T20 World Cup, Australia vs Afghanistan: Preview, stats, Fantasy XI
Australia and Afghanistan will lock horns in their respective last Super 12 match at the ICC T20 World Cup 2022. As the Aussies are third in the Group 1 standings, their best bet to qualify for the semi-finals is to win the upcoming contest by a massive margin. Meanwhile, Afghanistan have been eliminated and will fight for a consolation victory. Here is the preview.
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. 154 is the average first-innings score at the venue. The match will be telecast live on Star Sports Network (1:30 PM IST) and live streamed on the Hotstar app (paid subscription).
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.
Can Australia go through?
Australia's current NRR (-0.304) is way lesser than that of England (+0.547) and New Zealand (+2.233). Although all three aforementioned teams have five points apiece, England and NZ will play their respective last games against Sri Lanka and Ireland, respectively. Hence, the Aussies need nothing less than a massive win. Although Afghanistan are winless in the tournament, the defending champions should not be complacent.
Injury concerns in Australian camp
Australia are sweating over fitness of their three key players. Skipper Aaron Finch hurt his hamstring during his last outing against Ireland. Besides him, all-rounders Tim David and Marcus Stoinis did not take the field during Ireland innings due to injury niggles. Cameron Green and Steve Smith are the options in the batting department in any of the aforementioned players misses out.
A look at the Probable XI of both sides:
Australia (Probable XI): David Warner, Aaron Finch (c)/ Cameron Green, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Tim David, Matthew Wade (wk), Pat Cummins, Adam Zampa, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood Afghanistan (Probable XI): Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Usman Ghani, Ibrahim Zadran, Gulbadin Naib, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi (c), Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fareed Ahmad Malik, Fazalhaq Farooqi
Who are the key performers?
With 358 runs in 17 games, Najibullah Zadran is Afghanistan's highest run-scorer in T20Is this year (Strike rate: 145.52). Mujeeb Ur Rahman has taken three wickets in the tournament at an economy rate of 5.75. 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.
Dream11 Fantasy Cricket Options
Fantasy XI (Option 1): Matthew Wade, David Warner (C), Aaron Finch, Hazratullah Zazai, Marcus Stoinis, Mohammad Nabi, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood (VC), Rashid Khan, Adam Zampa Fantasy XI (Option 2): Rahmanullah Gurbaz, David Warner (VC), Mitchell Marsh, Hazratullah Zazai, Glenn Maxwell (C), Mohammad Nabi, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Rashid Khan, Adam Zampa
