"They are a dud cracker batting second" - Aakash Chopra on South Africa's chasing issues heading into 2023 World Cup clash vs Afghanistan

Aakash Chopra has highlighted South Africa's chasing issues heading into their 2023 World Cup league-stage clash against Afghanistan.

The two sides will lock horns at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Friday. While the Proteas have already booked their place in the semifinals, the Afghans have a virtually impossible task to pip New Zealand for the final knockout berth.

Previewing the game in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra pointed out that South Africa have been found wanting while chasing. He elaborated (6:00):

"South Africa lost their last match in an extremely humiliating fashion and let's be fair, the team doesn't chase well. You lost to the Netherlands. India blew you away. The pitch on which India scored 326, they bowled you out for 83."

The former India opener added:

"The one match they won against Pakistan while chasing, they just managed to win it, that too wasn't an impressive performance. Keshav (Maharaj) came or else what situation were you in? So South Africa are a gun team batting first but they are a dud cracker batting second."

Temba Bavuma and company have registered emphatic wins in all five games they have batted first. On the flip side, they were stunned by the Netherlands, thrashed by India, and eked out a one-wicket win against Pakistan while chasing.

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"You want to go ahead with a winning momentum" - Aakash Chopra says South Africa need to beat Afghanistan

South Africa will face Australia in the 2023 World Cup semifinals. [P/C: AP]

Aakash Chopra highlighted the significance of the Afghanistan game for South Africa. He explained (6:30):

"What would they want to do in this match? Firstly, they will want to win. You need to win because you lost one match in an extremely embarrassing fashion. You will still finish second or third, which won't make a difference, but you want to go ahead with a winning momentum."

The cricketer-turned-commentator expects the Proteas to field an unchanged playing XI. He reasoned:

"I feel they will play the same team that played the last match. The Ahmedabad pitch is good and in any case, you don't want to play too much spin against Afghanistan. The focus will once again be on batting because the batting is actually very good."

Aakash Chopra concluded by opining that South Africa might want to bat first and score a lot of runs and hope they would win the toss in the semifinals as well. He reckons Afghanistan might not be too bothered about the toss, highlighting they have enjoyed success both while setting and chasing targets.