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Afghanistan have opted to field first after winning the toss against South Africa in match 13 of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 being held at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Wednesday.
Both teams made one change to their respective playing XIs, with South Africa bringing in George Linde to replace Corbin Bosch. In Afghanistan's playing XI, Noor Ahmad replaced Ziaur Rahman. Both teams have added one extra spinner in the final playing XI as they expect some turn from the surface. Usually, the pitch in Ahmedabad helps batters, as it offers even bounce from the surface. After winning the toss, Afghanistan skipper Rashid Khan said, "We will bowl first. Fresh wicket and we're looking forward to chasing. Against the big teams in the WC, it's a must-win game for us; we have to come and try to give our effort on the ground. Don't worry about the result, but more importantly, the energy with which we play the game, and I feel like that's what is more important. It's a home ground, I have played a lot for GT over the years in the IPL. I think this pitch will get better as the game goes on; that's the reason we're chasing. A couple of areas where we can improve - batting in the powerplay, and we missed our lengths in the previous game. One change, Ziaur Rahman misses out, Noor Ahmad is in," according to Cricbuzz. South Africa captain Aiden Markram said, "We would have bowled first as well, quite a bit of moisture, but not a bad thing to bat. Put the runs on the board and apply the pressure. We had a good game against Canada and had a nice workaround. One change for us - we have one change, we're playing the extra spinner in George Linde, who replaces Corbin Bosch." South Africa (Playing XI): Aiden Markram(c), Quinton de Kock(w), Ryan Rickelton, Dewald Brevis, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Marco Jansen, George Linde, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi. Afghanistan (Playing XI): Rahmanullah Gurbaz(w), Ibrahim Zadran, Gulbadin Naib, Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan(c), Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi. South Africa is coming off a win over Canada in their opening Group D fixture, while Afghanistan lost their first fixture against New Zealand. (ANI)
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