Due to their superior T20I rankings, England and Afghanistan are already qualified for the Super 12 stage of the ICC T20 World Cup and will face off against one another on Saturday at Optus Park in Perth.
The first group, which also includes nations like Australia and New Zealand, includes both teams. Although England is the favorite to win, Afghanistan’s chances do not appear promising.
In 2021, England were their group leaders, but New Zealand stopped them in their tracks in the semifinals. Afghanistan, on the other hand, came in fourth place in their group after beating Scotland and Namibia.
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Squad update
Reece Topley was forced to withdraw from the competition after sustaining ligament damage in his left foot during an Australian training session. The Surrey seamer will be replaced by Tymal Mills.
At the top, the trio of Dawid Malan, Ben Stokes, and Harry Brook are set to light up the stadium with their combined firepower before Jos Buttler and Alex Hales. Moeen Ali and Sam Curran, two all-rounders, are anticipated to be devastating with both the bat and the ball, while Chris Jordan, David Willey, Mark Wood, and Adil Rashid will be held to high standards with the ball.
In a warm-up game, Rahmanullah Gurbaz was struck by a toe-crushing yorker from Shaheen Shah Afridi and had to be helped off.
Hazratullah Zazai will be his main teammate, with Ibrahim Zadran, Karim Janat, and Najibullah Zadran filling in the midfield’s holes. Mohammad Nabi and Azmatullah Omarzai will likely slog-hit in the deep, while Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fareed Ahmad, and Fazalhaq Farooqi will be expected to take off wickets when they are needed.
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Head to head record
Afghanistan and England have played each other twice in T20Is, with the former winning both games while the latter has failed to defeat England.
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Key Figures
Jos Buttler: In the just finished T20I series against Australia, Buttler was at his fiercest best, scoring 150 runs from three games, including two half-centuries. He is eager to take on Afghan bowlers during the powerplay since he has acclimated to the Australian conditions like a fish to water.
Rashid Khan: Afghanistan will look on their leg-break bowler Rashid Khan to cause trouble despite the fact that the conditions in Australia are favorable for pacers. Rashid is anticipated to cause difficulties for the hitters with his googlies due to his prior BBL expertise.
Expected starting lineup
Sam Curran, Chris Jordan, David Willey, Mark Wood, Adil Rashid, Alex Hales, Dawid Malan, Ben Stokes, Harry Brook, Moeen Ali, and
Afghanistan: Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fareed Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Ibrahim Zadran, Hazratullah Zazai, Mohammad Nabi, Azmatullah Omarzai, and Najibullah Zadran
Final verdict
With victories against Australia and Pakistan in the recent series, England appeared to be in good shape. They couldn’t have wished for better momentum after defeating Pakistan in a warm-up match. Afghanistan, on the other hand, skipped every single bilateral series following their trip to the Asia Cup. They appear out of shape, thus we anticipate an England victory.
