ICC World Cup 2019: Match 24, England vs Afghanistan – Match Preview

Afghanistan, who have had a dismal time in the ICC World Cup 2019 so far will look to pose tough challenges to host England when they go up against each other on June 18 (Tuesday) at the Old Trafford in Manchester.

England-Afghanistan look for two crucial points

The Eoin Morgan-led side will come into this from the back of two consecutive wins and will be high on confidence. However, they will miss the service of their star opener Jason Roy. The swashbuckling batter who pulled his hamstring in the last game will be out of action for two games. But it shouldn’t deter England, and they have quality players in their ranks to fill the void. James Vince is likely to fill in and, in the process, earning his debut World Cup match.

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On the other hand, for Afghanistan, their batting has struggled entirely in the World Cup. They are yet to bat full 50 overs of their quota, and thus, they have lost all the four games they have played. The Gulbadin Naib-led side will have to put together a complete performance if they want to put top-ranked teams under pressure. There will be some hopes for Afghanistan as the last game between India and Pakistan at Old Trafford offered some assistance to the spinners. They will look to use their spin bowlers to trouble the England batters who have dominated the World Cup so far.

Also Read : ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 (Match 24): England vs Afghanistan – Stats Preview

Date and Venue: England vs Afghanistan, June 18 (Tuesday), at 3:00 PM IST, at Old Trafford in Manchester

Predicted XI

England: James Vince, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler, Chris Woakes, Liam Plunkett, Jofra Archer, Mark Wood, Adil Rashid

Afghanistan: Hazratullah Zazai, Noor Ali Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Asghar Afghan, Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Nabi, Ikram Alikhil (WK), Rashid Khan, Aftab Alam, Hamid Hassan

World Cup Head to Head

Statistical Preview

• England cricketer Joe Root has taken 13 catches in Cricket World Cup. It is the joint most catches by an England non-wicketkeeper in Cricket World Cup history. Paul Collingwood, the former England cricketer, also picked up 13 catches in the World Cup.
• Afghanistan cricketer Samiullah Shinwari, who has scored 1,737 ODI runs, has also picked up 45 ODI wickets. By taking five more wickets, Shinwari will become the second Afghanistan cricketer to score 1,000+ ODI runs as well as to take at least 50 ODI wickets.

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• Off-spinner Mohammad Nabi has already taken 195 wickets in his international career. With five more international wickets, Nabi will become the second Afghanistan bowler after Rashid Khan (210 wickets) to take 200 or more international wickets.
•  The right-arm pacer Dawlat Zadran has picked up 148 wickets in the international career. He is two wickets away to complete his 150 international wickets. Dawlat Zadran will be the first Afghanistan pacer and third Afghanistan bowler to claim 150 international wickets.

Pitch Conditions

The last match between India and Pakistan at the same ground in Old Trafford produced 336 runs. The pitch augurs well for hitting through the line lighting up the eyes of the England batters. However, it is likely to assist the spinners which will bring Afghanistan into the game, who otherwise will have a very limited role to play in this game.

Weather Forecast

The temperature at Manchester will hover around 15-18 degrees Celsius during the match. The forecast says there are only seven percent chances of precipitations, which is much lower than what was predicted for the India-Pakistan clash.

Thus, the fans can expect a full fifty overs of action at the Old Trafford in Manchester.

Match Prediction

So far, England have met Afghanistan only once in the World Cup and had dominated them. In the warm-up game as well, the English had the authority on their side and crushed the relatively experienced opponents.

But the way Kuldeep Yadav posed challenges to Pakistan’s, it will certainly lit up the eyes of the Afghanistan spinners. But England have tackled the spinners well in the tournament and are the clear cut winners at the Old Trafford and will take their points tally to eight.