Is Noor Ahmad Playing Today in SA vs AFG T20 World Cup 2026?

The Narendra Modi Stadium is all set to host the 13th match of this T20 World Cup, and it will be played between two major teams, South Africa and Afghanistan. Rashid Khan won the toss and decided to bowl first, as Afghanistan's bowling attack aims to utilise their strengths completely.

Meanwhile, the Proteas are coming with a win in their first match and will be looking to keep taking that momentum forward. The skipper of both teams handed over the playing XI list to the match referee for the SA vs AFG T20 World Cup.

One notable change in Afghanistan's playing 11 was the inclusion of the left-arm wristspinner Noor Ahmad, who has loads of experience of playing on this ground, and he is coming in as the Ziaur Rahman Sharifi replacement. This change was much expected after he was not a part of the first match.

Is Noor Ahmad Playing Today in SA vs AFG T20 World Cup 2026?

The presence of Noor Ahmad boosts Afghanistan's strong spin bowling attack. He has played plenty of cricket for the Gujarat Titans on this ground and knows the wicket here quite well. Noor is known for variations and mystery chinaman bowling style, which is a big reason he has been included in the playing XI today.

His stats have been excellent on this ground, from making his IPL debut to playing over 7 IPL matches. He has picked up 13 wickets, including a 4-wicket haul. With his presence, Afghanistan's bowling attack has more variety.

The Afghan team will be looking to ask some serious questions of the Proteas with their dangerous-looking spin trio of Rashid, Noor, and Mujeeb, who are among the best spinners in the world. Noor can be considered as Ziaur Rahman Sharifi's replacement for this match, and this was the only change for Afghanistan in this match.

Poor Start for Noor Ahmad

Noor Ahmad didn't have a great start to his T20 World Cup 2026 campaign. The young spinner went for 23 runs in his first over as he was taken down by Quinton de Kock and Ryan Rickelton. However, he still has a key role to play in this match.

Afghanistan have hit rapid strides in the cricketing world and their spinners have played a major role in it. Led by Rashid Khan, one of the best T20 bowlers in the world, they have stunned some of the highly ranked sides in the last few years.

They even made it to the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup 2024, which is their best result in all ICC tournaments so far. Noor Ahmad provides Afghanistan with a unique variety with his skillful bowling.