ENG vs AFG Match Preview
England has one of the strongest batting line-ups in this tournament and will be banking on it to put up a big score in this match.
Johnny Bairstow and Dawid Malan put up a 115-run partnership in the last match and looked in fine form. Malan went on to score his 6th ODI century. Joe Root was going through a lean patch before the start of the World Cup but has scored back-to-back half-centuries here.
The middle-order has struggled a bit so far and that is something that England will need to work on. Jos Buttler, Harry Brook, and Liam Livingstone are all quality players but are yet to get going.
Reece Topley bowled a brilliant spell in the last match, picking up 4 wickets, and will once again lead the pace attack. He will be supported by Chris Woakes and Mark Wood at the other end.
Afghanistan has some brilliant individual players but they will need to play cohesively to get a winning outcome. Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran can be a devastating opening pair on their day but the duo hasn’t been able to capitalize on the starts they have got in recent matches.
Hashmatullah Shahidi and Azmatullah Omarzai scored individual half-centuries against a quality bowling attack of India and that should boost their confidence. Just like England, Afghanistan’s middle order hasn’t clicked yet as Rahmat Shah, Najibullah Zadran, and Mohammad Nabi have all struggled to score runs.
There is plenty of scope for improvement in the bowling department too. The three seamers, Azmatullah, Naveen Ul-Haq, and Fazalhaq Farooqi have managed to pick up just 1 wicket each. Afghanistan's spin attack too hasn’t done well with only Rashid Khan being among the wickets.
Weather Report
The weather is expected to remain clear for the most part with some clouds dotting the sky. The temperature will remain between 29 to 34 degrees Celsius.
Pitch Report
The pitch at Delhi is excellent to bat on as demonstrated in the first two matches. The ground offers a flat surface and there is very little help for the bowlers. They will need to stick to a good line and length and any loose deliveries will be severely punished.
Teams batting first will look to score around 350 to give the bowlers a good chance.
Notable stats
Root: Back to Form
Joe Root played an impressive knock of 82 runs in the last match against Bangladesh. In the process, he surpassed Graham Gooch to become England’s highest run-getter in World Cup matches. Root has scored an aggregate of 917 runs at an impressive average of 57.31.
Team News
There are no updates regarding injuries from either side.
ENG vs AFG Probable 11
ENG Playing 11
- Johnny Bairstow
- Dawid Malan
- Joe Root
- Jos Buttler (C)
- Liam Livingstone
- Harry Brook
- Sam Curran
- Chris Woakes
- Reece Topley
- Mark Wood
- Adil Rashid
AFG Playing 11
- Rahmanullah Gurbaz (Wk)
- Ibrahim Zadran
- Rahmat Shah
- Hashmatullah Shahidi (C)
- Najibullah Zadran
- Mohammad Nabi
- Rashid Khan
- Azmatullah Omarzai
- Naveen ul-Haq
- Fazalhaq Farooqi
- Mujeeb ur Rahman
Dream11 Prediction
We are backing England to win this match. They have never been defeated by Afghanistan in a white-ball match and have dominated against them in all departments. England has a much stronger team compared to Afghanistan and the latter are likely to struggle, given their poor form.
Top Picks
Dawid Malan: Malan scored a century in the last match, which was his 4th in the last 9 innings. Malan has scored a total of 1200 runs in just 23 innings.
Reece Topley: Topley picked up 4 wickets in the last match. He has picked up a total of 42 wickets in his career at an impressive average of 25.29.
Azmatullah Omarzai: Omarzai is emerging as a genuine all-rounder for Afghanistan. He has scored 221 runs in his ODI career and has also picked up 7 wickets.
ENG vs AFG Dream11 Team 1
Keeper: J Buttler, R Gurbaz, J Bairstow
Batters: I Zadran, J Root (VC), D Malan (C), H Shahidi
All-rounders: A Omerzai
Bowlers: Rashid-Khan, M Wood, R Topley
