The hosts England will look to inch closer to the semi-finals spot in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 when they face lowly Afghanistan at Manchester on Tuesday noon. The first favourites for the trophy, England is sitting fourth in the table with 6 points in four games so far. After making a winning start to the tournament with a thumping 104 runs win over South Africa, England suffered a narrow 14 runs defeat against Pakistan but looks way too promising with two back to back wins against Bangladesh and Windies.
Afghanistan, on the opposite, is still searching for the maiden win in the tournament. Placed at the bottom, they have failed to cross the line against each of their opponents – Australia, Sri Lanka, New Zealand and South Africa. While nothing much is left for them in the tournament, Afghanistan will no look to play for pride.
The match will begin at 03:00 PM IST.
England vs Afghanistan
Venue: Emirates Old Trafford, Manchester
Time: June 18, 03:00 PM
Matches: 01
2015 World Cup: England won by 9 wickets
Matches: 01
England won: 01
Afghanistan won: 01
The previous game played at Manchester witnessed India posting 300+ total in the first innings despite all the odds. While it became slow gradually in the second half of the game, there was no swing or lateral movement at the start as it was expected. The average first innings score at the venue is 217. So, expect a similar fashion. Spinners too are expected to be in the game as we saw in India vs Pakistan clash. It will be nice and easy for the batsman too if they hold on and get in.
The average score in the first innings: 217
The average score in the second innings:192
Highest total recorded at the venue: 336/5 (50 Ov) by IND vs PAK
Lowest total recorded at the venue: 45/10 (40.3 Ov) by CAN vs ENG
Afghanistan squad to face England:
Gulbadin Naib (c), Hashmatullah Shahidi, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Shahzad (wk), Noor Ali Zadran, Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmat Shah, Asghar Afghan, Samiullah Shinwari, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Dawlat Zadran, Aftab Alam, Hamid Hassan and Mujeeb ur Rahman.
England squad to face Afghanistan:
Liam Plunkett, Jos Buttler (wk), Adil Rashid, Eoin Morgan (capt), Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow (wk), Joe Root, Jason Roy, Chris Woakes, Tom Curran, Moeen Ali, Ben Stokes, James Vince, Liam Dawson, Mark Wood
England: Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Eoin Morgan (c), Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes, Joe Root, Adil Rashid, Jos Buttler (wk), James Vince, Mark Wood, Jofra Archer
Afghanistan: Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Rahmat Shah, Gulbadin Naib (c), Mohammad Nabi, Noor Ali Zadran, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Asghar Afghan, Ikram Ali Khil (wk), Rashid Khan, Najibullah, Dawlat Zadran
England
Joe Root –
With 279 runs in 4 innings, Joe Root is the leading run-getter for England in the tournament. He has smashed two hundred and a fifty in four innings
He has been phenomenal with the ball too, bagging 2 wickets in his 5 overs spell against Windies
Jason Buttler –
Jason Buttler is third in the list of leading run-getters for England. In 3 innings, he has slammed 1845 runs at an average of 61.66 including a hundred and a fifty
Jofra Archer –
The young sensation, Archer is the leading wickets taker for the side in the tournament. In 4 inning he has bagged 9 scalps at an impressive average of 18.33 and economy less than 5
Mark Wood –
In three innings, he has bagged 7 wickets at an average of 17.57 and an economy just under 5
Afghanistan
Najibullah Zadran-
Zadran is the key scorer for the side. In three innings, he has managed 98 runs including a fifty. However, he missed out the last game and will be slightly doubtful
Noor Ali Zadran and Hasmatullah Shahidi are the other key batters in the side. Zadran has scored 63 runs at an average of 31.50 while H Shahidi has managed 89 runs in 4 innings at an average of 22.25
Mohammad Nabi is the most successful bowler for the side. In 4 innings, he has bagged 4 wickets with an economy of 4.41
Aftab Alam and Rashid Khan share 3 wickets each. Rashid can be crucial as it looks like a spin-friendly track