The Afghanistan national cricket team will face South Africa at 10:00 a.m. Afghanistan time in their second group-stage match of the tournament. This fixture is the 13th match of the ongoing T20 World Cup and the second game for both teams in the competition.
Afghanistan lost their opening match to New Zealand, while South Africa began their campaign with a convincing victory over Canada. For Afghanistan, winning this match is crucial and vital to keep their hopes alive for progressing further in the tournament.
The match will be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, India. The first T20 international at this venue was held in March 2021 between India and England, while the most recent T20 match here took place in February 2023 between India and New Zealand.
The stadium is located 84 meters above sea level and has extensive parking facilities with space for around 13,000 vehicles. Built on 25 hectares of land at a cost of approximately 800 crore Indian rupees, the Narendra Modi Stadium has a seating capacity of about 132,000 spectators, making it the largest cricket stadium in the world.
So far, eight T20 matches have been played at this venue, with five matches won by teams batting first and three by teams batting second. The highest team total recorded here in a T20 match is 234 runs, while the lowest is 66. The highest successful run chase at this ground is 166, and the lowest total successfully defended is 107.
Afghanistan previously played South Africa at this stadium during the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup (50-over format), where South Africa defeated Afghanistan.
It is worth noting that Afghanistan and South Africa have faced each other three times in T20 internationals so far, all in World Cup matches, and Afghanistan have yet to record a victory against South Africa in this format.
