AFG vs SA: Sharjah set to host historic 250th ODI match

Cricket action has been in top gear of late in the subcontinent with several Asian teams playing Test and ODI games. Afghanistan who were earlier disappointed with missing out on testing themselves against New Zealand at Greater Noida due to incessant rains in the red-ball format, are now set to tussle with South Africa at an iconic venue.

Notably, both teams will play at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in a three-match ODI series, starting on Wednesday, September 18. The iconic venue will script yet another history by hosting its 250th match. As a result, Sharjah will become the first-ever venue across the globe to host 250 matches in the limited-overs format. Meanwhile, both Afghanistan and South Africa have featured against each other on five occasions. However, the Asian side are yet to win a game against Proteas.

Meanwhile, Afghani captain Hashmatullah Shahidi will aim to break the losing streak against the African side by playing some quality cricket. He also stated that the side will look to put immense pressure on the opposition as any moment the match can turn the tide. Moreover, he added that even though South Africa are one of the toughest sides to play against, the familiarity with the conditions with Sharjah being another home ground for Afghanistan, will give the Asian nation an edge over the African side. However, they shifted their base to Noida in recent times.

“I know they are one of the strongest teams in the world. But we are confident of playing good cricket and putting pressure on them. Anything can happen in cricket. First time, we are playing a bilateral series with such big teams. Of course, we are both excited and confident," Shahidi was quoted as saying by Gulftoday.ae.

“We are playing in conditions that we are familiar with. No one has played more cricket than us in the UAE. So we are well aware of the pitches and the other factors. We will try to bank on our strength, which is spin bowling. We have some world-class spinners in the team, and we hope to give South Africa a tough time,” he further continued.

Also Read- AFG vs SA 2024: Proteas skipper Temba Bavuma ruled out of first ODI

Interestingly, one of the most experienced campaigners for Afghanistan, star Player Rashid Khan will make his comeback after having grappled with a back injury for a long time now. He will hope to start strongly against South Africa. The willy legspinner will shoulder the spin responsibility with Mujeeb-ur-Rehman and Mohammad Nabi, respectively. Hence they make up for one of the strongest spin lineups in Asia.

They are no more underdogs, demonstrated their skills in 50-over World Cup: Markram

But South Africa's interim skipper Aiden Markram was not taking the Afghans lightly. He believes that Afghanistan are not an underdog side in the world anymore. Hence his side will not be complacent against them going into the first ODI. Moreover, he also lauded Afghans for their incredible run in the ODI World Cup 2023 where they played till the semi-final round. Besides, South Africa will be without their regular skipper Temba Bavuma, who was ruled out of the first ODI, due to an injury.

Also Read: AFG vs SA 2024: Schedule, Squad, Live Streaming, Broadcasters & All you need to know

“They are no more underdogs. They have some world-class players, and they demonstrated their skills and prowess in the 50-over World Cup. Their run-up to the semi-finals in the showpiece event shows their credentials in the ODIs. We will not let the complacency creep in,” Markram said on Afghanistan's rise.

“We are well aware of the fact that Afghanistan can be a dangerous customer in these conditions. Their strength is spin bowling, and the pitches in this region usually help spinners. But, we are well-prepared to tackle them,” he concluded.

Speaking about Sharjah's incredible journey, it began with a Cricketer's Benefit Fund Series (CBFS) in the year 1981 by Adbul Rahman Bukhatir. Notably, the legendary figure's goal was to honour the immense contributions of the past and present Indian and Pakistan legends in cricket.