Cricket
Can Afghanistan pull out a surprise?
Updated : Jun 18, 2019, 09:52 AM IST
Afghanistan may have looked largely at sea in the World Cup but they can still pull off upsets, skipper Gulbadin Naib said ahead of Tuesday's clash against hosts England.
The Afghans made their World Cup debut in 2015 when they beat Scotland but are without a win after four matches in their second appearance. "We are here to win matches but it's not easy to beat such strong teams in a tournament like World Cup," Naib said ahead of the team's practice session at Old Trafford. Struck by a series of injury setbacks, England will look to get the combination right when they take on the low-ranked but spirited Afghanistan in their bid get closer to a semi-final berth, here on Tuesday.
The hosts are struggling with fitness issues, the latest being captain Eoin Morgan having to leave the field with a back spasm during the game against the West Indies.Opening batsman Jason Roy was also forced off the field during the same match due to a tight hamstring and has been ruled out of the game on Tuesday and Friday (against Sri Lanka).
After suffering a shock loss to Pakistan, England have got their act together, excelling in all three departments and the hosts will want to continue riding on the winning momentum.On the other hand, Afghanistan will be eager to post their first win in the ongoing 50-over showpiece.The conditions, and whether the wicket supports spin, will play a crucial for the Afghans who rely heavily on their tweakers Rashid and Mohammad Nabi to get them the breakthroughs.
Squads:
England: Eoin Morgan, Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler, Tom Curran, Liam Dawson, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes,James Vince, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood.
Afghanistan: Gulbadin Naib (c), Noor Ali Zadran, Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmat Shah (wk), Asghar Afghan, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Najibullah Zadran, Samiullah Shinwari, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Dawlat Zadran, Aftab Alam, Hamid Hassan, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Ikram Ali Khil.
England: Jos Buttler (wk), Jonny Bairstow, James Vince, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan (capt), Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes, Adil Rashid, Liam Plunkett, Jofra Archer, Mark Wood.
Afganistan: Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Hamid Hassan, Hazratullah Zazai, Noor Ali Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Gulbadin Naib (capt), Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Ikram Alikhil (wk).
The World Cup 2019 Afghanistan vs New Zealand match will be played on June 18, 2019, at Old Trafford in Machester
The World Cup 2019 Afghanistan vs England match will begin at 3:00 PM IST.
The World Cup 2019 Afghanistan vs England match will be telecast on the Star Sports Network.
The live streaming of the World Cup 2019 Afghanistan vs England match will be available on Hotstar.
(With agency inputs)