Ryan Rickelton hit a composed century, and a late flourish from Aiden Markram powered South Africa to 315 for 6 against Afghanistan in their ICC Champions Trophy opener in Karachi on Wednesday.
Winning the toss and opting to bat, South Africa lost Tony de Zorzi early, but Rickelton and captain Temba Bavuma steadied the innings with a 129-run stand for the second wicket.
Rickelton, anchoring the innings, brought up his century off 101 balls before being run out for 103. Bavuma contributed a steady 58 before falling to Mohammad Nabi.
Rassie van der Dussen provided momentum in the middle overs with a brisk 52 off 46 balls, but it was Markram’s unbeaten 52 off just 36 deliveries that gave South Africa the strong finish they needed.
David Miller chipped in with 14, while Wiaan Mulder smashed 12 off six balls in the final moments.
Afghanistan’s bowlers struggled to contain the scoring in the latter half of the innings. Mohammad Nabi (2 for 51) was the most effective, while Noor Ahmad, Azmatullah Omarzai, and Fazalhaq Farooqi picked up a wicket each. Rashid Khan went wicketless, conceding 59 runs in his 10 overs.