AFG vs SA 2024: Top 3 Players to watch out for in upcoming ODI series

South Africa and Afghanistan are set to face each other in a bilateral series for the first time. The two teams will compete in a three-match ODI series, starting with the first game on Wednesday, September 18, at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. The second and third ODIs will also be played at the same venue on September 20 and 22, respectively.

Afghanistan have played two three-match ODI series this year. They were comprehensively whitewashed 3-0 by Sri Lanka in Pallekele in February. The Blue Tigers went on to play three ODIs in Sharjah against Ireland in March and the series ended with a 2-0 scoreline in favour of Hashmatullah Shahidi and Co. One of the matches was abandoned due to rain.

Meanwhile, South Africa's last ODI series was in December 2023, where they lost to India 1-2 at home. They are coming into the contest on the back of a 0-3 T20I series whitewash against the West Indies in the Caribbean last month. The Proteas will look to get back to winning ways with a solid performance against a buoyant Afghanistan side.

Here are the three players to watch out for in AFG vs SA series 2024:

3. Rahmanullah Gurbaz

The flamboyant wicketkeeper-batter will have to set the tone at the top of the order for Afghanistan. In the absence of fellow opener Ibrahim Zadran, who has been ruled out of the series due to an ankle injury, the onus will be on Rahmanullah Gurbaz to set a solid platform for his team which will allow the hard-hitting finishers to play their natural game.

Gurbaz has been one of the most consistent performers for Afghanistan, having scored 1,467 runs from 40 ODIs at an average of 37.62 and a strike rate of 88.53. He has an excellent conversion rate, having already registered five half-centuries and six centuries in the 50-over format.

In the Ireland series, he scored a century and a half-century, finishing as the highest run-getter and also bagging the Player of the Series award. The 22-year-old is improving with every series and will look to stamp his authority against the Proteas.