There are many fascinating and thrilling matches in the new cricket rivalry between South Africa and Afghanistan. Both teams have a tough fight. South Africa showed their huge dominance over Afghanistan by winning most of the matches. Each encounter between these two sides offers a blend of fascinating match experiences and youthfulness. The South African team, known for its rich heritage in cricket, brings class to the table, whereas the Afghanistan team, which is new to cricket, brings passion and a fearless approach to this rivalry. Their meetings on the World Stage, especially in the 2024 ODI season, Afghanistan showed their competitive side and a team spirit in the matches. South Africa National Cricket Team vs Afghanistan National Cricket Team Timeline presents a narrative of flexibility, changing dynamics, and the skills of both teams, making the fans more excited to watch the growing rivalry between the two teams.
2010 to Recent Matches: Tough Battles between the two teams
- 2010 ICC T20 World Cup – The two sides first faced each other in the 2010 T20 World Cup in Bridgetown, Barbados, where South Africa claimed their first victory over Afghanistan by 59 runs. Man of the Match Morne Morkel was outstanding with the ball, taking 4 wickets in 3 overs, playing a big role in the victory for South Africa.
- The Proteas won the 20th match of the 2016 ICC World Twenty20 against Afghanistan in Mumbai, this time by a margin of 37 runs. After South Africa set the Afghanistan team a daunting target of 210 runs, Afghanistan did their best in reply, taking it to 172 runs in the full 20 overs. Chris Morris was awarded the Man of the Match title for that game.
- 2019 ICC World Cup: In the opening match of the 2019 ODI World Cup, the Proteas played the Afghan Atalans in Cardiff. The match was the 21st game of the ICC World Cup 2019, where South Africa won the match by 9 wickets via D/L method, with Quinton de Kock enjoying a half-century (68) in this match. From the South African team, Imran Tahir took 4 wickets in 7 overs, winning the Man of the Match for his effort.
- 2023 ICC World Cup- In the 42nd Match of the 2023 ICC World Cup, the South African team again clean-swept Afghan Atalans by 5 wickets. Afghanistan scored 245 runs in 50 overs; however, Proteas cliched the victory by scoring 247 runs in 47.3 overs. Rassie van der Dussen (76 runs) had a half-century and was named the Man of the Match for his remarkable performance.
- 2024 Afghanistan v South Africa – Afghanistan won the 1st ODI match against South Africa by 6 wickets in 2024. The Afghan Atalans defeated the Proteas for the first time. South Africa won the toss and seized the opportunity to bat first. 106 runs were scored by the Proteas. Afghanistan scored 107/4 in 26 overs to chase down the Proteas’ 106 total when they took the field to bat. Fazalhaq Farooqi was exceptional with the ball for Afghanistan, taking 4 wickets from his 7 overs and was a match-winning factor for them. Man of the Match, Fazalhaq Farooqi, bowled exceptionally.
- 2024 Afghanistan v South Africa – Afghanistan easily won the second ODI match of the series, at Sharjah, by 177 runs, and won the first ever ODI series against a strong ICC test team. Rahmanullah Gurbaz, extremely hard for the team and scored a century with 105 runs. Azmatullah Omarzai scored an unbeaten half-century of 86 runs off 50 balls alongside Rahmanullah Gurbaz’s innings. Rashid Khan had a great day with the ball, winning the Man of the Match title. He took 5 wickets in 9 overs.
- ICC T20 World Cup 2024—This game is the first semifinal of the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup. South Africa crushed Afghanistan by nine wickets in this match. The South African team’s left-arm fast bowler, Marco Jansen, was chosen Player of the Match for his 3 wickets in 3 overs.
- In the 3rd match of the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy in Karachi, the South African team had an overwhelming victory of 107 runs against the Afghanistan. This is the first time the Afghanistan team has played in the Champions Trophy. After winning the toss, the South African team decided to bat first. Ryan Rickelton had a tremendous day, scoring a century, 103 runs. Aiden Markram and Rassie van der Dussen both scored fifties, 52 runs each. The best player for the Afghanistan team was Rahmat Shah, with 90 runs. Ryan Rickelton was named Man of the Match.
