After Canada provided a journey into the unknown, the Proteas will face more familiar foes in Wednesday’s clash with Afghanistan (7.30am).
“Afghanistan have good spinners and experienced players, but a lot of us have played with and against them for a number of years.
“Guys understand what they bowl,” David Miller said.
In an otherwise comfortable opening victory against Canada, the one period where they had to absorb pressure was when left-arm wrist spinner Ansh Patel bowled three overs on the trot.
Patel, born in Vadodora, two hours south of Ahmedabad, took 3/23 in that period.
In the five overs from when he dismissed Aiden Markram in the 12th over until the end of the 16th (Patel’s last over), SA scored at 7.4 runs an over, after the rate had been at 11 an over in the first half of their innings.
It is understandable that a line was drawn from Patel’s impact to the kind of trouble Afghanistan’s spinners, better and more experienced than the young Canadian, may cause the Proteas.
Miller, however, was not having it.
“With all due respect, Canada, we don’t know how their players play.
“Sussing that out added to [the slowing of our scoring rate].
“We know what to expect from Afghanistan.”
The Proteas own a 3-0 record against them in the T20Is — all of those World Cup matches.
In two of those fixtures, the Proteas batters found it tough against Afghanistan’s spinners and it was only via the quick bowlers that they were able to win in 2010 and 2016.
The last World Cup meeting came in Trinidad in the semifinal two years ago, where a dodgy, seam-friendly pitch proved difficult for everyone, with Afghanistan dismissed for 56.
There is no chance of a similar kind of deck at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Wednesday, with the fact it is a day game (11am start local time, 7.30am in SA) seen as being advantageous to Afghanistan’s spinners.
They will not have to concern themselves with dew as was the case when the sides met at the same venue in the 2023 ODI World Cup and Rashid Khan and co had to bowl under lights with a damp ball, negating their strengths.
“We have to assess and adapt quickly on Wednesday,” Miller said.
“It might be a bit slower or turn more during the day.”
He quickly added that the pitch also might not do that.
SA have made clear that team selection, while taking into consideration the opposition, will also be determined more by the conditions they will face.
On Monday, against Canada, Keshav Maharaj’s four overs were the only spin used in the second innings.
That particular surface was made up of both the red and black soil bases — the red more to the liking of the seamers, the black giving the spinners help.
It may be one or the other on Wednesday and could mean Maharaj being accompanied by George Linde, with Aiden Markram also bowling his off-spin.
In Rashid, Mujeeb ur Rahman and Noor Ahmed, Afghanistan will have enough armoury should it be a spinning track.
However, they are not as much of an unknown factor for the Proteas as Patel was on Monday.
All three have played in the SA20, with Rashid captaining MI Cape Town to the title last year, Noor being crucial to Durban’s Super Giants on decks that often spun at Kingsmead, while Mujeeb has been a fixture for the Paarl Royals on the ragged surfaces used at Boland Park.
In addition, opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz and big hitting all-rounder Azmatullah Omarzai have also appeared in the SA20.
It is a critical clash for both sides, with Afghanistan needing to win to keep alive their hopes of qualifying for the second phase after losing to New Zealand in the opening match.
Miller said: “It’s definitely a step up [from Canada].”
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