Predicting the 4 semi-finalists of the Champions Trophy

#4 South Africa

Although the South African team is known to be the ‘chokers’ in the ICC events, yet this year, they have a side that could go the distance. The side is good enough to make it to the semi-final at least. Their only big win in ICC events came when they won the inaugural Champions Trophy in 1998 (known as the Knock Out Trophy back then). Since then, they have missed out of the big events by the narrowest margins and hence they earned the tag of ‘chokers’.

Their batting line-up is as good as any other team. The opening combination of Hashim Amla and Quinton de Kock provides the perfect blend of youth and experience and they set the tone from the start more often than not. Faf du Plessis and AB de Villiers have enormous ODI cricket experience on their backs and would be the key batsmen in the side. David Miller, Farhan Behardien and Chris Morris will provide stability to the lower middle-order.

When it comes to bowling, they have the young and charged up Kagiso Rabada who will be the bowler to watch out for in the tournament. Chris Morris provides handy fast bowling along with his batting. Wayne Parnell, Andile Phehlukwayo and Dwaine Pretorius are the other pacers to chose from. Imran Tahir could be their go-to spinner who can pick up wickets at crucial stages. They also have the services of Keshav Maharaj as the backup spinner. If the team plays to its potential, it has the ability to end up as the champions.