Afghanistan clash will be good prep for Proteas ahead of playoffs, says Miller

South Africa are expecting a fierce battle against a rising Afghanistan team in their final round-robin match of the Cricket World Cup in Ahmedabad on Friday, according to middle-order batter David Miller.

Though it is a dead rubber for the Proteas, who have already qualified for next week’s semi-finals, Afghanistan will be eager to secure another stunning victory.

Ranked ninth in the world, the Afghan side have won four of their eight matches thus far (including shock wins over England and Pakistan) and another victory would keep their playoff hopes alive.

“They’re a team that’s certainly growing in confidence. They’ve shown that they can compete. I mean, in this World Cup they’ve done really, really well, beaten some big teams,” Miller said on Thursday.

“It’s something that we’re very aware of at World Cups, that there’s no easy game in the game of cricket, so we’re just making sure that we’re really well prepped with whatever game we’re playing and team we’re playing.

“It’s been good to watch the Afghanistan group going the way that they have with the spinners that they’ve got, the batters up front, they’ve done really well. Their opening stands have been really good, and then there have been contributions throughout the innings from the other batters. They’re a really strong team.”

Looking ahead

The Proteas already had one eye on their semi-final against Australia on Thursday, and Miller said today’s fixture would help them prepare for that match.

While South Africa had won their last four ODI matches against Australia – including their first-round World Cup contest – Miller admitted the five-time champions would always be formidable opponents.

“They (Australia) are always a competitive team. They’ve got some incredible players and match winners and stuff amongst their team,” he said.

“I think from our side it’s just one game at a time, so [the match against Afghanistan] is really important for us to nail down things that we want to work on. 

“And then come the semifinal, I mean, obviously, it doesn’t really get better than that. A lot of excitement. And yeah, just a great occasion to be a part of.”

Friday’s match between South Africa and Afghanistan starts at 10.30am (SA time).