Tristan Stubbs was dropped from South Africa's plying XI vs Afghanistan in Champions Trophy.
South Africa made a few surprising calls in their Champions Trophy 2025 opener against Afghanistan in Karachi on Friday. During the toss, it was confirmed that Heinrich Klaasen would sit out of the game due to an injury. Another one of them was the exclusion of wicketkeeper-batter Tristan Stubbs. Stubbs also did not play in the tri-series that involved New Zealand and Pakistan despite featuring in the squad and having said that, he last played an ODI in December 2024 against Pakistan.
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The simple reason why Tristan Stubbs was dropped could be to include pacer Wiaan Mulder. Mulder’s inclusion in the playing XI comes at a time when fellow pacer Lungi Ngidi has only returned to competitive cricket after recovering from a groin injury. Having said that, Ngidi is still yet to rediscover his best form since returning from the injury despite picking wickets here and there. He has taken four wickets in eight competitive matches since his return.
South Africa won the toss and elected to bat first on the batting-friendly Karachi pitch. It is also the reason why Aiden Markram may not bowl too many overs. Mulder, on the other hand, has been impressive with the ball. He finished with figures of 3/27 against Pakistan Shaheens in the Champions Trophy warm-up match and even took two wickets against the Men in Green in the Pakistan tri-series.
Afghanistan are playing their maiden Champions Trophy tournament. They were impressive in the 2023 ODI World Cup in India, where they finished in sixth place with eight points. They defeated England, Pakistan, Netherlands and Sri Lanka in that tournament. At the 2024 T20 World Cup in West Indies and USA, Afghanistan reached the semi-finals where hey lost to South Africa.
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