Highlights, South Africa vs Afghanistan, ICC World Cup 2019 Match at Cardiff, Full Cricket Score: Proteas clinch first win of tournament

Faf du Plessis, South Africa captain: It was a good day for us. Our intensity was much better today. I think the nature of seam bowlers, it would have been a challenge. It was important to get a good start, the wicket was not very conducive to spin. Morris and Tahir were fantastic in the middle overs as they got wickets. Tahir has made us a strong team in the last one year single handedly, his ability to take wickets. Naturally Quinton plays quite freely but it was important to play with the new ball. We needed a 60 or 70-run stand upfront and we could have worked on the run rate later.

Afghanistan captain Gulbadin Naib speaks: Bad luck. We did well in opening. But it’s cricket. Credit goes to Tahir’s spell. We didn’t expect that. Batsmen didn’t take responsibility. We have a lot of batsmen but we need no 5, 6 and 7 to do well. We did mistakes. Imran bowled really well. He proved himself in the last year. But we have Asghar who is our senior so we gave the chance to him. It will be difficult to win against England if we play like this.

Imran Tahir: I really enjoyed the way it came out. It was more important for me to play my role for the team. Great to have a first victory in our pocket. We were really up for it but we can’t control the weather. But we wanted the intensity to stay in the game. All in all a very pleasing performance.

Imran Tahir is the Man of the Match for his bowling figures of 7-0-29-4

South Africa played like the bigger team they are. Or were before this World Cup. Welcome back, Faf and the boys. It’s probably too late, but they will take this win and hold it dear. The Afghans will be disappointed they weren’t more competitive — they were, after all, playing the team immediately above them in the standings.

South Africa beat Afghanistan by nine wickets!

After 29 overs,South Africa 131/1 ( Hashim Amla 41 , Andile Phehlukwayo 17)

It’s over. South Africa get their first win of the World Cup 2019. Proteas cross the finishing line with a six from Phehlukwayo.

After 28 overs,South Africa 124/1 ( Hashim Amla 40 , Andile Phehlukwayo 11)

It’s so frustrating to watch Amla nowadays. There’s very little timing in his game at the moment and a lot of scratchy strokes. Three runs from the over including two wides. Three more needed.

After 27 overs,South Africa 121/1 ( Hashim Amla 39 , Andile Phehlukwayo 11)

Three more runs added. Proteas are almost there. Just six runs away from their first win in World Cup 2019.

After 26 overs,South Africa 118/1 ( Hashim Amla 37 , Andile Phehlukwayo 10)

Phehlukwayo gets into the act now. Two fours from the over. A slog sweep to cow corner and an inside-out cut to deep extra-cover. Just nine more needed.

FOUR! Short ball and Phehlukwayo rocks back to play the isnide-out cut shot to deep extra-cover

FOUR! Slog sweep by Phehlukwayo to deep midwicket. Tossed up delivery from Rashid and the batsman makes the most of it

After 25 overs,South Africa 108/1 ( Hashim Amla 36 , Andile Phehlukwayo 1)

South Africa are in no hurry to finish this match. Keeping everybody waiting. Just two from the over. 19 more needed.

After 24 overs,South Africa 106/1 ( Hashim Amla 35 , Andile Phehlukwayo 0)

Rashid returns to attack. Three dot balls followed by a forward push by Amla for a single. A wide and two more dot balls follow. 21 more needed.

That’s de Kock’s second 68 of the tournament — he made the same score against England — but he would have liked to see this game through to the end. A fine innings from South Africa’s best player at this tournament so far. He leaves reluctantly after chipping a catch to the on side. We’re in the death throes now.

After 23 overs,South Africa 104/1 ( Hashim Amla 34 , Andile Phehlukwayo 0)

Amla, de Kock reach 100-run partnership but the stand is broken by skipper Naib. de Kock was quick with the flick to midwicket but Nabi did well to take it inside the circle. Phehlukwayo promoted to No 3. 23 more needed.

OUT! de Kock c Nabi b Naib 68(72)

The opening partnership is broken. Afghanistan finally get a wicket, though a bit late. de Kock timed the shot perfectly through midwkcet but Nabi did well there to take the catch on his right.

FOUR! Fuller delivery, onto de Kock’s pads by Naib and flicked that away to the fence past backward square leg

After 22 overs,South Africa 99/0 ( Hashim Amla 33 , Quinton de Kock (W) 64)

28 more needed for a Proteas win. South Africa must try reaching there quickly. That can help them in closing stages of the league with NRR.

After 21 overs,South Africa 95/0 ( Hashim Amla 31 , Quinton de Kock (W) 63)

Four off the over. South Africa are now slowly inching towards the 100-run mark. 32 more needed.

Drinks arrives with South Africa’s cakewalk in full swing. Amla has shown aggression we haven’t seen since forever, while de Kock is playing as if he has a ticket to tonight’s Elton John concert at Cardiff City’s stadium down the road.

After 20 overs,South Africa 91/0 ( Hashim Amla 30 , Quinton de Kock (W) 60)

Five off the over. Nabi bowled one down the leg as Amla swiped it to deep square leg for a four. 36 more needed. Time for drinks break.

FOUR! A loosener from Nabi. It was going down leg and Amla want with the swipe to find the deep square leg fence

After 19 overs,South Africa 86/0 ( Hashim Amla 26 , Quinton de Kock (W) 59)

de Kock gets another boundary. His pull shot off Naib fell just ahead of Rahmat Shah but he failed to grab the ball and gifted away a four. Six off the over. 41 more needed.

FOUR! de Kock with the pull to midwicket which fell in front of running Rahmat Shah but he misjudged the ball as it went past the ropes

After 18 overs,South Africa 80/0 ( Hashim Amla 25 , Quinton de Kock (W) 54)

Amla hasn’t been at his best today. Hasn’t been in this whole WC. But the reverse sweep four off Nabi in this over must give him some confidence. 47 more needed.

FOUR! Premeditated sweep shot by Amla off Nabi to steer the tossed up ball to the third man fence

After 17 overs,South Africa 73/0 ( Hashim Amla 19 , Quinton de Kock (W) 53)

de Kock brings up his fifty after a slow start to the innings. 10 from the over. Got two fours on legside. A sweep shot to midwicket before a powerful swipe to the cow corner.

FIFTY! FOUR! Another fuller delivery has been swiped away to cow corner by de Kock to reach to his half-century

The seagulls are back, but nothing’s changed — Amla and de Kock are still speeding South Africa towards victory. They’ve knocked off more than half the target inside 16 overs.

FOUR! Slightly overpitched delivery from Rashid as de Kock gets on the knee roll for the slog sweep to mid-wicket

After 16 overs,South Africa 63/0 ( Hashim Amla 19 , Quinton de Kock (W) 43)

Mohammad Nabi, right-arm off break, comes into the attack. Just one from his first over as de Kock collects a single with a shot to sweeper cover.

After 15 overs,South Africa 62/0 ( Hashim Amla 19 , Quinton de Kock (W) 42)

de Kock heaves the short ball to mid-wicket for a double before outside-edging a wide delivery on off for another brace. Five off the over.

After 14 overs,South Africa 57/0 ( Hashim Amla 19 , Quinton de Kock (W) 37)

Singles keep coming easily for South Africa. Four from this over. 70 runs more needed for SA to win.

After 13 overs,South Africa 53/0 ( Hashim Amla 17 , Quinton de Kock (W) 35)

Amla’s straight drive was in air but Rashid could only get his finger tips to it. de Kock adds a four on last delivery. Short ball was slashed to third man area. Eight off the over.

FOUR! Short ball from Rashid as de Kock waits for it to cut it late past the slip fielder

After 12 overs,South Africa 45/0 ( Hashim Amla 16 , Quinton de Kock (W) 28)

Afghanistan need to be more attacking now. Probably put more attacking fielders. You can’t restrict South Africa when you are defending such a small total. Wickets can only change the course of the match.Five off the over.

After 11 overs,South Africa 40/0 ( Hashim Amla 15 , Quinton de Kock (W) 24)

Five runs off the over. de Kock collects a double with a swipe to the deep mid wicket. Both openers are finding their feet now.

After 10 overs,South Africa 35/0 ( Hashim Amla 14 , Quinton de Kock (W) 20)

Gulbadin Naib, right-arm medium, comes into the attack. de Kock wanted to charge the bowler came out for a flashy drive as the outside edge flew to third man. The fielder overran the ball and gifted away a four.

Hashim Amla’s highest score of this tournament — his previous best effort was 13 — is pencilling what will be the writing on the wall. South Africa are steaming to victory. But Afghanistan’s fans are still waving their flags and cheering. Good on them.

FOUR! Top-edge off de Kock’s bat flew to the third man but somehow the fielder managed to mess it up to gift away a boundary

After 9 overs,South Africa 30/0 ( Hashim Amla 14 , Quinton de Kock (W) 15)

Rashid Khan brought into attack. First ball is a drag down and de Kock clobbers it to midwicket fence. Five off the over.

FOUR! Rashid Khan starts off with a half-tracker as de Kock pummels the pull shot to midwicket

After 8 overs,South Africa 25/0 ( Hashim Amla 14 , Quinton de Kock (W) 10)

Proteas get the runs flowing. Amla collects a boundary as well in the over with a stylish straight drive off Hassan’s fuller delivery. Six off the over.

FOUR! A vintage Amla shot. Fuller delivery from Hassan and Amla offers the straight bat drive down the ground

After 7 overs,South Africa 19/0 ( Hashim Amla 9 , Quinton de Kock (W) 9)

de Kock finally manages to put one through the gap on off for a four. Both openers are finding the fielders too often. Good start for Afghanistan pacers. If only they had a strong total to defend.

FOUR! Finally de Kock gets one through the gap to break the gloomy start the Proteas have endured. Fuller delivery slammed through covers by the opener

After 6 overs,South Africa 15/0 ( Hashim Amla 9 , Quinton de Kock (W) 5)

Maiden for Alam. Amla has looked a bit streaky in the opening overs. Unable to find the middle of the bat.

After 5 overs,South Africa 15/0 ( Hashim Amla 9 , Quinton de Kock (W) 5)

A big appeal for lbw against Amla. Review also taken by Afghanistan but it was missing the leg stump. Afghans need early wickets to have any real chance here.

REVIEW AND NOT OUT! Alam traps Amla but umpire didn’t seem interested. Review taken by Naib but it was missing stumps. Review lost.

Hashim Amla and Quinton de Kock have begun South Africa’s reply in the day’s brightest sunshine. There’s no chance, it would seem, of the rain returning to get Afghanistan out of this jam — or to deny the South Africans their first win of the tournament.

After 4 overs,South Africa 11/0 ( Hashim Amla 6 , Quinton de Kock (W) 4)

Three singles from the over. Sedate start for South Africa at Cardiff but they are in no hurry. Losing wickets early on can be dangerous with possibility of rain interruptions.

After 3 overs,South Africa 8/0 ( Hashim Amla 5 , Quinton de Kock (W) 2)

Five off the over. A four for Amla but he was fortunate there. The length ball zipped back in to take the inside-edge but it went past the keeper to fine leg boundary.

FOUR! Inside-edge brings the first boundary for Proteas. Amla wanted to play a drive on off but the ball cut in sharply to take the inside-edge to fine leg fence

After 2 overs,South Africa 3/0 ( Hashim Amla 1 , Quinton de Kock (W) 1)

Hamid Hassan, right-arm fast, comes into the attack. Amla collects a single by steering one to third man. Another tight single on last ball as Amla scampered to the striker’s end.

After 1 overs,South Africa 1/0 ( Hashim Amla 0 , Quinton de Kock (W) 0)

Excellent over for pacer Alam. Hint of swing for him. Amla gets off the mark with a nudge to leg as the ball came in. de Kock beaten on last delivery as the ball moved away.

Time for the chase! Afghanistan need to defend 126. Hashim Amla, Quinton de Kock to open South Africa’s innings. Aftab Alam to bowl the first over.

The revised target for South Africa is 127 after DLS

Job done by South Africa, with Afghanistan’s last nine wickets falling for 69 runs. Seldom can a team have been so badly affected by a rain delay as the Afghans have been today. They had no answer to Tahir’s wiles, neither to Rabada’s pace.

OUT! Hamid c du Plessis b Chris Morris 0(3)

Hassan’s top-edge is taken by du Plessis off Morris. And Afghanistan’s innings is over. 

South Africa need 126 to win.

After 34 overs,Afghanistan 125/9 ( Hamid Hassan 0 , Aftab Alam 0)

What a battle it was between Tahir and Rashid. The Afghan was reading the googlies pretty well. Slammed Tahir for three fours in the over. Two with sweep shots. But got a bit too greedy. Went for a pull shot against a short ball but failed to clear the fielder in the deep. Afghanistan’s resistance almost over. A lbw appeal Alam but it was going down leg.

OUT! Rashid Khan c van der Dussen b Imran Tahir 35 (25)
 

Tahir finally wins the battle. Half-tracker and Rashid rocked back to crash the full toss for a maximum but van der Dussen was almost on the rope for the exact shot and did well to hold onto the catch.

FOUR! Rashid comes out of his crease to convert the ball into a full toss as he slams it over covers

FOUR! Another full delivery from Tahir. Another sweep shot from Rashid to beat the short fine leg fielder

FOUR! Another boundary for Rashid. Tossed up delivery from Tahir as the batsman got on to his knees to roll his arms over the ball

Rashid Khan could be the difference between a hiding and utter embarrassment for Afghanistan here. The South Africans aren’t quite used to being so far on top, and might need to curb their enthusiasm to keep a steady hand on things.

After 33 overs,Afghanistan 111/8 ( Rashid Khan 21 , Hamid Hassan 0)

The search for wickets continue. du Plessis has now gone to Morris. And the pacer delivers. Morris got one to slant into Ali Khil forcing the batsman to play with the ball moving away at the end to taken an edge to Amla ta first slip. Extra bounce also worked in the bowler’s favour. Wicket-maiden.

OUT! Ikram Ali khil c Amla b Chris Morris 9(33)

The return of Morris has got Proteas another wicket. The pacer forced the batsman to play the shot with the ball slanting into him, got the ball to move away just a bit to find the edge as Amla took the catch at first slip.

After 32 overs,Afghanistan 111/7 ( Ikram Ali Khil (W) 9 , Rashid Khan 21)

Imran got away with a loose delivery as Ali Khil failed to make use of the fulltoss. Rashid has read the googly well so far. Six off the over.

After 31 overs,Afghanistan 105/7 ( Ikram Ali Khil (W) 7 , Rashid Khan 17)

Just one from the over. Rashid played a swing across the line for a single after a bouncer from Rabada got the gloves of the batsman.

After 30 overs,Afghanistan 104/7 ( Ikram Ali Khil (W) 7 , Rashid Khan 16)

Ali Khil was offered a looping delivery from Tahir. He went for a flashy drive but ended up almost offering a catch at mid-wicket with inside-edge. Two off the over.

After 29 overs,Afghanistan 102/7 ( Ikram Ali Khil (W) 6 , Rashid Khan 15)

This Rabada ploy hasn’t worked for SA. Rashid is not ready to surrender easily. Spotted a slightly fuller delivery, cleared his front leg and crashed it over midoff for a four. Seven off the over.

FOUR! Rashid clears his front leg to attack the slightly fuller delivery from Rabada over the midoff for a boundary

Afghanistan aren’t going to forge far past 100 here, not with Tahir taking them apart like this. And it’s not going to get any easier for them now that Rabada’s back from the other end. Barring a lot more rain, South Africa are on their way to their first win of the tournament.

After 28 overs,Afghanistan 95/7 ( Ikram Ali Khil (W) 5 , Rashid Khan 11)

Rashid Khan failed to connect while playing a sweep shot but the ball brushed past his pads beating the keeper and slip fielder to the fence for four leg byes. Seven off the over.

After 27 overs,Afghanistan 88/7 ( Ikram Ali Khil (W) 3 , Rashid Khan 10)

du Plessis has recalled Rabada into attack to clean up the tail but he gives away 10 in this over. Two consecutive boundaries for Rashid Khan. Creamed the full delivery down the ground for first four while the inside-edge went past the keeper to fine leg fence.

FOUR! Inside-edge off Rashid runs past the wicket beating the keeper for second consecutive boundary

FOUR! Excellent shot. Full delivery from Rabada has been slammed past him by Rashid Khan. Much-needed boundary

After 26 overs,Afghanistan 78/7 ( Ikram Ali Khil (W) 2 , Rashid Khan 1)

Afghanistan’s dramatic collapse continues. Skipper Naib went for a pull shot with Tahir bowling a half-tracker. Failed to keep his shot along the ground and Markram took an excellent diving catch at short midwicket to get rid of him. Rashid Khan is the new batsman.

OUT! Naib c Markram b Tahir 5(11)

Excellent catch at short midwicket by Markram to send Naib back to the hut. The Afghan skipper went for a slog pull but Markram stretched his arms just far enough to take the diving catch.

After 25 overs,Afghanistan 77/6 ( Ikram Ali Khil (W) 2 , Gulbadin Naib (C) 5)

Ali Khil cuts the wide delivery on off for a single. Naib adds one as the full delivery from Phehlukwayo takes the inside part of the part to round down to midwicket. Just two of the over.

After 24 overs,Afghanistan 75/6 ( Ikram Ali Khil (W) 1 , Gulbadin Naib (C) 4)

Two from the second over of Tahir. South Africa clearly on the top here. For the first in the World Cup they look excited. Afghanistan must aim to frustrate them here.

After 23 overs,Afghanistan 73/6 ( Ikram Ali Khil (W) 0 , Gulbadin Naib (C) 3)

Afghanistan have lost the grip on the game. Proteas have forced a collapse at Cardiff. Phehlukwayo cleans up Nabi for his second wicket. Nabi went for a square-cut against the short ball but chopped it onto his own stumps. Skipper Naib is in the middle now with Ali Khil. Three from the over.

OUT! Nabi b Phehlukwayo 1(2)

Phehlukwayo strikes again. Second wicket for the pacer. Nabi goes out cheaply. Went for a slash off a short ball but inside-edged the shot onto the stumps.

After 22 overs,Afghanistan 70/5 ( Mohammad Nabi 1 , Ikram Ali Khil (W) 0)

Zadran’s watch is over. Imran Tahir produced a perfect googly on his first ball to break the stumps of the spinner. Celebrated it with his usual dash. Bowled another googly to take second wicket in the over. Afghan’s leading edge came straight to Tahir as the batsman tried going for a flick.

That’s torn it. With the fourth ball after the resumption, Phehlukwayo had a driving Hashmatullah Shahidi easily taken at slip. And now, with his first delivery of the match, Tahir smuggles a googly through Noor’s guard the LED bails and stumps are glowing in the gloom. Then Asghar Afghan sends a leading edge back to Tahir. This could all end quickly. Sitting around waiting for the rain to go away seems to have sapped the Afghans’ resolve.

OUT!  Asghar Afghan c and b Tahir 0(5)

Another googly. Another wicket. Afghan wanted to flick it on the leg side but the leading lobbed straight back to the bowler and Tahir is off for a dash to celebrate.

OUT! Noor Ali b Tahir 32(58)

An absolute ripper from Imran Tahir. A googly on the right spot that spun back in to beat the defence of Zadran to break his stumps. Tahir is off and running to celebrate the dismissal.

After 21 overs,Afghanistan 69/3 ( Noor Ali Zadran 32 , Asghar Afghan 0)

Phehlukwayo continues after the rain break. Rain break has brought bad news for Afghanistan as they lose another wicket immediately after play resumed. Shahidi was in a shell, went to play a cover drive off a length ball from Phehlukwayo but the slanted angle resulted into an outside edge to first slip. Asghar Afghan comes out to bat. Wicket-maiden.

OUT! Shahidi c du Plessis b Phehlukwayo 8(22) 

And Afghanistan lose a wicket immediately after the rain break. Shahidi edges the ball to first slip trying to play a cover drive. The ball was put on length and angled across the batsman.

We are back at Cardiff for live action! We have lost 88 minutes of play and the match has now been reduced to 48 overs per side.

And we’re back. Rather, we will be at 4.35pm (UK time). Innings have been reduced to 48 overs. Still pretty gloomy above. More rain wouldn’t be surprising.

Here comes the sun. And there goes one of the bigger covers, rolled away to the cheers of a crowd who have, largely, stayed in their seats. Most of them are clearly Afghanistan supporters.

The news from Cardiff is that the covers are coming off and the action will resume shortly.

Yuvraj Singh has some great things to say about Proteas players. Check out.

▶️ "De Kock is a phenomenal batsman – he can take the game away from you."

▶️ "Rabada is going to be a legendary fast bowler."@YUVSTRONG12 lavished praise on the duo playing in #SAvAFG today. He also mentioned a 3rd player who he thinks will shine in the coming years: pic.twitter.com/68q12wqs6x

— ICC (@ICC) June 15, 2019

Not sure what it means, but slews of seagulls are now swooping round the ground — which is cast in a significantly darker light than when play was suspended. Judging from the extensive covering that has been applied to the pitch, the bowlers’ run-ups and the outfield square of the pitch, we could be on hold for a while yet.

What will be Proteas’ target if Afghanistan don’t bat again? 

Afghanistan now 69/2 in 20 overs (rain has stopped play!) at Cardiff
If Afghanistan does not get to bat again.
South Africa's target in 20 overs: 135#SAvAfg#AfgvSA#CWC19#CWC2019

— Mohandas Menon (@mohanstatsman) June 15, 2019

Here’s a look at the covers at Cardiff!

The covers are on once again in Cardiff 😓 #SAvAFG pic.twitter.com/iINZzDRQcT

— ICC Cricket World Cup (@cricketworldcup) June 15, 2019

A narrow escape for Noor — just got a scratch on it. But a scratch is all you need, and Phehlukwayo’s lbw is expunged from the record. This is becoming an important innings by the Afghan anchor. And the rain’s back. Who knew? We can hardly see it, but the groundstaff can and play has been suspended. Shouldn’t be for long, however.

After 20 overs,Afghanistan 69/2 ( Noor Ali Zadran 32 , Hashmatullah Shahidi 8)

Zadran tucks the short ball on leg for a single. One more added by Shahidi. Two from the over. Play stopped again due to rain.

After 19 overs,Afghanistan 67/2 ( Noor Ali Zadran 31 , Hashmatullah Shahidi 7)

This time Afghanistan makes a good use of the review. Zadran was given out lbw off Phehlukwayo. Looked plumb as well but replays there was an inside edge. Review retained. One from the over.

REVEIW AND NOT OUT! Phehlukwayo raps Zadran on the pads. Looked plumb but replays show there was an inside edge.

After 18 overs,Afghanistan 66/2 ( Noor Ali Zadran 30 , Hashmatullah Shahidi 7)

Zadran plays a cover drive on first ball to add a single followed by five dot balls to Shahidi by Morris.

After 17 overs,Afghanistan 65/2 ( Noor Ali Zadran 29 , Hashmatullah Shahidi 7)

Six runs off the over. Shahidi gets going with a slap through square off Phehlukwayo’s wide delivery. Another drive through covers but poor timing results into just two. Time for drinks break.

FOUR! Poor delivery from Phehlukwayo to the new batsman Shahidi. Wide length ball, slapped through square on off

Morris can hurt any side he bowls against, and it looks like he’s decided to turn up today. His dismissal of Rahmat Shah was marginal in that the ball was clipping the stumps, but there was no mistaking Morris’ aggressive intent. He’s even more threatening when the batsmen try to take him on, which Noor and now Hashmatullah Shahidi are doing.

After 16 overs,Afghanistan 59/2 ( Noor Ali Zadran 29 , Hashmatullah Shahidi 1)

Morris has looked the most threatening of the Proteas’ pack and he strikes to remove Rahmat Shah. Trapped the batsman with a fuller delivery. Umpire gave out but Rahmat went for a review. Replays showed it was clipping leg and the umpire’s decision stayed. Afghanistan didn’t lose their review though. Hashmatullah Shahidi is the new batsman. The leading edge off Zadran’s bat runs down to backward point for a double on last ball. Three in total from the over.

OUT! Rahmat lbw b Chris Morris 6(22)

Umpire’s call upholds the on-field decision. Morris trapped Rahmat Shah with a fuller delivery and the batsman went for a review. It was clipping leg and decision stayed. Afghanistan will retain their review.

After 15 overs,Afghanistan 56/1 ( Noor Ali Zadran 27 , Rahmat Shah 6)

Zazai’s dismissal has pulled back the run rate a bit. Afghanistan still won’t be too bothered. They have got a good foundation and need to give their bowlers something to bowl at. Three from this over. Including an outside edge that went wide of Amla at slips.

A fine first over from Morris, who on his day is a bristling bowler but on other days can struggle for consistency. Noor and Rahmat Shah will want to negotiate these 10 overs especially carefully — if they stay together the South Africans will wonder where they’ve gone wrong, and they’re already under pressure to prove their superiority.

After 14 overs,Afghanistan 52/1 ( Noor Ali Zadran 24 , Rahmat Shah 5)

A chip off Morris’ fuller delivery by Zadran to beat the mid-off fielder but the timing wasn’t ideal for a four. Still three runs added. Morris offered a short ball a bit later and that was crashed to square leg for a boundary by Shah. Seven off the over.

FOUR! Poor delivery. A harmless short ball from Morris and Shah pulled that away to deep square leg fence to get his first boundary

After 13 overs,Afghanistan 45/1 ( Noor Ali Zadran 21 , Rahmat Shah 1)

Just one from the over. The ball was touch fuller as Zadran nudged it to the third man area for a single. Cautious phase of play for Afghanistan.

After 12 overs,Afghanistan 44/1 ( Noor Ali Zadran 20 , Rahmat Shah 1)

Chris Morris, right-arm fast medium, comes into the attack. Starts off with a jaffa which beats Shah’s outside edge. Outside edge on the last ball but it falls short of the slip fielder again. Maiden over.

After 11 overs,Afghanistan 44/1 ( Noor Ali Zadran 20 , Rahmat Shah 1)

Andile Phehlukwayo, right-arm medium, comes into the attack and starts off with an eventful over. There was a chance of a run out but Morris’ throw bounced off after pitching on a foot mark to miss the stumps while a faint edge by Zadran fell marginally short of du Plessis at second slip. One off the over.

REVIEW AND NOT OUT! Umpires went upstairs for a catch against Zadran at second slip but it was marginally short

After 10 overs,Afghanistan 43/1 ( Noor Ali Zadran 20 , Rahmat Shah 0)

Four runs from the over. Noor Ali Zadran looks quite comfortable at the moment. Slammed the wide delivery from Hendricks past point for a four. First powerplay over.

FOUR! Good shot. Width on offer from Hendricks and Zadran was quick to cut it past point on off

After 9 overs,Afghanistan 39/1 ( Noor Ali Zadran 16 , Rahmat Shah 0)

Zazai falls to the familiar fault. A man was kept in the deep, Rabada went short and the pull shot was caught in the deep. Finally a wicket for Proteas. Rahmat Shah walks to the middle to bat. Wicket-maiden.

Strike one, thanks to an excellently judged catch by van der Dussen at deep midwicket. Hazrat Zazai didn’t need to play that shot, but the South Africans won’t be unhappy to end an opening stand that was beginning to ask tough questions.

OUT! Hazratullah Zazai c van der Dussen b Rabada 22 (23)

Finally a wicket for SA! Opening stand broken by Rabada. The planning has worked for Proteas. A man was kept in the deep and Rabada went short against Zazai who pulled it straight to the man.

After 8 overs,Afghanistan 39/0 ( Hazrat Zazai 22 , Noor Ali Zadran 16)

Massive appeal on the first ball. Hendricks raps Zazai on the pads with a fuller delivery but it was going down leg. Finds the bottom edge afterwards but it falls short of the keeper. Zazai makes a comeback with a slap on off for a four. Moved across to thrash the length ball through covers. Collects a single with flick on leg. Five off the over.

FOUR! Zazai was under some pressure with few good deliveries and he responded by slapping the length ball through covers off Hendricks for a boundary

After 7 overs,Afghanistan 34/0 ( Hazrat Zazai 17 , Noor Ali Zadran 16)

Zazai bunts the length ball to mid-wicket for a single. Followed by five dot balls from Rabada to Zadran. Better length and line this time.

After 6 overs,Afghanistan 33/0 ( Hazrat Zazai 16 , Noor Ali Zadran 16)

This was quite a long over. Hendricks was slammed for two fours in it. One through coves and another to fine leg but then rain halted the play from a while. But now we are back as the over is up.

We are back! Players are back in the middle. Hendricks to continue. Zadran on strike.

Of course, now the sun is blazing again. Almost all the covers have been removed and we’re back on the park in eight minutes from now.

Weird that it’s raining. The skies are lighter than they have been for much of the past two days. Plenty of blue still up there, however, and we should be underway again soon. Still plenty of room in the stands, so here’s hoping those busloads of Afghanistan fans are almost here.

It has started raining at Cardiff. Light showers. Game has to be halted. Afghanistan are 33/0.

… And then Chris Morris, running hard, waits an age for Hazratullah Zazai’s skier off Rabada to come down in the deepest of the deep — and drops it. Very difficult catch going away from Morris all the way. All the way for four, as it turns out.

FOUR! On the pads and Zadran flicks that to fine leg fence for second boundary of the over

FOUR! Half-volley on off from Hendricks is crashed through covers. Was in the air for a while but placed safely

After 5 overs,Afghanistan 25/0 ( Hazrat Zazai 16 , Noor Ali Zadran 8)

Another full delivery on the body is pulled away by Zazai for a single. Forward push on off allows Zadran to take two as he survives a run out appeal. Thick outside edge to third man brings one more. Morris puts down a difficult chance at midwicket which runs down for a four. SA pacers need to hit the right length in the beginning to make use whatever help the pitch may provide.

FOUR! Zazai goes with a pull shot which hangs back in the air as Morris ran towards the mid-wicket for a catch. Failed to hold onto the tough chance and van der Dussen’s dive went in vain

The busloads of Afghanistan supporters on their way to the ground will be pleased to know there’s not a lot to report right now. South Africa are employing three slips at both ends, and a gully at one. But that close-ish runout shout is the closest they’ve come to taking a wicket in the first four overs.

After 4 overs,Afghanistan 17/0 ( Hazrat Zazai 11 , Noor Ali Zadran 5)

Zazai flicks the hip-height delivery on leg for a single with Hendricks trying to probe the area outside off against Zadran. Pacer missed his mark once, went full and Zadran slammed that through covers for a four. Eight runs off the over. Poor discipline shown by Hendricks.

FOUR! Fuller and wider delivery from Hendricks as Zadran crashed that through the covers for his first boundary

After 3 overs,Afghanistan 9/0 ( Hazrat Zazai 9 , Noor Ali Zadran 0)

Zazai tucks the first ball to backward square leg for a double followed by a jaffa from Rabada. Moved just a bit away from length as the batsman went for a poke to beat him. A shot to mid-wicket bring another brace. Five off the over.

After 2 overs,Afghanistan 4/0 ( Hazrat Zazai 4 , Noor Ali Zadran 0)

Beuran Hendricks, left-arm fast medium, comes into the attack. The pitch doesn’t have much pace in it. Hendricks banged on in short but de Kock collected that under hip-height. A maiden from the bowler to get his spell underway.

After 1 overs,Afghanistan 4/0 ( Hazrat Zazai 4 , Noor Ali Zadran 0)

Brilliant first delivery by Rabada as the ball kicked up from the length to cut Zazai into half. Rabada takes a tumble on the next ball. Extra soil added to the bowler’s landing area. A loosener to finish the over. Full toss on pads as Zazai crashes that to legside fence to get off the mark.

FOUR! A dolly (full-toss) on the pads by Rabada and Zazai whips that to deep square leg to get off the mark

Alright, time for live action! Noor Ali Zadran and Hazratullah Zazai to open Aghanistan’s innings. Kagiso Rabada to bowl the first over.

Time for the national anthems as players make their way to the middle. Afghanistan’s anthem will be followed by that of Proteas.

Pitch report: “There’s a lot of grass on the pitch and that could help bowlers. If you hit the good length then you can certainly make the bowl do a bit,” says Shaun Pollock.

Du Plessis has chosen to field, which makes sense when you look at the distinctly green pitch — but not from the point of view of a team who need to prove their batting credentials; not least to themselves. South Africa are unchanged, which means Ngidi’s hamstring is still an issue. Afghanistan have replaced Najibullah Zadran with Asghar Afghan.

Gulbadin Naib, Afghanistan captain: Honestly I would have liked to bowl first as well. It has been raining the whole last week. We have practised for the last 3-4 days and hopefully we do well. There is one change, Najibullah is not playing and Asghar is playing.

Afghanistan XI: Hazratullah Zazai, Noor Ali Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Asghar Afghan, Gulbadin Naib(c), Mohammad Nabi, Ikram Ali khil(w), Rashid Khan, Aftab Alam, Hamid Hassan

South Africa XI: Quinton de Kock(w), Hashim Amla, Aiden Markram, Faf du Plessis(c), Rassie van der Dussen, David Miller, Andile Phehlukwayo, Chris Morris, Kagiso Rabada, Imran Tahir, Beuran Hendricks

Faf du Plessis, South Africa captain: We will bowl first. Basically because of the nature of the pitch as it has been raining a lot. We haven’t played any cricket since the Windies game that got washed out. So, there was no need to change the team.

TOSS: Faf du Plessis wins toss and South Africa decide to bowl first against Afghanistan

Meanwhile, Aaron Finch has brought up his century against Sri Lanka to lay a strong foundation for Australia. You can follow the match updates from the game here.

Soaking rain for much of last night and the morning stopped two-and-a-half hours before the scheduled start between the two bottom feeders in the standings. Right now, the sun is uncommonly bright for these often gloomy parts. Rashid Khan looks good to go, Lungi Ngidi does not.

All’s not well in the Afghanistan camp — both on as well as off the field — with Mohammad Shahzad’s controversial exit being the latest incident that highlights the breakdown in communication between the board and the players as well as the politics that has seeped into Afghan cricket, affecting their performances on the field as a result. 

Read the full piece by Bertus de Jong here .

Less than an hour to go for the toss at Cardiff. Meanwhile in the South African camp, doubts still persist over pacer Lungi Ngidi’s participation in the Afghanistan match, with skipper Faf du Plessis willing to give him some more time in order to get fully fit. Read the full report here .

Bright and sunny at Cardiff

Good afternoon from the Cardiff Wales Stadium 🌞 It's a great day for some #ProteaFire action 🔥 #SAvAFG #CWC19 pic.twitter.com/7KGOWrAMTq

— Proteas Men (@ProteasMenCSA) June 15, 2019

Sri Lanka pulling things back against Australia

Meanwhile, it is nice and sunny in London where Australia are playing Sri Lanka. Skipper Finch raised his half-century a while back, but the Aussies have lost David Warner and Usman Khawaja. Sri Lanka slowly pulling things back there. Catch all the action on our LIVE blog here .

Weather update

The toss in Cardiff may be delayed with chances of precipitation rising to 51 percent. It is expected to get cloudy thereafter with chances of showers reducing thereafter. Read the weather update here .

No Shahzad, no problem

Afghanistan captain Gulbadin Naib insists his side won’t let the row over Mohammad Shahzad’s controversial World Cup exit overshadow the rest of the tournament. Shahzad played in Afghanistan’s first two World Cup matches, but the wicketkeeper-batsman was removed from the squad after suffering a knee injury that the country’s cricket board said would not allow him to play any further part in the tournament.

Teams look for first win

Winless so far in the tournament, both South Africa and Afghanistan will be eagerly looking to tick the victory box when they take on each other in their World Cup encounter. Read the match preview to know more .

Hello and welcome to Firstpost’s LIVE coverage of South Africa vs Afghanistan match. Stay tuned for LIVE updates and scores.