World Cup 2019, Match 21: South Africa vs Afghanistan Match Prediction - Who will win today's match?

15 days have passed since South Africa played their first match of ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 and they are yet to register their first win in the competition. They opened their World Cup campaign with a huge defeat against favorites England, followed by a shock defeat to Bangladesh and a 6-wicket beating at the hands of India. Their last match was abandoned thanks to rain.

Afghanistan have also had a similar fortune in the World Cup so far. In the 3 matches they have played thus far, they have failed to play cricket on the same level as their rival. Gulbadin Naib's men have lost their matches against Sri Lanka, Australia and New Zealand and now they will look to open their account with a win over South Africa.

So, in the battle of equals, who will win? Here is today's match prediction.

South Africa vs Afghanistan - Best Match Prediction

South Africa have a mountain to climb at the Cricket World Cup after three defeats and captain Faf du Plessis wants five wins in a row. https://t.co/t7qqXTQFcA

— Sportskeeda India (@Sportskeeda) June 14, 2019

South Africa have disappointed their fans with the way they have performed in this tournament but they still have a chance to make it to the knockouts. The Proteas need to win all of their remaining five matches to sneak into the top 4. The first of their five matches is against Afghanistan, a team known for its grit and fighting spirit.

Their last international meeting came at ICC T20 World Cup 2016 where South Africa defeated Afghanistan by 37 runs. An interesting fact to be noted is that this is the first time these two teams will play an ODI against each other.

This match is scheduled to take place at Cardiff, a venue where the Englishmen piled up a mountain of runs against Bangladesh. Afghanistan and South Africa both will look to have a bat first after winning the toss, put the runs on the board and put the opposition under pressure.

If we compare both the teams on paper, South Africa have a very strong batting line-up and they can dominate the proceedings on the day. The toss won't matter much for the Proteas if they play to their full strength. With the likes of Quinton de Kock, Faf du Plessis, Hashim Amla and David Miller in their team, they can post the first 400+ score of the World Cup because the Afghan bowlers have failed miserably in this World Cup.

While, if they bowl first, the trio of Kagiso Rabada, Chris Morris and Imran Tahir will ensure that the Afghans do not pass the 200 run mark thanks to their inconsistent batting unit. Either way, South Africa should ideally have no trouble in moving up the points table today.

Today's match prediction - South Africa wins

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