AUS vs AFG Match Preview, ICC T20 World Cup 2022, Match 38

AUS vs AFG Match Preview, ICC T20 World Cup 2022, Match 38. Australia will play against Afghanistan in the 38th Match in Adelaide at 1:30 pm IST on 4th November, Friday. Australia’s win over Ireland has moved them to level with New Zealand at the top of Group 1 having played a game more, but all teams could still mathematically qualify.

The tournament hosts and defending champions (ICC T20 World Cup 2021 winner) are firmly back in the mix to qualify for the semi-finals with one game against Afghanistan to play. The margin of victory against Ireland has improved their Net Run Rate, but not as much as it looked like it would at one stage.

AUS vs AFG Match Preview, ICC T20 World Cup 2022, Match 38

Afghanistan lost to England by 5 wickets while the matches against New Zealand and Ireland were abandoned without a ball being bowled due to rain. Afghanistan lost by 6 wickets against Sri Lanka after scoring 144/8. Openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Usman Ghani scored 28 and 27 respectively.

Led by Wanindu Hasaranga, whose outstanding 3 for 13 was most responsible for hindering the opposition, Sri Lanka conceded only 144 or 8 on a decent batting track. Dhananjaya de Silva then finished with 66 not out off 44 – his best T20I score as Sri Lanka strolled home with nine balls to spare.

Sri Lanka 148 for 4 (Dhananjaya de Silva 66*, Mujeeb 2-24) beat Afghanistan 144 for 8 (Hasaranga 3-13) by six wickets

Australia, on the other hand, lost its opening match against New Zealand by 89 runs but then defeated Sri Lanka by 7 wickets while the match against England was abandoned without a ball being bowled due to rain. Australia then defeated Ireland by 42 runs.

After being asked to bat, Australia recovered from a slow start thanks to a half-century stand between Aaron Finch and Mitchell Marsh. But Ireland made regular incisions and Australia only brought up their 100 in the 14th over. It was then that Marcus Stoinis and Aaron Finch lashed out, against a hapless Mark Adair, whose third over cost 26 runs, to put Australia within sight of 200. The pair shared 70 runs for the fourth wicket before Ireland hauled them back at the death to keep them under 180.

Importantly for Australia, Aaron Finch notched up his highest score in T20Is since March 2021 and his highest in T20 World Cups since 2014.  Ireland were 25 for 5 before Lorcan Tucker and Gareth Delany got together for a sixth-wicket stand of 43. Lorcan Tucker ensured Ireland were not dismissed for any record-lows or bowled out for 104 or less (which would have put Australia’s net run rate higher than England’s). He scored his fifth T20I half-century and was eventually stranded on 71*.

Australia 179 for 5 (Finch 63, McCarthy 3-29) beat Ireland 137 (Tucker 71*, Maxwell 2-14) by 42 runs

Pacer Sam Curran (5/10) became the first England bowler to take a five-wicket haul in T20Is as Jos Buttler led England beat Afghanistan by 5 wickets in Perth in a Super 12 Group 1 match. Chasing a modest 113, England crossed the finish line with 11 balls to spare.

Sam Curran’s five-for dismantled Afghanistan as England notched a five-wicket win in their opening ICC T20 World Cup 2022 match on Saturday. Sam Curran sizzled with a five-wicket haul, giving away only 10 runs, while Ben Stokes (2/19) and Mark Wood (2/23) picked two wickets apiece to bundle out Afghanistan for 112. Defending a modest total, the Afghans made a game out of it but England eventually completed the task in 18.1 overs.

England got off to a steady start with Alex Hales and Jos Buttler putting on an opening stand of 35 runs. But they suffered a brief scare in the middle as they went on to lose four wickets in the space of just 46 runs. Afghanistan could also sense that they were back in the game. But Liam Livingstone stepped up and scored an unbeaten 29 from 21 deliveries to guide England home.

While achieving a target of 113 was always expected, the manner in which England struggled, particularly against Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, and Mohammad Nabi, spoke of a few kinks still to be ironed out. The spin trio conceded just one boundary between them and emerged with a wicket each.

Brief Scores:- England 113 for 5 (Livingstone 29*) beat Afghanistan 112 (Curran 5-10) by five wickets

Australia are not only the defending Men’s ICC T20 World Cup 2021 champions but also the hosts of this mega event- ICC T20 World Cup 2022, and so understandably was one of the favorites entering this tournament. Their confidence was also sky-high thanks to playing some exciting cricket in this format since the tournament’s last edition.

But the Aussies were brought down to earth by their Trans-Tasman rivals New Zealand on the first weekend of the Super 12 stage in ICC T20 World Cup 2022, as New Zealand completely outplayed them in their opening match. It wasn’t just the result that was the issue but also the performance; the bowling lacked penetration and the batting unit collapsed under pressure. This was Australia’s second loss on the trot following their defeat to India in the warm-up match.

New Zealand registered its first win in Australia in any format since 2011. New Zealand defeated Australia by 89 runs in the first Super 12 match. Tim Southee (3/6) was the one who started the Aussie downfall with his figures. Mitchell Santner (3/31) owned the middle phase with his spell. Trent Boult (2/24) took care of the tail. Earlier, Devon Conway (92*) and Finn Allen (42) helped New Zealand to put on 200/3 after being put into bat first by Australia in the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 match.

New Zealand 200 for 3 (Conway 92*, Allen 42) beat Australia 111 (Maxwell 28, Southee 3-6, Santner 3-31) by 89 runs

All-rounder Marcus Stoinis smoked an unbeaten 18-ball 59 as he powered Australia to a comfortable 7-wicket win over Sri Lanka in ICC T20 World Cup 2022 Group 1 match. Chasing a par 158, Australia crossed the finish line with 21 balls to spare.

Australia needed 69 off 46 balls when Marcus Stoinis walked in, and there was potential for this to be a low-scoring thriller. But then the all-rounder muscled six sixes and four fours in an 18-ball innings, in which he basically bullied every ball he faced. He hit Australia’s fastest T20I half-century, off 17 deliveries, and ended up making 59 not out, at a strike rate of 328.

Australia 158 for 3 (Stoinis 59*, Finch 31*) beat Sri Lanka 157 for 6 (Nissanka 40, Asalanka 38*, Starc 1-23) by seven wickets

Afghanistan have been dealt a major setback ahead of their key clashes against Sri Lanka and Australia in the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 as star batter Hazratullah Zazai is out with an abdominal problem. The opener is out of the tournament and will therefore affect the slim chances of Afghanistan that could have seen them reach the semifinals. Veteran star Gulbadin Naib, already in Australia will now replace him in the 15-member squad for the rest of the tournament.

Afghanistan Probable Playing XI: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Usman Ghani, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi (c), Gulbadin Naib, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fareed Ahmad Malik, Fazalhaq Farooqi.

Australia finished their bowling innings against Ireland with Matthew Wade handed the captaincy reins, while they required three separate substitute fielders for skipper Aaron Finch (right hamstring twinge), Tim David (left hamstring), and Marcus Stoinis (also hamstring).

Early signs suggested Aaron Finch’s injury was of the most concern for the defending T20 world champions given the 35-year-old’s history of hamstring injuries. While he earned the Player of the Match for scoring a 44-ball 63, he also sustained a hamstring injury. Even though Aaron Finch took the field in the second innings, he then pulled up sore after a running effort.

Australia Probable Playing XI: David Warner, Aaron Finch (c), Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Tim David, Matthew Wade (wk), Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood