing totals under pressure.
In three matches batting second in the 2023 World Cup, the Proteas have two losses to India and the Netherlands. While they were expected to at least compete against the former, they were the clear favorites to beat the Dutch. Even the one game they won while chasing was a thriller against Pakistan that could've gone either way.
South Africa will want to have a convincing win while chasing under their belt heading into the knockouts, where pressure is bound to be at its highest.
