ENG vs AFG Match Preview
England's batting is very strong. Jos Buttler and Alex Hales will open the batting. Buttler smashed the Aussie bowlers around for fun and has also had a lot of success in the BBL. The same is true for Alex Hales. We think Dawid Malan will keep his position at number three followed by Ben Stokes at four.
The big decision England will have is to choose between Harry Brooks and Liam Livingstone at number five.
The bowling lineup for England is likely to feature Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood, and maybe Chris Jordan to round out their attack. The remaining position can be filled by a batter to suit favorable matchups.
Afghanistan's batting could struggle to match England's. Rahmanullah Gurbaz is key at the top but other players like Hazratullah Zazai, Ibrahim Zadran, and Mohammad Nabi need to step up. We think Ibrahim Zadran is perhaps the best suited to find success with the others expected to struggle.
Both Mujeeb and Rashid have found success in the BBL but they don't really match up well against England. Nabi could actually pose the toughest questions. We don't have much hope from the Afghan fast bowlers. Fazalhaq Farooqi and Naveen ul Haq are the two players likely to play the first match.
Weather Report
The weather forecast in Perth is better than in other parts of the country! There is no rain predicted and we should have an uninterrupted match.
Pitch Report
The conditions are going to be fast and bouncy. The Perth wicket has a lot of pace and bounce to offer the players.
Batters that can get on top of the bounce can score quickly but the bowlers will always be in with a chance. If England bats first, we think 180-200 is on the cards but if Afghanistan bats first, they could struggle to get to 160.
Notable stats
Rashid Khan in Australia
Having played BBL for the last five seasons, Rashid Khan has extensive experience playing in Australia. He has bowled in 59 innings, picked up 88 wickets, and given away runs at just 6.48.
Team News
England is likely to pick Liam Livingstone in place of Harry Brook for the first match. We also think they will play Mark Wood to intimidate the Afghan batters.
ENG vs AFG Probable 11
ENG Playing 11
- Jos Buttler (C)
- Alex Hales
- Dawid Malan
- Ben Stokes
- Liam Livingstone
- Moeen Ali
- Sam Curran
- Adil Rashid
- Chris Woakes
- Mark Wood
- David Willey
AFG Playing 11
- Rahmanullah Gurbaz (Wk)
- Hazratullah Zazai
- Ibrahim Zadran
- Usman Ghani
- Najibullah Zadran
- Mohammad Nabi (C)
- Rashid Khan
- Mujeeb ur Rahman
- Fazalhaq Farooqi
- Naveen ul Haq
- Fareed Malik
Dream11 Prediction
England should win this match quite comfortably. It is far superior to Afghanistan as a T20 team and the conditions in Perth are only going to increase this gap.
Top Picks
Mark Wood - He is going to be used as a wicket-taker in the middle of the inning. He could be a real handful on the fast Perth surface.
Ibrahim Zadran - We are not going to pick too many Afghan players but out of the ones that we will, we think Ibrahim Zadran is the one likely to make some runs.
Jos Buttler - England's best batter and our captain pick for this match, Buttler is excellent against both pace and spin. We can see him dominating Afghanistan's bowlers.
ENG vs AFG Dream11 Team 1
Keeper: J Buttler (C), R Gurbaz
Batters: A Hales, D Malan (VC), I Zadran
All-rounders: S Curran
Bowlers: C Woakes, D Willey, M Wood, Rashid-Khan, Mujeeb-ur-Rahman
