Proteas aim to extend T20 World Cup lead against spin-heavy Afghanistan

South Africa will be looking to extend their lead in the group stages after their comfortable win against Canada on Monday, 9 February 2026, in the opening Group D T20 World Cup game.

However, they face tough opponents when they take on Afghanistan in their second match, which is scheduled for Wednesday.

The Proteas have only met Afghanistan on three previous occasions in the T20 format, and only in World Cup settings. The most recent was in the semi-finals of the 2024 T20 World Cup when South Africa cruised past Afghanistan by nine wickets.

What once may have been a comfortable assignment is now anything but straightforward. Afghanistan pose a dangerous threat with spinners who could do some damage on India’s spin-friendly pitches.

After a tough loss to New Zealand, when Afghanistan seemed to be holding the reins, the former associate nation will be eager to respond in pursuit of their first victory.

Day game dynamics

Before their game against Canada, Proteas pace bowler Kagiso Rabada spoke about the surfaces in India, particularly in Ahmedabad.

“Ahmedabad is known to suit fast bowling. It is a high-scoring ground. There are different soils; black soil normally spins more, the red soil is normally the bouncier soil,” Rabada said.

However, according to Rabada, when the dew comes, “it makes it even worse”.

On Monday, Marco Jansen was seen piling sawdust on the pitch before teammate Corbin Bosch took his run-up in the closing stages of the Canadian game. This was an indicator of dew on the field, which may impact play, especially during night games.

It makes the ball wet, which reduces the grip for bowlers, especially spinners. Instead of the ball gripping the pitch and stopping, with dew the ball skids through, which helps timing and may help make stroke-play easier for the batters.

Unlike their opening game against Canada, South Africa’s game against Afghanistan will be a day game. This is significant because dew will not play such a factor in bringing relief to Afghanistan’s spin bowlers.

“It’s going to be different conditions, I truly believe that,” said Proteas batter David Miller. “[The pitch] might be a bit slower, turn a little bit more during the day, but it might not. It’s just making sure that we assess and adapt really quickly and well on the day.”

Setting the tone

In the opening T20 World Cup match for the Proteas, Canada elected to bowl first, hoping to take advantage of the dew build-up in the second innings. In the first over, the outfield was slow and the lack of dew brought spin into play, exposing a possible area of concern in the Proteas’ batting order.

Canadian left-arm wrist-spinner Ansh Patel delivered a strong and controlled performance and secured three key wickets in Aiden Markram, Ryan Rickelton (33) and Dewald Brevis (6).

But, it was not enough for the associate nation. Despite losing three wickets in two overs, South Africa walked away with a convincing win, beating Canada by 57 runs.

It was a proper team effort as Markram scored a 32-ball 59, Miller chipped in with an unbeaten 39 off 23 and Tristan Stubbs made 34 for 19, creating a fifth wicket partnership of 75 runs with Miller.

The pair brought the Proteas’ run tally to a commanding 213, which saw Canada struggle to chase, thanks in part to Lungi Ngidi’s pace bowling, which saw the seamer take four for 31.

“We came into this World Cup not wanting to take things for granted at all in any game. So by all means, today was a great start, [but] the next two games are really, really big. We’re going to just take one game at a time,” said Miller.

Spin-heavy Afghanistan

Afghanistan have a Bermuda Triangle of sorts with three ruthless spinners in skipper Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Noor Ahmad. Thus, Proteas head coach Shukri Conrad will be looking at how best to prepare the team.

Khan was Afghanistan’s first global superstar and the driving force behind the nation’s early rise in international cricket. His devastating leg-spin quickly established him as one of the finest T20 bowlers of all time, and he currently holds the most career wickets in T20Is with 188 in 112 innings.

All three spinners have played in the Betway SA20 alongside many of the Proteas squad participating in this World Cup. Thus, the South Africans should be well equipped to tackle the trio by keeping their head down and adapting to the conditions.

Catch the game tomorrow, 11 February, bright and early at 7.30am. DM