After two action-pack games in the Champions Trophy 2025, Group B action gets underway on Friday as Afghanistan come face-to-face with South Africa. The Proteas, led by Temba Bavuma have been in good form, while the Afghans will look to live upto their reputation as the dark horses of the tournament. In their previous outing, South Africa were beaten by New Zealand and Pakistan in the tri-series. Whereas, Afghanistan arrive into the Champions Trophy after beating Zimbabwe 2-0 in the three-match ODI series and winning the two-match Test series 1-0. SA vs AFG, Champions Trophy 2025, match 3 Venue: National Stadium, Karachi Time: Toss at 2 PM, match starts 2:30 PM AFG vs SA team news Afghanistan playing in their first Champions Trophy, and after strong performances in the ODI World Cup 2023 and the T20 World Cup, they will look to continue the momentum in another major ICC event. Rashid Khan will be key for his side's winning credentials, the spinner needs 2 wickets to complete 200 ODI wickets. On the other hand, the Proteas will rely on their batsmen to fight Afghanistan's spin arsenal. David Miller and Rassie van der Dussen will both be key, as they near personal milestones. Miller needs 10 runs to reach 4500 runs in ODIs, while Van der Dussen needs 36 runs to reach 2500 runs in ODIs. AFG vs SA head-to-head record in ODIs Afghanistan and South Africa have played 5 ODIs against each other, the Proteas have won 3 matches, while Afghanistan have won the two remaining games. Karachi National Stadium, pitch and weather report The National Stadium in Karachi has been a batter's paradise. Pakistan recently chased down a 350-plus total at this venue. The pitch is expected to be flat and hard, offering good pace and bounce. This makes it conducive to high scores, with the ball coming onto the bat nicely. The weather is expected to be clear, with no chance of rain. The temperature is expected to be around 30 degrees Celsius during the day, gradually decreasing to around 20 degrees Celsius. Afghanistan's probable XI: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, Fareed Ahmed, Fazalhaq Farooqi South Africa's probable XI: Temba Bavuma (c), Tony de Zorzi, Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), David Miller, Marco Jansen, Wiaan Mulder, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz ShamsiOriginal Article