On Thursday, South Africa will face Afghanistan in the first semifinal of the T20 World Cup at Brian Lara Stadium in Tarouba, Trinidad.
Rashid Khan led Afghanistan impressively, and secured wins over Bangladesh and Australia in the Super 8 group stage to progress to the last-four stage for the first time in their history.
On the other hand, South Africa has had an outstanding campaign as they are the only team in the tournament who have won seven consecutive matches.
Brian Lara Stadium, Tarouba, Trinidad pitch report
With the last game at this venue played ten days ago, a fresh pitch is expected. Fast bowlers might enjoy early seam movement and spongy bounce from hard lengths. Spinners will also find assistance from the pitch throughout the game.
BET NOW: Exclusive sign-up offers and bonuses when you bet on T20 World Cup action
Batsmen need to spend some time adjusting to the pace and bounce before attacking. The average run rate here is 7.18 and the average first innings score is 129 runs, which indicates that we might see a moderate-scoring game.
Winning the toss could be crucial. Generally, teams might prefer to bowl first. However, Afghanistan might choose to bat first, a strategy that has worked well for them in this tournament.
Will the Brian Lara Stadium pitch assist spinners?
The Brian Lara Stadium has hosted four T20 World Cup matches thus far, and it has seen proved to be a fast track with the medium pacers taking an impressive 42 wickets. The spinners, on the other hand, have only taken 13 wickets.
While a new pitch might be used for the South Africa vs Afghanistan semifinal match, it will be interesting to see if spinners can get assistance this time around.
What happened in the last T20I match at the Brian Lara Stadium?
In the last T20 game at this venue, New Zealand demolished Papua New Guinea (PNG) as they bowled them out for just 78 runs. Lockie Ferguson bowled incredibly well in the T20 World Cup group match. He took three wickets in his four overs, along with Trent Boult and Tim Southee, who took 2 wickets each.
This strong bowling performance set up the Kiwis for an easy win, as they chased down the target with seven wickets in hand and plenty of overs to spare.
South Africa vs Afghanistan, T20 World Cup 2024: Betting odds
According to Dafabet, South Africa are the favourites to win the T20 World Cup 2024 match against Afghanistan.
| Team | Betting odds |
| South Africa | 1.45 |
| Afghanistan | 2.89 |
If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. Learn more >