To everyone’s surprise, Heinrich Klassen missed the first match of the Champions Trophy 2025 against Afghanistan. The South African wicket-keeper batter is side-lined due to a left elbow soft tissue injury. This decision was made as a precautionary measure to avoid further complications.
Klassen is a key player for the South African squad, and, unfortunately, he was ruled out of the first match. He has been a match-winner for South Africa in recent years, and his absence will impact the middle order. His ability to attack bowlers at a strike rate over 120 in this format will be missed in the match against Afghanistan.
Tony De Zorzi has been added to the squad in place of Heinrich Klassen, with Ryan Rickleton expected to take on wicket-keeping duties. De Zorzi has been performing well in this format and has a valuable opportunity to establish himself as a star batter in the team.Â
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Keshav Maharaj added as Lone Spinner
Keshav Maharaj has been included as the lone spinner. During the toss, Temba Bavuma announced that Maharaj is part of the line-up, who had been the primary spinner during the Tri-Nation series in Pakistan. Mahraj is a amazing spinner who could also bat and could take advantage of the Karachi pitch's conditions in the second innings if there's any turn. If the surface offers assistance, Aiden Markram may also bowl, but overall South Africa is opting for a four-pacer attack.
Afghanistan To Go With One Front Line Seamer
On the Afghanistan side, they have added only one frontline seamer, Fazalhaq Farooqi, with the other seamers being all-rounders like Gulabdin Naib and Azmatullah Omarzai. Afghanistan's squad includes two spinners, Rashid Khan and Noor Ahmed, alongside all-rounder Mohammed Nabi. Hence, Afghanistan is employing an attack comprising three pacers and three spinners.
Record Alert:Â
Mohammed Nabi has become the third-oldest player, at 40 years and 51 days, to make his debut in the Champions Trophy 2025.
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