ICC Cricket World Cup: Formidable England up against struggling Afghanistan
Afghanistan will look to open their account in the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup as they meet defending champions England in Match 13. While the Afghan team suffered humiliating defeats in their first two games, England bounced back against Bangladesh after losing to New Zealand in the opener. The Brits will head into the upcoming game as firm favorites. Here is the preview.
Timing, TV listing, and pitch report
Delhi's Arun Jaitley Stadium will host this game on October 15 (2:00pm IST). The first two duels here in the ongoing tournament produced high-scoring games. South Africa even posted a record-breaking 428/5 against Sri Lanka. However, spinners also got assistance in the middle overs. One can watch the match live on the Star Sports Network and stream the same on the Disney+Hoststar app.
Here is the head-to-head record
The two sides have met just twice in ODIs before, both in the last two editions of the World Cup. While the Brits clinched the 2015 game by nine wickets, they walked away with a comprehensive 150-run triumph in the 2019 event.
Rashid Khan's poor form has hurt Afghanistan
The talismanic Rashid Khan needs to rediscover his form sooner rather than later. He has returned with just six wickets in his last six ODIs with his economy being over six. Meanwhile, England would be high on confidence after the massive win against the Tigers. Ben Stokes, who missed the first two games due to fitness issues, might return to the XI.
Here are the probable XIs
England probable XI: Jonny Bairstow, Dawid Malan, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler (C & WK), Liam Livingstone, Sam Curran, Chris Woakes, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood, Reece Topley. Afghanistan probable XI: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK), Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (C), Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi.
Here are the key numbers
Dawid Malan has scored 745 ODI runs at a sensational average of 74.50 in 2023. Jos Buttler's average and strike rate in ODIs read 55.54 and 111.49, respectively, this year (611 runs). Rahmanullah Gurbaz recently became the fastest Afghanistan batter to 1,000 ODI runs, getting the milestone in 27 innings. Reece Topley took a brilliant four-fer in his preceding outing.
Dream11 Fantasy cricket options
Fantasy XI (Option 1): Jos Buttler (C), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Joe Root, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan (VC), Mohammad Nabi, Moeen Ali, Rashid Khan, Mark Wood, Chris Woakes. Fantasy XI (Option 2): Jos Buttler, Jonny Bairstow (C), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (VC), Hashmatullah Shahidi, Joe Root, Dawid Malan, Mohammad Nabi, Moeen Ali, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Mark Wood, Rashid Khan.
