Afghanistan vs Australia: How to pick the winning Dream11?
Defending champions Australia open their ICC World Cup 2019 campaign against Afghanistan on Saturday in match number four. The Aussies are the in-form team and will want to start well against a talented Afghan unit. Australia have peaked well in recent times. Fans playing the Dream11 must pick a winning team. Here we decode the same.
Smith leads the batting show of this side
Wicket-keeper batsman Mohammad Shahzad will want to bring his aggression into play atop for Afghanistan. He gets to open the batting alongside the reliable Usman Khawaja. The Aussie southpaw is 2019's highest run-scorer in ODIs. Steve Smith comes in at number three and is our choice as the skipper. Hazratullah Zazai adds more dynamism. Asghar Afghan is a calm head in that middle order.
Maxwell and Naib are the two all-rounders
Glenn Maxwell is the main all-rounder of this side. He will look to power the Aussie batting in that middle order and score quick runs. His off-spin could be crucial. Afghanistan captain Gulbadin Naib features as the second all-rounder. His contributions will be immense.
A solid bowling unit on offer
The bowling unit looks heavy and sorted. Aussie pacers Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins form the crux of this unit. Both these players are wicket-taking bowlers and offer quality. 31-year-old Dawlat Zadran is the side's third main pacer. He will look to have a say. Star youngster Rashid Khan (vice-captain) is the main spinner. He can extract help on any track.
Rationale behind the Dream11 team
Given the nature of the pitch, we have gone in with batsmen that promise runs. There is a solid blend of both aggression and skills. Both all-rounders are strong names and will have an impact. The bowling has what it takes to take wickets.
Predicted starting XI and possible winners
Afghanistan predicted starting XI: Shahzad (wk), Zazai, Rahmat, Asghar, Najibullah, Hashmatullah, Nabi, Gulbadin (captain), Rashid, Dawlat and Hamid. Australia predicted starting XI: Warner, Khawaja, Smith, Finch (captain), Maxwell, Carey (wk), Stoinis, Zampa, Cummins, Starc and Behrendorff. Australia enter the tie as the favorites. They are in form and could trouble the Afghans, who will be wanting to script a fairytale.
