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The inaugural bilateral series between South Africa and Afghanistan takes place in the midst of harsh criticism from Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR), one of the nation’s leading human rights organisations. A statement describing the three-match series as a “tacit endorsement of the Taliban’s repressive regime” was released by LHR on Tuesday.
The South African Cricketers Association (SACA) released a statement earlier this week endorsing Afghan women, and Temba Bavuma, the captain of the One-Day International team (who, incidentally, will miss the first ODI due to illness, with Aiden Markram taking the reins), echoed it. Cricket South Africa (CSA) has decided not to reply.
Bavuma finds himself in the unpleasant situation of having to talk about off-field matters while getting ready for on-field ones, not for the first time. When Quinton de Kock chose not to take a knee in support of the Black Lives Matter movement during a T20 World Cup match against the West Indies in 2021, Bavuma faced the media in the United Arab Emirates.
With the Champions Trophy approaching, CSA’s primary directive at this point is to concentrate on ODI cricket preparations. The country’s “own values and human rights obligations” are being allegedly undermined, but there is a strong response at home. SACA requested that CSA utilise its influence to draw attention to the predicament of Afghan women, who are prohibited from participating in public life. Though no decisions have been taken yet, it is understood that there are internal conversations about if and how CSA can advocate for women.
The three games that are being played in Sharjah this week will instead be the centre of attention, with discussions about the playing circumstances, team lineups, and strategies.
Afghanistan has made the UAE their adopted home, and since 2010, they have played 25 One-Day Internationals (ODIs) in Sharjah. They were also there, having played Ireland in their most recent format match. They have won sixteen of those and lost nine, primarily to Ireland and Zimbabwe. Having participated in every game, Mohammad Nabi is second in Afghanistan’s history most runs scored at the ground with 557, which includes two fifty-score innings. He also holds the record for most wickets taken at the ground with 35 at an average of 22.02.
Conversely, South Africa has won ten of the 12 ODIs they have played in Sharjah, but they haven’t visited the stadium since 2013. Not a single member of the current team was there for the series against Pakistan eleven years ago, and the only player still under national contract from that era is David Miller, who is playing in the CPL and is not involved in this series.
Afghanistan’s first ODI centurion, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, keeps their top order dangerous even with opener batsman Ibrahim Zadran out of the series due to an ankle sprain. It was the area that South Africa needed to focus on, according to Lungi Ngidi.
In ODI cricket, Afghanistan’s strength is possibly South Africa’s vulnerability following de Kock’s retirement at the ODI World Cup last year. When he returns from his sickness, Bavuma, who was the only batter in the top six without a century when he entered that event in form, will have the chance to reclaim his position as the leader in this format.
Seeing how the young spinners on each side develop will perhaps be the most thrilling aspect of the show. The off-spinner AM Ghazanfar represents Afghanistan. He is beginning to establish himself in senior international cricket and competed at the 2024 Under-19 World Cup in South Africa, where he shocked New Zealand with three wickets in the opening over.
Legspinner Nqabayomzi Peter represents South Africa. He bowled his home team, the Lions, to victory in the T20 event and was named the CSA’s domestic rookie of the season and T20 challenge player of the season at the annual awards.