Champions Trophy: South Africa look to seal semifinal spot against struggling England

NEW DELHI: Top-ranked South Africa will play a struggling England in a high-stakes Champions Trophy match in Karachi on Saturday in an attempt to establish their supremacy and guarantee a position in the last four as the fight for the semifinals heats up in Group B.
In contrast to Group A, where the top two teams, India and New Zealand, have easily advanced to the knockout stages, Group B's Australia, Afghanistan, and South Africa are vying for the final two semifinal spots over the course of two days.
England's humiliating eight-run defeat to Afghanistan not only eliminated them from the semifinals but also preserved the Asian team's prospects of reaching the final four, which has left Australia and South Africa on edge.
Afghanistan and Australia will play each other in the 50-over format on Friday in Lahore, riding high on their recent encounter.
In their most recent encounter in the 2023 ODI World Cup, the Afghans had nearly beaten Australia when Glenn Maxwell's incredible 201 not out turned the tide.
Rain may have an impact on the match, but a victory for Afghanistan would guarantee them a place in the semifinals. If Australia loses, the Steve Smith-led team would have to contend with South Africa for the second and last berth from this group.
Even if the Proteas lose to England because to their healthy NRR, South Africa (3 points, 2.140 NRR) is likely to advance if Australia (3 points, 0.475 NRR) defeats Afghanistan (2 points, -0.990 NRR).
Compared to a struggling England team that is unduly reliant on Joe Root, South Africa should have no trouble getting a good result since they have all their bases covered and, more importantly, their key players are playing well.
The Proteas thrashed Afghanistan by 107 runs in their sole match played thus far and split points with Australia following a washout in Rawalpindi.
South Africa reached a commanding 315/6 batting first thanks to a century from Ryan Rickelton and half-centuries from captain Temba Bavuma, Rassie van der Dussen, and Aiden Markram. The bowlers then put on a united front to dismiss Afghanistan for 208.
Despite being the side to beat in recent ICC competitions and a formidable squad on paper, South Africa's performance over the past year or so hasn't given fans much hope, as they have lost eight of their last 12 ODIs and won just four since January 2024.
Prior to the Champions Trophy, South Africa had previously lost to New Zealand in the tri-series final in Pakistan. Bavuma's team will need to find consistency against a wounded England that will be looking to end on a high note.
With the exception of Root, England lacks confidence since they are currently on a losing streak that started with a 0-3 thrashing by India prior to this event.
The sole silver lining for England against Afghanistan was Root's 120. The seasoned batter was the only one to convert his start and show promise in carrying out his team's task, which should have been done ideally but the 2019 World Cup winners lacked the willpower.
Jos Buttler would be eager to unite his team for one last laugh before all of that happens. England, who lost to Australia to start the tournament, is expected to undergo leadership changes.
Teams (from):
England: Jos Buttler (c), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Tom Banton, Harry Brook, Rehan Ahmed, Ben Duckett, Jamie Overton, Jamie Smith, Liam Livingstone, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Saqib Mahmood, Phil Salt, Mark Wood
South Africa: Temba Bavuma (c), Tony de Zorzi, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tabraiz Shamsi, Tristan Stubbs, Rassie van der Dussen, Corbin Bosch