SA, Afghanistan captains share views on Karachi pitch

Bavuma described the performance as "clinical", while Shahidi admitted Afghanistan failed to play to their potential.

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South Africa's Captain Temba Bavuma hailed his team’s brave decision to bat first in their comprehensive 107-run victory over Afghanistan in the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy on Friday. He described the performance as "clinical" and praised the team's adaptability to the challenging conditions.

"It was a clinical performance, but we got the rub of the green with the toss and it was a brave decision to bat first not knowing how it (the wicket) would play," Bavuma said. "We took care of that, got a competitive score, and then were clinical with the ball. All in all, close to our best performance."

The wicket at Karachi's National Stadium provided a tough test for both sides, with cracks and variable bounce.

Bavuma acknowledged the challenge of assessing a good total on such a pitch, stating, "(The pitch was) closer to a wicket from back home, lots of cracks and a bit of variable bounce, but assessing a good score was tricky."

Afghanistan’s batsmen struggled against South Africa’s pace attack, with their spin-heavy line-up failing to exploit the conditions. Captain Hashmatullah Shahidi admitted his side couldn’t play to their potential.

"The toss was important, it was not a typical Karachi pitch," Shahidi said. "We have the ability to fight but we didn't play the way we wanted. Their bowlers bowled well."

With the top two teams in Group B advancing to the semi-finals, Afghanistan’s path to the next stage looks difficult. Shahidi, however, remains hopeful, focusing on the next games: "We have two games left so we will forget what happened today. We will move forward and play quality cricket."

Despite uncertainty about the Karachi pitch, which had more pace and bounce than usual, South Africa posted 315/6 in their 50 overs, thanks to a maiden ODI century from opener Ryan Rickelton. Afghanistan, in reply, were bowled out for just 208 in 43.3 overs.

South Africa, on the other hand, will turn their attention to their next match against Australia in Rawalpindi on Tuesday, ready to build on their momentum.