AFG vs ZAF 9th T20I match prediction 18 Oct 2021

AFG vs SA Warm-up Match 9 Predictions & Betting Tips

Afghanistan’s lead up to the World Cup officially commences with a warm-up clash against South Africa at the ICC Academy Ground No. 2 in Dubai on Monday, the 18th of October. While the former are emerging powerhouses in the cricket universe, the Proteas are pretty much fallen giants but what unites the two sides is the hunger to win every time they take the field. Here, I have collated the three best ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 Warm-up games betting tips for you from the AFG vs SA match prediction.

Afghanistan has arrived in the UAE under exceptionally difficult circumstances. With their home under attack, the team would be raring to put in some incredible performances in order to give their compatriots something to smile about. The country has always relied on cricket as a coping mechanism considering the constant political turmoil they find themselves in, only this time around they actually have a team capable of taking them all the way. Afghanistan have earned a reputation as T20 specialists and for good reason. South Africa, meanwhile, have lost too many of their game changers in recent years, but a new look unit is beginning to take shape now and rise to the occasion. Led by an enigmatic Temba Bavuma, the World Cup will be an opportunity for them to make a strong statement. Here are my three best betting tips from the AFG vs SA match prediction.

AFG vs SA Team Bets:

With the teams often using warm-up games to experiment with lineups, bookmakers have restricted themselves from offering any fruitful player bets. Nevertheless, the common team bets have been made available and after going through all of them, here are my carefully selected AFG vs SA team bets.

South Africa to win

Firstly, let’s have a look at the rankings. South Africa are placed a commanding fifth, with 250 rating points to their name. Afghanistan, on the other hand, are considerably lower at eighth, a significant 14 points off their upcoming opponents. The Proteas will be coming into the match high on confidence, having slaughtered Sri Lanka 3-0 away from home in their latest T20I assignment. Not long before, they had whitewashed Ireland as well in their own backyard by winning all the three T20Is. Having started the year with a 3-1 series loss to World no. 3 Pakistan, the team showed great spirit to come back with a resounding 3-2 series victory in the West Indies. This takes their record in 2021 to 10 victories while suffering only 5 losses. Afghanistan, meanwhile, last played a T20I way back in March, routing Zimbabwe 3-0 on a comprehensive tour of the African nation. Last year, they played three match series against the Ireland and West Indies as well, from both of which they came away with a 2-1 victory. However, ahead of it, the side participated in a tri-series against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe where they recorded a win and loss each against both the teams, despite Zimbabwe 44 rating points off them. Thus, South Africa are not only a much stronger side but also in scintillating form and should emerge triumphant against Afghanistan. You can take up this AFG vs SA team bet at Dafabet who have offered great odds of 1.42.

South Africa to hit more fours

With power-hitters like AB de Villiers and Faf du Plessis no longer a part of the setup, South Africa have adapted to relying on boundaries incredibly well for scoring a chunk of runs. In 2021, they have hit an incredible 192 fours in T20Is, averaging nearly 13 fours per game. Equally impressive is the fact that they have conceded just 166 boundaries in return, at an average of little over 11– meaning the Proteas almost hit two fours more than their opponents per game. Afghanistan, on the other hand, have only managed 145 fours in their last 13 games, which comes to approximately 11 hits to the rope a game. In the same period, they have conceded 148 boundaries, losing out on the battle to their opponents. To offer a more direct comparison, the boundary count in Afghanistan’s three match T20I series versus Ireland read 29-49, a remarkable deficit of 20 fours. The Proteas, meanwhile, managed 48 fours in three games against the Irish, while conceding only 32 in return. Thus, South Africa are clearly better at finding the boundaries and should comfortably hit more fours than Afghanistan.You can take up this opportunity to earn money from the AFG vs SA match prediction at Dafabet who have offered amazing odds of 1.48.

Afghanistan to hit more sixes

On the flip side, the Afghani batsman excel at clearing the ropes. Across their last 13 T20Is, the team has recorded 107 big hits, at an unbelievable average of 8-plus sixes per game. For comparison, South Africa have managed just 77 sixes in 2021 despite playing two more games– a relatively paltry average of five sixes a game. At the same time, they have conceded 90 maximums as well, hence being hit for a six more on average. Afghanistan have only been hit for 57 sixes in their 13 games, almost two sixes less than the Proteas on average. Against Ireland, Afghanistan managed 10 more sixes than their opponents hitting 23, while South Africa only managed six more by clearing the fence 15 times. Clearly, Afghanistan’s six hitting prowess is much superior to their rivals and should easily outhit South Africa in the sixes department. To accept this AFG vs SA player bet, log on to Dafabet for their incredibly outrageous odds of 2.04.