T20 WC, Australia vs Afghanistan: Mohammad Nabi elects to bowl
Australia and Afghanistan will lock horns in their respective last Super 12 match at the 2022 T20 World Cup. As the Aussies are third in the Group 1 standings, they need to win the upcoming contest by a massive margin. Meanwhile, Afghanistan have been eliminated and will fight for a consolation victory. The news from the center is that Mohammad Nabi will bowl first.
Pitch report, timing, and broadcast details
The Adelaide Oval will host this contest on Friday (November 4). While the track here has been traditionally good for batting, spinners can make a mark in the middle overs. Teams should look to score over 170. The match will be telecast live on Star Sports Network (1:30 PM IST) and live-streamed on the Hotstar app (paid subscription).
A look at the Playing XI
Afghanistan (Playing XI): Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Usman Ghani, Ibrahim Zadran, Gulbadin Naib, Darwish Rasooli, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi (c), Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi. Australia (Playing XI): Cameron Green, David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Steven Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade (wk/c), Pat Cummins, Kane Richardson, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood.
Finch misses out; Wade to captain in this fixture
Aussie opener Aaron Finch has been ruled out of this game owing to a hamstring injury sustained in the last game. The same goes for hard-hitting all-rounder Tim David.
Who are the key performers?
With 358 runs in 17 games, Najibullah Zadran is Afghanistan's highest run-scorer in T20Is this year (SR: 145.52). Mujeeb Ur Rahman has taken three wickets in the tournament at an economy rate of 5.75. Marcus Stoinis smashed a 17-ball half-century earlier in the tournament, the fastest by an Australian in T20Is. So far, Josh Hazlewood has taken 24 wickets in 16 T20Is this year.
Here is the head-to-head record
Australia and Afghanistan have never met in T20Is before. In ODIs, however, the two sides have crossed swords thrice and the Aussies emerged winners every single time. They last met in the 2019 World Cup, where Australia recorded a seven-wicket win.
