Afghanistan’s latest ends in bilaterals, T20I and ODI sequence wins towards a second-string Pakistan and Bangladesh, respectively, have proven that the crew has what it takes to beat Full Members. They appear to be maturing as a cricketing drive with each passing sequence and the World Cup will present clues into whether or not they can translate these learnings on the highest stage.
Afghanistan’s chaotic two-run defeat to Sri Lanka within the Asia Cup, the place it was unaware of the permutations wanted to qualify for the following spherical, typifies the crew’s nerves in multi-nation tournaments.
Its latest success has come on the again of the prolific opening duo of Ibrahim Zadran and Rahmanullah Gurbaz and world-class spinners Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman. Consistency within the middle-order has been a sore spot for many Asian groups and Afghanistan is not any exception.
The batting type of Mohammad Nabi and Rashid, particularly on the demise, turns into essential within the face of an undercooked middle-order as Afghanistan’s innings typically fizzle out after promising begins.
Afghanistan, nevertheless, has made speedy strides within the fast-bowling division, led by left-armer Fazalhaq Farooqi, who performed a key function within the crew’s notable victories not too long ago.
While the top-order and the spin division would be the cornerstone of Afghanistan’s marketing campaign, how the comparatively weaker middle-order and tempo assault fare towards stronger oppositions might be the distinction between agony and ecstasy.
KEY PLAYERS
Rahmanullah Gurbaz
Gurbaz in ODIs in 2023
Mat | Runs | Average | Strike Rate | Highest | 100s/50s |
11 | 376 | 34.18 | 80.86 | 151 | 2/0 |
Rashid Khan
Rashid in ODIs in 2023
Mat | Runs | Strike Rate | Wkts | Bowl. Avg | Econ. |
8 | 77 | 124.19 | 9 | 37.33 | 4.66 |
PREDICTION
Afghanistan shouldn’t harbour hopes of going previous the group stage. However, its spinners shall be greater than a handful in Indian circumstances and will pull off just a few upsets.
Mat | Won | Lost | Tied | No Result | Win% |
11 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 27.27 |
AFGHANISTAN SQUAD
Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Riaz Hassan, Rahmat Shah, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Ikram Alikhil, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Abdul Rahman, Naveen-ul-Haq.
Source web site: sportstar.thehindu.com