South Africa captain Temba Bavuma won the toss and opted to bat in the Champions Trophy Group B match against debutants Afghanistan in Karachi on Friday.

Temba Bavuma, captain of South Africa, won the toss and chose to bat against debutants Afghanistan in the Champions Trophy Group B match in Karachi on Friday. With three frontline pacers and a spinner in Keshav Maharaj, South Africa entered their first ODI match. As he recovers from an elbow injury, batsman Heinrich Klaasen was left out as a precaution. This is Afghanistan’s first appearance ever in the Champions Trophy.

They selected Fazalhaq Farooqi, a frontline fast bowler, two seaming all-rounders, three spinners, led by Rashid Khan. The other two teams in Group B are Australia and England, who play each other on Saturday in Lahore. Arch-rivals India and Pakistan — meeting in Dubai on Sunday — are in Group A alongside New Zealand and Bangladesh. For the semi-finals, the top two teams from each group will be selected. Teams: Temba Bavuma (captain), Tony de Zorzi, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi,