Afghanistan will look to exit the World Cup with yet another impressive showing when they take on South Africa in Ahmedabad on Friday.

Officially, Afghanistan are still not out of the race for the semi-finals, but practically speaking, New Zealand’s win over Sri Lanka on Thursday has ended the Afghans’ hopes. Even if they beat the Proteas, they would need to do so by an almost impossible margin (438 runs if they bat first) to take their net run rate above that of the Black Caps.

But the Afghans should not be hopeless, not after how they have stunned the world with their fantastic cricket. Yes, there would be the lament of letting a winning position slip against Australia, but the wins over England, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and the Netherlands have given them a new identity along with aspirations for the future.

The Proteas, who have already booked their place in the last four, would treat
the game as a dress rehearsal for the semi-finals. They surely would not want to go to
a knockout match with a defeat haunting them. The thrashing by India has already scarred them.

So there’s enough to expect a good contest.