There is very little room for error in the shorter format of the Champions Trophy. especially when you have lost your first match in one of the three matches leagues. Same is the situation of Afghanistan and England who will play against each other tomorrow i.e. on Wednesday at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore
The match between Australia and South Africa was washed out due to rain. This is a very big match in which both teams have lot to lose. The last time Afghanistan and England met in a one-day international World Cup. Afghanistan did a big upset by defeating England by 69 runs at Delhi’s Arun Jaitley stadium. This day was a very historic day for Afghanistan. Afghanistan bowlers did wonders led by their world famous spin attack And England’s batsmen failed to understand both spin and pace.
Afghanistan and England in this tournament
As far as this tournament is concerned, the opening matches of both Afghanistan and England were not very special. Both have lost their first matches and this is a kind of pressure in an ICC tournament. Where England were defeated by Australia . That too while chasing a target of 351 runs which is not a normal trait especially in an ICC tournament
On the other hand, Afghanistan also had a very bad start to the tournament. Their bowlers performed very low on a flat pitch according to their bowling style. South African batsmen did not give any chance to Afghanistan bowlers to dominate them. when they reached 315, this target had become very difficult for Afghanistan which was not easy to achieve. The conditions in Lahore will favour the batsmen and especially the team chasing the target. Because there is hope in chasing the target as we saw in the match between England and Australia. where England bowlers could not understand how to bowl on flat pitches. Australia achieved the target of 351 runs very easily.
The match between Afghanistan and England will basically be between Afghanistan’s spin bowling attack and England’s fast bowling.
If we talk about conditions for Afghanistan and England Match, England is ahead on paper. We cannot ignore Afghanistan’s bowling, and it will be interesting to see whether it impacts this match.
Afghanistan and England Preview
When: England and Afghanistan: February 26 at 2:30 PM IST
Where: Gaddafi Stadium Lahore
What to expect: If the match between Australia and England is anything to go by, they might score a lot of runs again. similar to the matches during the recent tri-series between Pakistan, New Zealand and South Africa. Lahore has hosted 9 ODI series since 2022, out of which the team chasing the target won 5 matches. The last two matches have seen scores of more than 300 runs. The average first innings score in last 9 matches has been 297. and Dew can be a reason and in this the captain can think of bowling after winning the toss. We should except a high run fest in the Afghanistan and England match.
Team News
Afghanistan
In the last match against South Africa, Afghanistan’s bowling attack proved to be quite weak. The spin bowlers disappointed. Out of that, Noor Ahmed proved to be very expensive. Given the nature of the tournament format, Afghanistan might opt to include Mujeeb Ur Rahman in place of Noor Ahmad
Playing 11: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wicketkeeper), Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Sahidi(captain), zmatullah Omarzai, Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb-ur-Rahman/Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqui
England
With Brydon Carse out of the tournament, there will be a need for change in the team. Gus Atkinson, Saqib Mahmood and Jamie Overton any one of these over done can be included in the team. However, Overton has better batting ability and he also bowls at a decent pace. He can prove to be better than others.
Playing 11: Phil Salt, Ben Duckett, Jamie Smith(wicketkeeper), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler (captain), Liam Livingstone, Jamie Overton, Adil Rashid, Jofra Archer, Mark Wood
Do you know some interesting facts about Afghanistan and England player
Jos Buttler’s batting average in ICC ODI tournaments is just 25.82 in 31 innings. Which includes only four half-centuries. The strike rate of 116 is on par with his overall figures. but the average is well below his career figure of 39.2
Rashid Khan’s ODI career statistics are excellent. He has proved to be quite impressive by taking 198 wickets at an average of 20.02 and an economy of 4.21 . Rashid statistics in ICC ODI tournaments are just the opposite.
Leg spinner Rashid Khan has taken only 17 wickets. Rashid average were 50.76 and an economy of 5.12 which is not in keeping with his stature
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