South Africa have been off to a sensational start to their 2025 Champions Trophy campaign. They registered an emphatic 107-run victory against Afghanistan in their first match of the tournament today. This win will definitely add to their morale and go a long way in their hopes of winning this ICC tournament.
The Proteas had set the mood from the very beginning after winning the toss and opting to bat first. Thanks to opener Ryan Rickleton’s century, the South African batting attack was off to a great start. He ended up scoring 103 off 106 before being run out by Rashid Khan. Captain Temba Bavuma, Rassie van der Dussen and Aiden Markram’s fifties also added to their total, taking it to a whopping 315 in 50 overs.
Watch Ibrahim Zadran getting clean bowled by Kagiso Rabada
In the second inning, South Africa showed that their bowling attack is even more powerful than their batting lineup. Their star bowler set the pitch on fire with a sensational delivery to opener Ibrahim Zadran, which he misread completely and got clean bowled in the process. Kagiso Rabada’s in-swinger took the mid-wicket in spectacular fashion and the victorious chirp he directed at Ibrahim Zadran to send him off was well deserved.
𝙆𝙣𝙤𝙘𝙠𝙚𝙙 𝙃𝙞𝙢 𝙊𝙫𝙚𝙧! 🥶
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) February 21, 2025
Rabada at his best! 💥 Ibrahim heads back to the dressing room 🤩#ChampionsTrophyOnJioStar 👉🏻 Afghanistan 🆚 South Africa | LIVE NOW on Star Sports 2 & Sports 18-1
📺📱 Start watching FREE on JioHotstar pic.twitter.com/GF7RqGS8Ru
Afghanistan’s Rahmat Shah tried to hold the inning from one end but in vain as the Proteas took one wicket after another on the other end. In the end, even Rahmat Shah fell after a respectable knock of 90 off 92. The most shocking performance came from Hashmatullah Shahidi, who went home for a duck.
Kagiso Rabada ended up taking 3 wickets in total and has shown that he will be in sensational form this tournament. The South African will surely be one of the players to watch out for. With this, South Africa picked up their first victory of the tournament. They have announced their arrival in spectacular fashion.
Also Read: How Kerala reached the Final of the Ranji Trophy
