T20 World Cup, AFG vs IRE: Preview, stats, Fantasy XI
Afghanistan will lock horns with Ireland in their next ICC T20 World Cup 2022 Super 12 encounter in Melbourne. Ireland lost to Sri Lanka and defeated England in their first two matches in the Super 12 round. On the other hand, Afghanistan lost to England in their opener while their second clash against New Zealand got abandoned due to rain. Here is the preview.
Pitch report, timing, and broadcast details
The match will be played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday. Bowlers have dominated at this venue as the average first-innings score reads 141. Notably, the boundaries are on the bigger side. Teams bowling first have won 11 of the 20 T20Is in Melbourne. The match will be telecast live on Star Sports Network and live-streamed (9:30 AM IST) on Hotstar (paid subscription).
Here is the head-to-head record in T20Is
Afghanistan have dominated Ireland in T20Is with the head-to-head record being 16-7 in their favor. The two sides last met in a five-match T20I series in August this year. While hosts Ireland clinched the first two fixtures, Afghanistan bounced back and won the following two games. Ireland clinched the decider to seal the series. The two sides have never met in T20 WC before.
Afghanistan standing in a must-win game
As Afghanistan are yet to get a win after two games, a defeat against Ireland might shatter their hopes of qualifying for the semi-finals. Moreover, they are yet to face hosts Australia in the group. On the other hand, Ireland would be high on confidence after upsetting England in a rain-curtailed game. They would back themselves to take down the Afghan team as well.
Probable XIs of both teams
Afghanistan (Probable XI): Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Usman Ghani, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi (c), Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fareed Ahmad Malik, Fazalhaq Farooqi Ireland (Probable XI): Paul Stirling, Andrew Balbirnie (c), Lorcan Tucker (wk), Harry Tector, Curtis Campher, George Dockrell, Gareth Delany, Mark Adair, Fionn Hand, Barry McCarthy, Joshua Little
Who are the key performers?
Rashid Khan claimed figures of 1/17 in his four overs against England. Mohammad Nabi is one of the two all-rounders to score over 1,500 runs and take over 80 wickets in T20Is. Joshua Little's tally of 34 T20I wickets is the second-highest for a bowler in 2022. Curtis Campher is the only all-rounder to scalp a hat-trick and score a half-century in T20 WC.
Dream11 Fantasy cricket options
Fantasy Cricket (Option 1): Lorcan Tucker, Hazratullah Zazai, Andrew Balbirnie (C), Harry Tector, Najibullah Zadran, Curtis Campher, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan (VC), Joshua Little, Mark Adair, Fazalhaq Farooqi Fantasy Cricket (Option 2): Rahmanullah Gurbaz, George Dockrell (VC), Andrew Balbirnie, Harry Tector, Najibullah Zadran, Curtis Campher (C), Gareth Delany, Rashid Khan, Joshua Little, Mark Adair, Mujeeb Ur Rahman
