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WATCH: Cardiff ground staff tackle the rain at Sophia Gardens

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Sophia Gardens (Lloyd Burnard)
Sophia Gardens (Lloyd Burnard)

Cardiff - On Friday, the rain continued to come and go in Cardiff ahead of the Proteas' clash against Afghanistan on Saturday. 

South Africa, with no wins after four fixtures at the 2019 World Cup, are desperate to get their campaign heading in the right direction. 

There last match against the West Indies in Southampton was washed out after just 7.3 overs, and if they are to stand any chance of progressing through to the semi-finals then they must surely bank two log points with victory over Afghanistan. 

The weather, however, is threatening to once again play an unwanted role, which would be nothing short of catastrophic to the South African cause. 

A look at the report suggests heavy rain in the morning with it clearing up into the afternoon and evening, which is good news considering that it is a day/night game on Saturday. 

Rain or no rain, however, cricket can only go ahead if the Sophia Gardens wicket and outfield are in good shape. 

On Friday morning the covers stayed on the pitch as the on-and-off drizzle continued, but the ground staff were hard at work getting whatever moisture they could off of the covers. 

They have earned their money this week, with most of England and its surrounds having been pelted by rain since Sunday. 

Four matches have already ended in 'no results'. 

If all goes according to plan and the bad weather stays away, play on Saturday will start at 14:30 (SA time). 

@LloydBurnard is in England covering the 2019 Cricket World Cup for Sport24 ...  

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