Afghanistan Playing XI vs South Africa- T20 World Cup 2026, Match 13- Will Noor Ahmad play?

Noor Ahmad for Afghanistan [Source: X]

South Africa and Afghanistan are set to meet each other in the 13th T20 World Cup 2026 clash on February 11. The match is set to take place at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad and is scheduled to go live for fans from 11:00 AM IST.

Afghanistan vs South Africa Preview

Both South Africa and Afghanistan have played their inaugural clashes in the World Cup. Afghanistan had a poor start with a five-wicket loss against New Zealand, where they failed to defend their total of 182 despite solid contributions from Gulbadin Naib with the bat.

South Africa, on the other hand, won their inaugural clash against Canada comfortably by 57 runs. After putting up a total of 230 on the board, Canada was restricted to 156 runs, handing South Africa a comfortable win.

With South Africa in top form, Afghanistan would like to field their strongest playing XI against them. Let's take a look ahead of the match that what are the best options at hand for Afghanistan?

Afghanistan Playing XI vs South Africa- Match 13, T20 World Cup 2026

Openers and Top Order: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Darwish Rasooli and Sediqullah Atal

Despite a modest outing against New Zealand, Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran will be given the opening duties with the bat against South Africa, facing the pace attack in the powerplay.

While Gulbadin Naib was called up to accelerate the score after Ibrahim Zadran's loss in the sixth over, against the Kiwis, Naib would probably come lower down the order in this match, with Darwish Rasooli and Sediqullah Atal taking the number three and number four positions respectively.

Atal and Rasooli, despite not playing in their natural batting order previously, scored modest 29 and 20 respectively and might perform better when they move up the order.

Middle Order and All Rounders: Gulbadin Naib, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, and Rashid Khan (c)

Given Gulbadin Naib's recent form, where he struck a 35-ball 63 against New Zealand, he will take the number five responsibility ahead of Azmatullah Omarzai and Mohammad Nabi.

The explosive Afghanistan all-rounder will be responsible for anchoring any top-order scare and accelerating the middle-overs phase. Mohammad Nabi and Azmatullah Omarzai did not have a modest outing against New Zealand, yet they are poised to play an important role after Naib strikes the balance in Afghanistan's innings with his explosive power.

Azmatullah Omarzai and Mohammad Nabi, known for their quality batting, can see out the end of Afghanistan's innings alongside skipper Rashid Khan, who might chip in with the bat at No. 8 with his pinch-hitting.

Bowlers: Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi and Noor Ahmad

Noor Ahmad might get a nod against South Africa, as Ziaur Rahman flopped against New Zealand by conceding 33 runs from his three overs.

Noor Ahmad's inclusion could pose a potential threat for South Africa, since against Canada, Ansh Patel, a left-arm wrist spinner, managed to pick up three wickets. Hence, exploiting their weakness against wrist spinners with Noor Ahmad might be a smart move.

Leaving out Ziaur Rahman will not affect the pace line-up, as Afghanistan will still have plenty of options at their disposal with Gulbadin Naib, Azmatullah Omarzai, and Fazalhaq Farooqi. Afghanistan still boasts a three-man pace attack alongside a strong, spin-heavy department.

Afghanistan likely Playing XI vs South Africa- Match 13, T20 World Cup 2026- Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Darwish Rasooli, Sediqullah Atal, Gulbadin Naib, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan (c), Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Noor Ahmad